NEW SCOTLAND — The final baseball game of the season for a team of 8 to 11-year-old Blackbirds was also a celebration of something the team had not had until the start of this summer: a field to play on.

The Voorheesville Youth Baseball League celebrated its new field on the evening of July 20 with five opening pitches by New Scotland Town Board members Bill Hennessy and Patricia Snyder, Albany County Sheriff Craig Apple, Stewart’s Shops representative Chuck Marshall, and team coach Charlie Carrow.

The field at Swift Road park was originally for softball before efforts beginning in May were made to outfit it for youth baseball, including the construction of dugouts and a pitcher’s mound.

Carrow thanked many local businesses, as well as the town, for their donations of either money, supplies, or labor to renovate the field. The sheriff’s office had also made a monetary donation that earned Apple a spot as one of the opening pitchers. Speaking to The Enterprise, Carrow noted that Apple has made efforts to be involved with local youth organizations.

“He’s always stepped up,” he said.

Speaking at the game, Carrow also praised the town board members; the former town supervisor, Thomas Dolin, and assistant parks director Jamie Duncan for groundskeeping. Carrow also noted the involvement of Stewart’s in local initiatives.

“Stewart’s is one of the most dynamic companies in the area,” he said.

Voorheesville Youth Baseball is part of Eastern New York Travel Baseball, which involves games between a range of teams from as far away as Montreal and is divided into age groups. This was the first year Voorheesville had an 11U team. Although Voorheesville had teams of older players that were able to use other fields in the park, such as its 12U team, the fields were not within ENYTB regulations for younger teams to use, according to Carrow.

Following the opening speeches and pitches, the Blackbirds played the North Colonie Bison. Players waiting in the dugout were treated to ice cream from Stewart’s, while those on deck to bat were instructed to put on their hats and tuck in their shirts, as well as to dirty those same uniforms when sliding into the bases.

The former softball field, tucked into a small valley in the park, allowed baseball fans to watch from the top of a hill and even grill hot dogs in the meantime.

From Thursday to Monday evening, Voorheesville Youth Baseball will be hosting a league tournament for the teams of older players, with the championship game on Monday. According to Coach Jim Conley, there will be teams from all over the area coming to play in the “last-man-standing tournament.” Games will be played at Swift Road Park and Clayton A. Bouton High School.