Hatch Park baseball fields to get new look

Published 1:00 pm Saturday, June 17, 2017

The Hatch Park baseball fields will soon get an upgrade with sod infields.

BRANFORD — Branford’s Babe Ruth President Jason Roberts spoke at the town council meeting Tuesday about the recent district softball tournament and a proposal to upgrade the baseball fields at Hatch Park.

Roberts said the softball tournament, held last Thursday to Saturday, was a success despite the rain.

“We had 14 teams and around 1,000 people in the park on Thursday and Friday,” Roberts said. “There were about 700 on Saturday. It was a good fundraiser for us.

“The softball tournament will come back to us in a max of six years.”

Roberts said he hopes to be able to host a district baseball tournament in the future, but to host that tournament, a grass infield is required.

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The baseball fields currently have all dirt infields.

He said the main reason for wanting the change is to cut down on maintenance and having to drag the entire dirt infield.

The Town Council approved his motion to put down sod on the infield, which has a cost of $2,700.

Also at the meeting, Suwannee County Sheriff Sam St. John addressed speeding in the town of Branford.

He recently placed a speed trailer to track vehicles entering town.

Of the 11,632 vehicles tracked, 28 percent would have been eligible for a speeding ticket, St. John said.