100 innings of baseball in one day? Why players from 4 high schools played marathon game

The second Saturday of May would have been an ideal time for a day off for Chemung County's baseball teams during a demanding stretch of the season. Horseheads' varsity couldn't have been busier that day. The Blue Raiders ended up playing two games in Binghamton and captured the Southern Tier Athletic Conference tournament title.

JV and varsity players and coaches from Horseheads, Elmira High, Elmira Notre Dame and Thomas A. Edison still made time to participate in the 100-inning game fundraiser for the Josh Palmer Fund at Horseheads High School.

A combination of the pandemic and bad luck with the weather led to four years in between the fundraiser, which was started in 2012 by longtime Horseheads coach Jeff Limoncelli as an offshoot of the local Runs for Relief. Limoncelli reached out in April to Palmer and the coaches to revive the event.

"To get this back and try to be consistent is a big thing," Limoncelli said. "I’m going to retire soon, so I just want these guys to take this over and keep it going. I love doing it. We all love doing it. The coaches and players getting together, just playing for three hours or four hours, it’s a lot of fun."

'They just want to give back'

Given the top fundraiser for the Josh Palmer Fund – the 28-team high school basketball tournament traditionally held just after Christmas – was unable to be played the previous two years, the money raised from the baseball event provided a welcome boost. The fund's annual golf tournament has continued during the pandemic.

While the 100-inning game doesn't bring in the same amount as hoops or golf, its impact has been significant over the years. JV and varsity players were asked to bring in at least $25 each through donations. Limoncelli and his staff matched what the players brought in.

Pudgie's provided pizza and BSN came through with T-shirts.

"These kids, they're great kids, and they're good players," Limoncelli said. "They love baseball. They just want to give back. That's the big thing."

Varsity players from Horseheads participated in the morning before heading to Binghamton to earn some STAC hardware. The Blue Raiders' JV took over from there.

"We were part of it, then we had to get on a bus an hour later into the thing and head off to Binghamton," Limoncelli said. "I know that was important to go play for the STAC and all that, but I would much rather be back there doing that because it means more."

Event raised $3,500 for Josh Palmer Fund

Programs teamed to raised $3,500 that will go to the Josh Palmer Fund, which has raised more than $1.3 million since Palmer started it in 1999 after his own battle with Hodgkin's lymphoma. Proceeds benefit Arnot Health, CareFirst and Guthrie to assist patients with costs related to their battles with cancer.

"If you figure we were there three and a half hours, about a thousand dollars an hour is not bad," Palmer said. "It was really good and I think the kids enjoyed it."

Those kids included two of his own. Sophomore Michael Palmer plays for Elmira's varsity team and eighth-grader Logan Palmer is on the JV. Josh's nephew, Aedan Palmer, also plays JV baseball for the Express.

"For me it was fun because now my Michael and Logan are playing in it," Palmer said. "The last time we did it they were in elementary school.

"It's nice to see the coaches be able to interact for a few hours and have some conversations and talk about different kids and different teams and where they’re at in the year."

Making 100 innings go quickly

Teams hit for five innings at a time, with another playing defense and two others in the dugout taking a break. Batters get one pitch, with the possibility of a second if they foul one off. The format allows the 100 innings to go relatively quickly.

When the event was first held, coaches pitched to the hitters. A pitching machine filled that role this time.

"When we were younger, we used to throw the whole time," Limoncelli said. "That doesn't happen anymore."

Meaningful event for players

Owen Stewart, an Elmira Notre Dame senior who pitched four no-hitters and allowed one earned run in one of the most brilliant seasons in New York state history, was happy to pitch in.

"My grandparents, they have cancer," he said. "There’s a lot of people in my family who have battled cancer. It was nice to go out there and raise money for that cause. To play for a different cause and our team wanted to win."

Stewart grew up playing Little League with several Horseheads players.

"A lot of them are my friends on the other teams," he said. "It was a great cause that we got to go out there and play the game we all love. It was a great time, a great experience for all of us I think."

Follow Andrew Legare on Twitter: @SGAndrewLegare. You can also reach him at alegare@gannett.com. To get unlimited access to the latest news, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.

This article originally appeared on Elmira Star-Gazette: Chemung County baseball teams worked together for Josh Palmer Fund