• Article Photo. Coach Roger Roseberry tosses the first pitch to Tyler Stueck as Coach Boisen catches.
    Coach Roger Roseberry tosses the first pitch to Tyler Stueck as Coach Boisen catches.
  • Article Photo. Nick Hyland stretches for a high throw at first base; the infielders are adjusting to a larger field
    Nick Hyland stretches for a high throw at first base; the infielders are adjusting to a larger field
  • Article Photo. Tom Stueck prepares to tag out his son Tyler, who tried to steal second.
    Tom Stueck prepares to tag out his son Tyler, who tried to steal second.
  • Article Photo. The boys struggled early, but came back to tie their fathers and coaches.
    The boys struggled early, but came back to tie their fathers and coaches.

Next year, the current Vinton 12 and under team that enjoyed a successful season, winning tournaments against teams from all over Iowa, will be playing in the 13 and under league. 

That means they move from the smaller field to the regulation-size field. The pitchers have to adjust to the 60 feet, six-inch distance to home plate, and the infielders have to get the ball across a much larger diamond. 

To help the boys adjust, coaches Dave Boisen and Roger Rosenberry arranged a game for them against a much larger group of players — their fathers. 

The game at the Marvin Lindsey field Sunday night was mostly in fun, but it gave the boys a chance to play a game on the larger field with an opponent they really want to beat. 

The dads got an early lead, using aggressive base-running. But the boys came back and the game ended in an 8-8 tie. Coach Rosenberry did the pitching for the dads team; Boisen played catcher. The players took advantage of the situation to remind the coaches of many of the instructions they had heard from them during the season. And of course, there was a little more taunting than usual between the dugouts.