FORT WORTH -- For a group that has handled adversity few can imagine, a little rain -- or even a steady downpour -- is no reason to call it quits.
Even if the "it" in question is a softball game at a muddy LaGrave Field.The Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, which consists of veterans who have lost at least one limb while serving in Iraq or Afghanistan post-9-11, beat a coed softball team affiliated with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes 7-0 on Saturday afternoon at the stadium on Fort Worth's north side.Soggy conditions dashed plans for a doubleheader."The weather didn't cooperate with us, but we had a great time here," said the Wounded Warriors' Josh Wege, a resident of Fon du Lac, Wis. Wege was a Marine lance corporal wounded during a 2009 patrol while serving in Iraq. His vehicle hit a roadside bomb, causing him to lose both legs below the knee."It's so incredible and humbling to have a team like this and to be able to play on a team while missing a body part," Wege said.The Wounded Warrior team, which travels the country playing exhibition and celebrity games exclusively against able-bodied opponents, was making its first swing through Texas when it stopped in Fort Worth. Its mission is to honor, and raise awareness of, military personnel while serving as an inspiration to amputees."It's good for us because we're all veterans and we all have a great time playing with each other and traveling to different cities," said the Wounded Warriors' Matias Ferreira of Atlanta, who lost both legs below the knee in Afghanistan.Ferreira hit one of his side's several home runs. He and his teammates completely overpowered the fellowship squad, made up of fellowship all-stars, including Leah Marie O'Brien-Amico, a three-time Olympic gold medalist from California.Former Texas Ranger Mark McLemore threw out the first pitch, and former Ranger Kevin Mench was an honorary player for the Wounded Warriors and hit a home run."These guys have gone through injuries and amputations and some people see it as a disadvantage, but they take it and run with it," Mench said. "They want to be normal people and have fun, but at the same time they want to spread the word about everything they did, and it's motivating."Just because you lost a leg or an arm doesn't mean you can't do the same thing that other people do."
To learn more
For information or to donate to the Wounded Warrior Amputee Softball Team, go to woundedwarrioramputeesoftballteam.org or call 703-549-2288.
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