EUGENE, Ore. (KMTR) -- One of the biggest friendships (and sometimes an unsung rivalry of two cities) put to the test on Sunday with Eugene Police facing off against Springfield Police in a first ever softball exhibition.
Officers from both departments squared off in a 7-inning game at PK Park in Eugene on Sunday, July 24th, 2011.
Both Eugene and Springfield Police Departments have their own softball teams in area leagues, but getting them together to play has never happened on the main stage.
Officers brought the teams together as a way to share their partnership with the community, also to help contribute to attendance at the Eugene Emeralds game following the match-up, which raised money for Habitat for Humanity of Eugene/Springfield.
“It's a friendly rivalry but we wanted to ignite that. We would like to do this every year, have an annual game where we play them every year, kind of keep a running tally of who has more wins over the years,” said Officer John Charlow of the Eugene Police Department.
When it comes to work off the field, and in the city though, interaction between Eugene and Springfield’s Police Departments is partnership.
“They have investigations that carry into our city, we carry into their’s, we're dealing with the same element of people everyday. So we're sharing information, backing up people on calls, we have mutual aid agreements,” said Chief Jerry Smith of Springfield Police Department.
“Eugene Police Department and Springfield Police Department work almost seamlessly virtually every day,” said Chief Smith.
For the first big stage game, Springfield Police took the win: 13 runs to Eugene Police’s 5 runs.
