Fruitland Baseball brings Puerto Rican team to Salisbury

SALISBURY, Md. – Over the weekend, Fruitland Baseball welcomed a team all the way from Puerto Rico with open arms.

“I wanted to make it possible for some of the kids who had never traveled to the U.S. to come,” said Otto Dacosta, assistant coach at Top Rank Baseball Puerto Rico.

The team traveled thousands of miles to play in a tournament in Salisbury thanks to the non-profit The Eastern Shore Force.

“It’s my first time playing with a travel team or American people,” said Adrian Lugo, a member of Top Rank Baseball Puerto Rico.

And members of the Puerto Rican team say this trip couldn’t have come at a better time.

“In Puerto Rico now, we don’t have baseball until 2021,” said Kenneth Helabert, a member of Top Rank Baseball Puerto Rico.

“The pandemic take us hard, so it’s very hard for us to play,” said Helabert.

The team says despite the risks of getting sick amid the pandemic they did whatever they could to find new opportunities to play baseball.

“Particularly when you get in a plane, the plane was full, but what are you going to do,” said Dacosta.

“So, just kind of build them up, so they’re not scared to fly,” said Dacosta.

“At first, it was rough because we had trouble to communicate ourselves, but we are doing very well,” said Lugo.

And athletes from the shore say playing baseball with people from a different background has given them an unforgettable experience as well.

“It’s just been an amazing experience playing against them and with them, and the Force organization just really did it for us,” said Cade Williams, a member of the Eastern Shore Force.

The Puerto Rican team says they also got the chance to visit Delaware and Virginia and that they’re grateful for the unique experience.