For the third straight year, the city of Dalton won the Battle of the Badges charity softball tournament, with the police and fire departments finishing tied for top honors. This time, however, a Whitfield County agency also finished tied for first. The real winners, however, are the three local charities that will share more than $8,200 raised by Saturday’s event.
The softball competition began with the Dalton Police Department beating the Dalton Fire Department 10-9. The DPD missed out on the opportunity to win it all, however, losing in its second game to the Whitfield County Fire Department in a 14-12 slugfest.
The Dalton Fire Department handed the Whitfield County Sheriff’s Office its second loss of the round-robin tournament to finish in a three-way tie for first with the DPD and Whitfield County Fire. The DFD brought home the trophy, however, thanks to allowing fewer runs in the tournament and thus clinching the tie-breaker.
The battle for bragging rights among Whitfield County’s four largest public safety agencies was the main event but the impact of the money raised will be felt long after the game scores are forgotten. The tournament raised at least $8,200 with proceeds from T-shirt sales still waiting to be totaled. The event benefits the Grace and Joy House, the Dalton Police and Fire Departments’ Shop With a Hero fund and Dalton-Whitfield Special Olympics. Last year’s event raised $6,000 for the charities.
The participating agencies thank event sponsors Advantage Sports, Alliant Health Plans, Baja Coop, Cafe Ostro, Carol’s Fashions, Carniceria Nacho, Chick-fil-A Dalton Mall, Cyra’s, Deep Spring Vineyards, Dr. Bill Chung DDS, Elite Apparel, Fraternal Order of Police, GT Distributors, HB1 Solutions, Helton Tire, Jefferson’s, Kids Community Learning Center, LA Transmissions, Mohawk, Painting Peeps, Riverside Stoneworks LLC, Shaw Industries, Silvas Mechanical Bull, Stroll-n-Shine, The Battlegrounds Games & Comics, The Buckin’ Burrito, The Coffee Boutique, The Fade Barbershop, The Local, The Paper Princess, Tractor Supply Co., Tunnel Hill Nutrition, Varnell Cafe, Varnell Wine and Spirits, Walmart, Wolfe Garage Solutions and Yellowstone.
Submitted by the city of Dalton.