Comets flushed out of Sportsmen’s Park

Heavy rains washout weekend tourney, move home game to New Hampton

By John Burbridge

sports@charlescitypress.com

The chances the Charles City Comets would finally host their annual varsity baseball tournament were probably less than the Minnesota Twins winning the World Series.

Indeed, the torrential rains that deluged the region late Friday and early Saturday had their predictable effect on Lou Koenigsfeld Field within Sportsmen’s Park. Nearly the entire flood-prone outfield was covered with standing water all the way up to the infield.

“Maybe one of these years we’ll get it in,” Comets varsity baseball coach Tyler Downing said. “We didn’t have it last year. My first year as head coach (2014), we were able to get it in. But flooding has been a problem here since I was a player.”

Though the water receded by Monday morning in spite of intermittent showers, the field was still too wet for the Comets’ scheduled home game later that night against Northeast Iowa Conference rival New Hampton. So it was moved to New Hampton.

“I’m more disappointed in losing a home game and having to travel out there than not being able to hold our tournament,” Downing said. “I guess we’ve just got to deal with it.”

The Comets are not due for another varsity home game until Friday when they host Decorah.

“Maybe things will dry up by then,” Downing said. “But we still have some lower division games there during the week.”

The Comets home varsity softball game against Decorah on Monday has been rescheduled for Friday at 7:15 p.m.