FREEPORT — Baseball is alive and well in Freeport.

The Freeport Little League celebrated its 60th season with a commemorative opening day ceremony last weekend at Freeport Community Park.

Six of the league's alumni, now senior citizens, were on hand for the ceremonies, as was the Pirate Parrot.

The league began with four teams — Pirates, Yankees, Indians and Giants — in 1953 through the efforts of Winifred Conti and Jane Sweeny, known as the “founding mothers of Freeport Area Little League.”

“Those two ladies went door to door, collecting signatures on a petition for Freeport to get its Little League charter,” event coordinator Patty Hettich said. “Their efforts were tireless.

“It wouldn't have been right not to mention their names on this day.”

Charles Conti, Winifred's son, played as a 9-year-old in the first-ever Freeport Little League game in 1953.

Freeport Little League today consists of 22 baseball and softball teams, 85 coaches and 258 players.

The players, introduced one-by-one, shook hands with the alumni representatives as they took the field.

South Buffalo resident Bill Hancock, 70, coached in the league for 29 years.

“There's no way I would have coached that long without the support of the parents,” Hancock said. “It's been fun watching this league grow over the years.

“I was here to teach baseball and the parents knew that. I was always well-treated. As far as I know, it's always been that way.”

The most memorable game played in the league's early years was a scoreless tie between the Giants and Yankees. The game was called because of darkness with the Giants' Lefty Stuart accumulating 21 strikeouts and the Yankees' Bobo Costantino getting 22.

Dennis Atkinson and Jim Livingston were teammates on the 1959 Freeport Little League all-star team that was the circuit's first district champion.

“I remember losing a no-hitter with two outs in the last inning on a little bloop to right field,” Livingston said. “I was totally disgusted.”

Dan Coyle recalled a game he played as a third baseman, running with his back to the infield trying to catch a short fly to left field.

“I collided with the left fielder and we were both practically knocked out,” he said. “I had a knot on my forehead the size of the golf ball. We found the baseball in the left fielder's glove and the batter was out.”

Denny Kurn, 62, has been coaching in the league for 29 years. He is helping out with his son's (Tim Kurn) Pirates' team and his grandson, Dominic, plays in the league.

“I've coached here, my three kids played here and I have two grandchildren playing,” Kurn said. “We have a number of three-generation families involved in the league.

“One game my son pitched, he struck out 18 and had putouts on the other three outs.”

Kurn thought back to the league's formative years.

“For two ladies to go door-to-door, to do all of that work for all of this ... It's a wonderful thing,” he said.

Freeport Little League began play on the borough field. Freeport Community Park's multiple fields have housed the league for the past few decades.

Owen Campbell, who played on the 1960 league all-star team, remembered when the first field was open at the park,.

“It was like the Field of Dreams movie,” he said. “You walked through the woods and suddenly, a baseball field appeared.

“A lot has happened up here since then.”