FLETCHER, N.C. — Fletcher police have charged an assistant baseball coach with assault after he struck a 16-year-old umpire, but the coach of the team says the umpire threw the first blow.
Police told the Asheville-Citizen Times that 37-year-old Samuel Cody was arrested after the fight Saturday. Investigators say Cody was arguing with another umpire with the teen stepped between them and was punched.
Authorities say fans then got involved, creating a larger fight. No serious injuries were reported.
But head coach Charlie Wells says parents of his players told him that his assistant was hit in the face by the other umpire, and only struck the teen after he jumped on Cody’s back.
Wells didn’t see the incident because he had already been ejected from the game involving 11- and 12-year-old boys.