Each year, members of Congress trade verbal barbs for real-life brush-back pitches at Nationals Park for the Roll Call Congressional Baseball Game.
Freshman Rep. Barry Loudermilk, R-Cassville, made his debut at Thursday night's game, showing his hometown pride with a Kennesaw State University owls jersey.
The big news in this game was a surprise visit from President Barack Obama, who said hello the night before a crucial vote for his trade agenda. (It didn't exactly work.)
Obama walked onto the field to loud cheers while Loudermilk was in the batter's box.
"Hey, we're trying to play a game here," Loudermilk told Obama, the lawmaker recounted to us this afternoon.
Loudermilk said Obama just smiled back. While Loudermilk said that, yes, his timing was thrown off by the commander-in-chief, it was probably worse for the Democrats' pitcher, Rep. Cedric Richmond, R-La.
Richmond once again led the Democrats to victory for the seventh consecutive year, 5-2.
Loudermilk said he was pleased with his own play and his Republican mates, who made it a game and hit well. Loudermilk went 1-for-3 with a run scored.
"We lost it with errors," he added.
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