WEST FAYETTEVILLE -- The third annual Perroni Field Invitational brought out an entire family to cheer on nine-year-old twins, Harper and Hayes Byrd, of Farmington.
Harper plays outfield, shortstop, second base and third base. He was stationed in center field Saturday's second game.
Hayes plays outfield and second base.
Their parents, Matt and April Byrd, of Farmington, big brother, Hudson, 13, a pitcher and shortstop who plays for the Sliders in the Farmington League, and grandparents, Billy and Donna Carter, cheered them on from underneath the shade in a canopy in the outfield.
"Mr. Perroni's always been great to us. A lot of the Farmington Recreational League teams get a chance to practice out here and we got a lot of Farmington kids out here playing this weekend," Matt Byrd said. "He's always been a gracious host and the fact that he does this for the community is awesome."
Matt Byrd said it's really neat to have both twins play on the same team and extend their season with the Perroni Invitational.
The sibling rivalry kicks in and the twins try to outdo each other.
"They are always competing and it ruins one of their days when the other one beats them at something, whether it's how many hits they get or how many points they score or how many points they get or anything in baseball or basketball," Matt Byrd said.
The said the boys are always competing and tackling each other and having fun with each other.
The twins get too intense at times and Hudson has to step between them to get them to tone it down.
"Yeah, I do," he said.
The end result of that becomes beneficial by each one driving the other to become a better player.
"They're always competing, either playing catch outside or pitching to each other in baseball or playing 1-on-1 basketball," Matt Byrd said. "They're boys who have that competitive spirit and they're always going at it."
Billy Carter's resided Farmington since 1970. He witnessed the school win back-to-back football state championships in 1972-1973 but what he's most proud of are his daughters' accomplishments on the basketball court.
Jessica, now Jessica McCullough, held the school single game scoring record for years until Matt Wilson broke that in 2017 with 49 points against Siloam Springs and 50 against Clarksville. Layne Taylor, who will be a senior, set the bar even higher with a 61-point game against Huntsville in his sophomore season.
April started on Farmington's first-ever girls state championship basketball team coached by Brad Blew, which won it all in 2004.
"I will brag on my kids," Billy Carter said. "Jessica was an awesome player. She had great teammates. April was a great player. She had great teammates and they had great coaches in Brad Blew and his staff. They both played on great teams. Easton [McCullough], our granddaughter, she will be the next one."
The sisters are four years apart, and Billy can't help but wonder what would have happened if their respective teams could have played against each other head-to-head.
Donna Carter said the family appreciates the sense of community in the midst of Farmington's rivalry with Prairie Grove.
"Farmington and Prairie Grove still have that small town feel even though they've grown. Farmington has a lot more traffic signals now. Even though we're big rivals on the court and on the field, there's a great friendship between the towns," Donna Carter said.
Donna Carter noted a fun fact. April and her best friend, Janae Neal-Vitale, who both played shooting guard on Blew's 2004 state championship girls basketball team, both teach first grade at Folsom Elementary in Farmington.
"We were best friends our whole lives, now we teach together," April Byrd said.
April Byrd summed up the family excursion to the third annual Perroni Field Invitational.
"We are excited to be out here. It's a beautiful place and we are excited for the opportunity to come out here and support this fundraiser," April Byrd said.
The event produced $10,158.95 to fund research to find a cure for Alzheimer's disease, which affected Perroni's wife, Pat.
SPORTS EDITOR'S NOTE: More on this family in forthcoming issues.