BELOIT, Wis. (WKOW) − Wisconsin celebrities defeated Illinois in the second annual Border Brouhaha charity softball game, raising money for Make-A-Wish Wisconsin.
The game brought together Packers legends, Olympic champions, media personalities and community leaders. Former Green Bay stars Mason Crosby and Jordy Nelson represented Wisconsin, while Illinois brought its own team of athletes including Bears defensive end Daniel Hardy.
Wisconsin trailed by nine runs heading into the sixth inning before mounting a comeback. The Badger State scored eight runs to close the gap, then it was Rob Valcq hit a three-run walk-off to secure the win.
“When the opportunity arrives to be able to come and do something like this and continue to get back into this state and give back, and you know, again, being right here on the border as well is kind of fun,” Crosby said before the game. “You know, we get that mixed bag. I definitely see more Packers fans, so we’re in good company.”
Nelson said Wisconsin holds a special place in his life.
“Wisconsin as a state and Green Bay is such a huge part of our lives,” Nelson said. “Both of us came here very young, obviously coming out of college. He got married what year two? I was married coming in. Our family, all our kids lived here before we all moved back and settled somewhere else. A very important 10 plus years of our lives, core of our lives were spent in Wisconsin. So it’s definitely always going to be a second home to us, and yeah, so it’s always fun to come back across the border and into Wisconsin and see what’s going on.”
Beyond the bragging rights, the game delivered on its biggest goal: bringing people together to support kids across Wisconsin.
