Washington Nationals Give Girl Gift After Adult Fan Nabs Her Ball

The Washington Nationals baseball team is cheering up a 10-year-old girl whose moment of glory — catching a baseball thrown by right-fielder Joey Meneses — was thwarted by an aggressive fan.

"Grown man steals baseball from little girl," Virginia mom Gina Hillard tweeted on Sept. 1, sharing a video of the Aug. 30 game in which the Nationals defeated the Oakland Athletics 7-5 at Washington, D.C.'s Nationals Park.

"Can you get Joey Meneses to sign a baseball and send it to my daughter?" she added.

Hillard recorded her daughter Avery wearing a baseball mitt with her arm extended in the air, ready to catch Meneses' pitch during warm-up practice. Just then, an adult fan swooped in and caught the ball instead.

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Avery is a Shenandoah Recreation League softball player whose team was among those invited to the game on Youth Champions Day, hosted by the Washington Nationals to honor young players.

A spokesperson for the Washington Nationals told TODAY Parents that the youth teams were recognized on the field prior to the game.

Hillard, who was ready with her camera to record Avery's catch, was "in shock" over what the man did, telling TODAY Parents, "It was hard to hold back — I wanted to defend her but I didn’t want it to escalate."

Avery and her teammates were confused and disappointed — especially when they heard the man's explanation.

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"One of the girls' dads went over to talk to the guy and he had no remorse at all," Hillard said. "He said he bought his ticket to the game and he had a right to (catch the ball)."

On Sept. 6, the Washington Nationals tweeted back to Hillard, "Hey Gina! Mind giving us a follow and we'll send you a DM?"

A spokesperson from the Washington Nationals told TODAY Parents that a signed ball from Meneses is on its way to Avery.

Hillard said the girls still treasured their day, which for some marked their first visit to the stadium or their first Metro ride. "They had a wonderful time — that's truly the takeaway — and while the incident was unfortunate, the ending is (not)," Hillard said.

Avery and her mom aren't bitter toward the fan, either. "We don't want him to get into trouble," explained Hillard. "He was probably having a bad night."

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This article was originally published on TODAY.com