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“And then we just hoped for the best from there because with the military sometimes things happen,” Daigle said. “But I made it back on the day I needed to.”

The surprise reunion was so emotional that inside the stadium it was \"hard to see a dry eye,\" according to a Mudcats spokeswoman.

\"Both teams were paying attention and that’s not something that normally happens,\" said Becca Holtgreive, the team's director of community relations. \"It was special.\"

Daigle’s children are enjoying the attention their surprise received, and the extra time with their dad back home.

Daigle said he is home for the near future, with no future deployments planned.

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