Noah Hinde sat firmly and upright in his wheelchair with bat in hand waiting for the pitch to be delivered.

The 9-year-old’s body may be weakened by cerebral palsy, but in Wednesday’s baseball game with buddy Bryanna Powell by his side, Noah smacked the ball down the first base line.

Powell ran ahead to first, as Noah rolled himself toward it.

“Batting and hitting the ball is fun,” said Noah, who attends McNair Elementary School in Winnebago.

And throughout the stands and on the field, dozens of other children and young adults with disabilities were having fun as they took part in Buddy Baseball, which made its season debut at Guilford High School.

Buddy Baseball is open to area youths ages 7-21 who have special needs. They are paired with peers to experience the game of baseball. The program is in partnership with the Rockford Park District.

“This means everything to him,” said Noah’s mother, Cindy. “He’s been looking forward to this for a long time. For his birthday, he got a helmet, bat and gloves.”

As many parents cheered on their kids from the stands, buddies assisted the players with hitting, running and fielding.

“It’s a great way to help others,” said 14-year-old George St. John, who served as buddy to 10-year-old Marc Ramos, who has Prader-Willi syndrome, a rare eating and behavior disorder. “He and I both like to hit, so it’s been a lot of fun.”

George said he hopes to develop a bond with Marc as the season goes on. Games will be held every Wednesday until July 1.

“To pair them up guarantees success,” said Sheri White, who is spearheading the Buddy Baseball program. “Part of the program is about friendships and some of our special needs kids are isolated because they are in a mainstream school, so they don’t have the connection to their peers. This program is about matching them up with a peer similar in age hopefully the same gender, and hopefully relationships will happen.”

Matthew Lapp, 9, of Machesney Park has Rubinstein-Taybi syndrome, which is characterized by specific physical features and developmental disabilities.

He threw out the first pitch at the game with his buddy, Lou Gilbert, 13, behind him on the mound.

Matthew has limited speech because of his disease, but Lou said they find ways to communicate.

“When I ask him if he’s ready to hit, he will give me a thumbs-up or shake his head for yes. It’s fun to see the smile on his face.” Lou said.

Staff writer Brenda Young can be reached at 815-987-1388 or byoung@rrstar.com.