Military father who was set to miss his two daughters' entire softball season surprises them by turning up at their final game for an emotional reunion
- Jake Bunger, from Georgia, had been sent to Afghanistan late last year
- He wanted to see his adopted girls, Taya and Liberty, play in Lady Rascals of Locust Grove 6u softball game
- Girls were taken to home plate by coach Matt Still and were told to turn around
- They raced over to devoted dad who embraced them while onlookers applauded
A military father who missed his two adopted daughters' maiden softball season returned from deployment to see their end-of-season game – and surprise them at the home plate.
Jake Bunger had been sent to Afghanistan late last year and was set to miss all of the Lady Rascals of Locust Grove 6u softball season, which his daughters Taya and Liberty play for.
But after hearing the news, coach Matt Still decided to try to get the final season game pushed back by one week – allowing the devoted dad to see his girls in action at Locust Grove, in Henry County, Georgia.
Jake Bunger, who was sent to Afghanistan late last year, is reunited with his two adopted daughters, Taya and Liberty, at the girls' end-of-season softball game, in Locust Grove, Georgia
Moments earlier, Taya (center) and Liberty (right) were taken, along with their team-mates, by coach Matt Still to the outfield with their backs to the home plate. The girls were told they could wear whatever they wanted for the final match
Meanwhile, their military father has rushed on to the field to surprise them. The girls are seen above, just as they turn around and spot him
The ecstatic pair run over to their dad while spectators applaud. Bunger had been set to miss all of the Lady Rascals of Locust Grove 6u softball season, so the girls' coach arranged for the final game to be pushed back a week so Bunger could see them in action
After explaining the situation with the other coach, Still took the girls – who were allowed to wear whatever they wished for the final game instead of their uniforms – to the outfield with their backs to the home plate.
In the footage, Bunger, who has been hiding in the bleachers, quickly gets into position, shaking the hands of fellow parents as he goes.
When Still then points behind them and says, 'Who is that back there at home plate?', the girls turn around and see their father.
They instantly cry out 'Daddy!' and charge down the field towards the stands, where parents have lined up to create a tunnel to their father.
As they embrace, the crowd bursts into a round of applause during the family reunion, on May 28.
Bunger then says to Taya: ' Wow, you lost a tooth' - before turning to Liberty and saying, 'You're getting so big.'
Coach Still, from Atlanta, said: 'When I found out their father would be coming home on May 27, and as a veteran and father myself, I thought it would be awesome if he could see at least one game.
Upon seeing their father, Taya and Liberty cry out 'Daddy!' before racing down the field to embrace him, on May 28
'I spoke to his wife and she felt the same way, so I reached out to the coach of our opponents, the Ola Crushers, and asked if he would be willing to reschedule our game from the 23rd to the 28th. I explained the situation and he was on board 100%.
'Before our game, I took my team out into centerfield and had them facing away from home plate.
'The girls' father, Jake Bunger, ran out on to the field after being hidden in the concession stand. Once he was in position, I turned my team around and pointed to him and asked the girls who that was.
'His daughters recognized him, screamed "Daddy", and ran into his arms!'
Bunger and his wife Anna were Taya - whose full name is Nataya - and Liberty's foster parents, but later adopted the pair.
Still added: 'Jake got to not only surprise his daughters, but he got to watch them play in their last game. Both girls had their best games of the year! It was a magical evening.'
Taya (full name Nataya) and Liberty were initially taken into foster care by Bunger and his wife Anna, who later adopted the two girls
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