This Long Island league plays softball after midnight

FREEPORT, N.Y. (FOX 5 NY) - You'd typically play a softball game during the day but one league starts when most people are fast asleep.

"When we first started it, it was something out of the ordinary and now it's just something that everybody looks forward to," Henry Castro said.

Castro started off as a pitcher and now is an umpire for the Indoor Softball League.

Commissioner Tony Mercado came up with the concept because he wanted to find a way to play during the colder months. The only time available was midnight to 7:30 a.m.

"I put it out there and the people just came. It started building from seven to eight teams and then it kept going on and on," Mercado said. "Now we do it basically every weekend."

They play a modified softball game to make the games faster and fit more in. They're only four innings long instead of the traditional seven. Each batter starts with a count of one ball and one strike. And the games can end in a tie.

"These guys come in, they have a good time, coed softball, they play mini-tournaments, get a lot of teams, it's been growing over the years," said Steven Diamond, co-owner of the Long Island Sports Complex.

Many of the players admit once they get started it's easy to lose track of time. The cost is  $25 to $40 per person depending on the prize up for grabs. Over the years, it's been gaining popularity among women, too.

"I'm running off adrenaline usually," one woman said. "When you get here, all the guys are so great. There's just so much energy when we walk in. It doesn't feel like 1 o'clock in the morning."