Tim Froberg

USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin

GRAND CHUTE - There was a point in the home run derby when Jordy Nelson sprinted off the mound and chased a pop fly near the first-base bag.

His hustle was greeted by a collective gasp from the crowd and a “No, Jordy, no” scolding from the public address announcer.

Considering that Nelson will attempt to recapture his role this fall as the Green Bay Packers’ go-to receiver after missing the entire 2015 season with a torn ACL in his right knee, the trepidation was understandable.

Nelson was just fine and seems to be on track toward returning to the field where he really belongs: the one at 1265 Lombardi Avenue.

Until then, venues such as Neuroscience Group Field at Fox Cities Stadium for light-hearted events such as Sunday’s annual Jordy Nelson Charity Softball Game will have to do.

“I’ve been doing a lot more on it than playing softball, so I felt like we were in good shape,” said Nelson, when asked if he had any apprehension about playing in the annual charity game. “Obviously, I wasn’t going to doing anything crazy out there.”

Nelson knew entering the event that nervous Packer fans would be watching his every move and fearing the worst in his first public competition since injuring the knee last August in a preseason game at Pittsburgh’s Heinz Field

“Well, we’ve had some open practices and they (Packer fans) have seen me run some routes, so I wasn’t too worried about that,” Nelson said.

It was clear by his smile and his humorous antics during the game — such as dousing fellow receiver Randall Cobb with a Gatorade shower — that Nelson was thrilled to be back interacting with his teammates.

“Last year, the first couple days after the injury were bad,” Nelson said. “But after that, you accept it. You move forward and you know what your job is for that year.”

Nelson’s job Sunday was serving as official host of the annual charity event which benefits Young Life — a faith-based nonprofit organization that benefits middle school, high school and college students by pairing them with focused adults — and doing a little chucking.

He became the winning pitcher in the Offense’s 30-28 win over the Defense when tight end Mitchell Henry slammed a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the seventh to send a huge crowd of 8,047 home buzzing.

“Everyone likes a walk-off and were were able to get it done,” said Nelson. “I have to give some credit to the defense. They have a lot of guys who can hit the ball. It was fun and great to give back to the community that supports us and to give back to the kids and help them be successful and build a foundation for the future.”

Henry, who spent time on the Packers’ practice squad in the second half of the season, was the day’s most biggest slugger, slamming five of the Offense’s 11 homers. He went 7-for-8 in the slow pitch game with 12 RBI.

“I’ve been playing baseball my whole life,” said Henry, a Kentucky native who played college football at Western Kentucky. “I actually won the state’s home run derby when I was younger. I’ve been hitting 200 buckets of balls with my dad since I was little. It felt great to hit the game-winner in front of all these fans and with my teammates. It was really a fun atmosphere.”

Quarterback Aaron Rodgers and tight end Richard Rodgers added two homers apiece for the offense, while Nelson and fellow receiver Randall Cobb also connected.

Aaron Rodgers played first base and seemed to have a ball, messing with many of the baserunners. He stole Babe Ruth’s move and pointed to the left-field fence before one of his at-bats, prior to hammering a homer to right center. Rodgers also feigned frustration over the countless hits that Nelson was surrendering, kicking dirt on his favorite receiver in a mound conference.

Tight end Richard Rodgers didn’t catch any Hail Mary passes, but supplied the longest home run of the day with a blast over the left-field wall. It was the only homer to clear one of the walls at Neuroscience Group Field. A much shorter, temporary fence was installed several feet in front of the walls.

“Richard is getting kind of soft, he only hit one all the way out,” joked Nelson, who went a perfect 7-for-7 at the plate. “Last year, he got five out.”

Long snapper Rick Lovato led the defense with four homers, while rookie outside linebacker Kyler Fackrell added three. Defensive backs Damarious Randall and Micah Hyde, punter Peter Mortell and linebackers Carl Bradford and Clay Matthews, the losing pitcher, had one apiece.

For Mortell, a Green Bay native who will compete with Tim Masthay for the punting job, the day was special. He attended the charity game as a child and a picture of him posing with LeRoy Butler 16 years ago at the event was shown on the video scoreboard.

“It’s crazy, because when I came here 16 years ago, I wished I’d have a chance to play in this one day,” said Mortell. “I’ll tell you what, I haven’t swung a baseball bat in a very long time. To be able to just make contact today was good, but I think I was just a triple short of hitting for the cycle.”

Randall, who played baseball in community college prior to launching his college football career at Arizona State, won the home run derby with five. Lovato, the other finalist, had two.

Tim Froberg: 920-993-1000, ext. 423, tfroberg@postcrescent.com, on Twitter @twfroberg