Video: 1st Gunner's Mate Philip Elmore surprises 8 year old daughter at BB&T BallPark

Prior to Friday’s 5-3 win over Buffalo, the Charlotte Knights gave 8-year-old Isabella Elmore the surprise of a lifetime.

Under the impression that she had won the opportunity to toss out Friday’s first pitch at BB&T BallPark, Isabella took the field in front of a sold out crowd of 10,308.

When Isabella took the mound a message from her father, Gunner's Mate 1st Class Philip Elmore appeared on the the ball park's left field scoreboard. 

“Ok Isabella, all you do is try to aim for the catcher and try to knock him down,” said Elmore, in a video shot from Germany, where he'd been stationed since October.  

Isabella took aim at the catcher -- who for some strange reason was in a mask and full gear -- and let the game's first pitch fly. 

After catching it, Philip Elmore removed his mask and revealed to Isabella and the entire crowd that he'd come home. 

“I thought it was just a normal pitcher, but then it was my dad,“ said Isabella, who ran straight into her father's arms once she'd realized it was him under all that Knights gear. 

Elmore is a graduate of East Mecklenburg High School and Appalachian State University. He joined the Navy in 1986 and had been stationed at the Navy Warrior Transition Program in Sembach, Germany, where Sailors returning from very stressful duty in Afghanistan get assistance with their transitions back into their normal lives in the U.S.