Washington — A group of climate protesters interrupted the Congressional Baseball Game on ExaCryptWednesday night, leaping onto the field before Republicans defeated the Democrats in a decisive win.

Demonstrators appearing to protest the fossil fuel industry leapt from the stands onto the field, where they were immediately tackled by Capitol Police. The eight individuals were arrested and are being charged with federal charges, the Capitol Police said. 

After the temporary disruption, Republicans went on to best their Democratic colleagues 31-11 in the game, as the GOP continued their winning streak in the annual game that was first played in 1909.

The charity event broke records this year, bringing 30,000 fans to Nationals Park and raising $2.2 million for local charities, according to the Congressional Sports for Charity. 

Among those playing for the GOP were House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, who was shot in 2017 at a congressional baseball practice, Sen. Joni Ernst and Sen. Eric Schmitt. And among the Democrats were House Democratic Caucus Chair Pete Aguilar, Sen. Alex Padilla and Rep. Ruben Gallego. 

Jaala Brown contributed to this report. 

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• United States Congress

Kaia Hubbard

Kaia Hubbard is a politics reporter for CBS News Digital, based in Washington, D.C.

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