The sixth-graders were from William Penn Middle School in Lower Makefield, Pa.
LOWER MAKEFIELD, Pa. -- About 15 students from William Penn Middle School were taken to area hospitals after suffering from heat-related illness following a field trip to see the Trenton Thunder Thursday, officials said.
The sixth-grade students went to the game, which started at 10:30 a.m., as part of a year-end field trip, the Pennsbury School District said in a statement.
File photo When the students returned to the school on Derbyshire Road in Lower Makefield at 1 p.m., several were suffering from heat illness.
School nurses treated them, but about 15 of them needed to be taken to a hospital for futher treatment.
"All parents are encouraged to ensure that their children are adequately hydrated on days when temperatures are unusually high," the statement said.
The Thunder, the New York Yankees AA minor league affiliate, hosted Education Day Thursday at Arm & Hammer Park, with students from many local schools in attendance.
During the game, the Mercer County Office of Emergency Management reported one student was taken to a Trenton hospital to be check out for a heat ailment, and that other ambulances responded as a precaution.
Lower Makefield police told Action News that police and Bucks County EMS agencies treated the incident as a "mass casualty" response due to the number of patients involved.
The temperature crested at 88 degrees in Trenton Thursday, according to the National Weather Service.
The Thunder beat the New Hampshire Fisher Cats 2-1 in walk-off style, rallying in the bottom of the ninth with back-to-back RBI singles.
Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.