Benson, N.C. — The scene at a small-town T-ball game in Johnston County suddenly erupted into chaos Tuesday night when a man attacked his girlfriend with a knife, an eyewitness said Wednesday. 

"People were running around saying, 'Call 911!', saying, 'Get the children back. Everybody get back,' and my heart just kind of dropped," said Caleb Gregory, who sells concessions at the baseball field.

The field is at Meadow Elementary School and the children playing T-ball were 4 and 5 years old. No children were hurt. 

A Johnston County Sheriff's Office spokesman said Kendall Montrell Basker, 23, was arguing with his girlfriend, Brittany Radford, when he attacked her, stabbing her several times in the neck. Several parents wrestled Basker to the ground and held him until authorities arrived.

Radford was taken to WakeMed, where she was listed in stable condition Wednesday. Basker was arrested at the scene.

The couple had three children together, at least one of whom was on the T-ball team, witnesses said.

According to state Division of Adult Correction records, Basker was charged in April 2008 with violating a restraining order. Later that year, he served time in prison for assault on a female.

Gregory said what makes the stabbing especially troubling is that it happened in the small town of Meadow in front of such small children.

"It's a really small town; we don't even have our own post office," he said. "When I was growing up, you never would have thought something like this would happen, especially at a baseball game.

"These are 4 and 5 year olds," he continued. "I thought it was an act of stupidity and arrogance to try and do this at a ball park."