The skies parted at the perfect time Saturday for local players and the Ridge Meadows Minor Baseball Association’s sixth annual bat-a-thon fundraiser.
It was a chance for players in four divisions – Rally Cap, Super T, Tadpole, Mosquito – to get out and collect pledges to help the RMMBA.
Players also had their chance to see who was the fastest base runner, most accurate thrower, and, of course, the further hitter.
Melissa Nisbet, the association’s special events coordinator, said it was great to see the sun shining through.
“I was so surprised it happened,” she said. “Our opening day was just rain-soaked, so it was so nice to actually have sun.”
This year, the entire event was run at the Pitt Meadows Athletic Park, which Nisbet thinks gave more families a chance to see their kids compete.
The winners of the Bat-a-Thon for each division:
• Mosquito – Owen Fernandes, 241 ft.
• Tadpole – Sam Lewis, 194 ft.
• Super T – Max Davey, 120 ft.
• Rally Cap – Tyler Sharpe, 100 ft.
While the lower divisions were simply out to have fun, the Mosquito division teams did partake in the skills competition. The big winners there were:
• Home Run Competition – Evan Dugdale;
• Hardest Throw – Jazz Pickering;
• Pitching Accuracy – Caleb Arrington;
• Fastest Around the Base – Jakob Schneider.
Nisbet estimates around $9,000 was raised for RMMBA, which will go to helping keep registration costs low.
Other fundraising is done throughout the year for programs, such as the Empty Glove Fund, and a new, unique umpiring program, in which kids can learn how to call games with their parents.
The team that raised the most money through pledges for the bat-a-thon will also receive $200 worth of food and drinks towards a season-ending team wrap-up party.