Pack the Park on Saturday was dominated by heat, but it didn't dominate the spirits of those in attendance as the 12U baseball and softball teams batted it out in a game of whiffle ball and The Gulch slow-pitch softball team led a homerun derby.
An ice cream truck, a fruit drink truck, and concessions helped to cool the heat some as attendees purchased raffle tickets and bid on the silent auction.
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Between the two events, players from the 2024 youth baseball and softball season from tee ball to 12U were recognized for their efforts in playing a great season, and Benton Howe's father, Nathan Howe, spoke to the audience about how this event has helped them to honor their late son.
"He had no fear. He was wild, but he had remorse," Howe said as he fought back tears. He spoke about how Benton was a wonderful kid who made friends so easily.
As Howe spoke, Benton's friends lined up along the fence, paying respects. His brothers, Bryce and Miles, then entered the field with baseball bats, which, when lit, became sparklers.
The whiffle ball tournament, while played in pure fun and included activities such as running backwards to a base and running to third instead of first, saw the much larger boys team dominate the girls team 19-17.
The girls opened the game with three runs in the second inning, putting them ahead. However, the boys then had three consecutive five-run innings, prompting the announcers and game runners, Matt Schrank and Cory Buchholz, to announce they were switching the score around, putting the girls back in first place. Despite that, the boys made a comeback, but the girls played a solid game even with fewer players available to run interference with the lightweight ball.
The homerun derby had 14 participants, where only balls hit over the fence would count. All vehicles in the tailgating area around the outfield were warned they could be hit, and the announcers reminded people they were not responsible for damages to vehicles or tents, which several balls bounced off of. One ball even went into the bed of a truck parked across the road, earning the hitter some style points.
The play-off round went to Austin Matthiesen (third with three home runs), Travis Williamson (second with 8 home runs), and Danny Lyons (first with 10 home runs). In the playoff round, Lyons was unable to defend his first-place status as Williamson came in first. Williamson hit ball after ball over the fence, and Lyons was soundly defeated.
The evening finished with the 30-in-30 raffle, and a fireworks display.
A huge thanks goes out to all the businesses and individuals that contributed to the event, making it a success for the third year running.
