EVENT CONTACT: Annie Desalernos, 916-808-3809

Batter Up! Youth Baseball League Celebrates Opening Day at River Cats Independence Field
on Saturday, April 8

Festivities Scheduled from 9:45 a.m. – 2 p.m.

Sacramento, California, March 27, 2006 – The community built it, and on Saturday, April 8, the players will come.

Sacramento Area youth with special needs will join baseball fans and community leaders in celebrating a dream come true at opening day at River Cats Independence Field, located at the Sam Pannell Meadowview Community Center, 2425 Meadowview Road.

Opening ceremonies will begin at 9:45 a.m. Wheelchair athlete and Shriners Hospital “alumni” Jared Peppers will sing the national anthem. River Cats Independence Field (RCIF) Board President Mike Ubaldi and City Council member Bonnie Pannell will welcome the youth league baseball players and fans. Masters of Ceremonies for the day are Annie Desalernos and Steve Hornsey of the City of Sacramento Department of Parks and Recreation Access Leisure division, which is providing support and coordination of the new River Cats Independence Field Youth Baseball Leagues.

The first pitch will be thrown at 10:15 a.m., and the baseball games will continue until 2 p.m. Area youth ages 4 through school age will compete on Independence Field, a fully-accessibile baseball field made of a rubberized surface ideal for players with physical challenges that use wheelchairs, walkers, crutches or no assistive devices.

“Opening day at Indpendence Field truly is a dream come true, not only for the youth who will play here, but for the many generous businesses and individuals who donated their time, talent and resources to make baseball a universally accessible sport in our community,” says Mike Ubaldi, president of the RCIF community board.

The Independence Field Youth Baseball Leagues include:

a baseball league for youth with either physical or mental challenges;
a wheelchair softball league for youth that use manual wheelchairs;
a power baseball league for youth the use electric powered wheelchairs.
The new RCIF will play on Saturdays through June 10. Games are scheduled from
10 a.m. – 2 p.m., each Saturday. Adult leagues also are being organized to play on Independence Field. To sign up to play or find out more information about the new leagues, contact Steve Hornsey at (916) 808-2340 or shornsey@cityofsacramento.org.

Please note, in case of rain, the RCIF opening day festivities will be postponed - call 916-808-2340 by 8am on Saturday, April 8 for event update.

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