Softball tournament raises money for scholarships
Aug. 1—ASHTABULA — Softball teams from all over northeastern Ohio and northwestern Pennsylvania gathered on Saturday morning to honor a former Ashtabula athlete and raise money for scholarships for his three children.
The Stephen Young Memorial Co-Ed Softball Tournament drew 18 teams to Massucci Field on the east side of the city and Softball City on the west side of town.
Young died in 2016 and this is the seventh edition of the tournament run by Kelly Prine. Young was a 2000 graduate of Harbor High School and active in softball after graduation from high school.
Dawn Prine, Young's mother, said the family is so thankful for those who make the event possible.
"It means so much. It is so emotional every year," she said.
She said it is great to remember him in this way. Young's three children Layla, Stephen and Gianna, will eventually be the beneficiaries of the scholarship fund.
Teams come in early on Saturday to stake out their claims to camping areas where they eat, drink and talk with friends and family. Tents are readily available behind the home run fence of the eastern diamond at Massucci Field.
The co-ed teams must have a minimum 7-5 ratio of men to women to participate. He said many of the teams that play in the Softball City league also participate in the tournament.
Kelly Prine said teams also came from Erie, Pa., and Mentor. He said there would be trophies in two different divisions of the tournament.
David Faulkerson, a 2005 graduate of Lakeside High School, said he enjoys playing the tournament, especially after taking a break from the sport. He said it means a lot to him to honor Young and help out the family.
"We had a lot of fun together," he said of Young.
The tournament concession stand was selling t-shirts in a variety of colors to commemorate the event.
The weather cooperated with a sunny and relatively mild day with a breeze for the hundreds of players who participated in the tournament.
Dawn Prine said Young used to play and umpire in similar tournaments in Ashtabula.
