Carson Babe Ruth team needs tourney money

The Carson City Babe Ruth 13-year-old all-star team needs your help.

The locals beat Reno West 6-5 Tuesday night to qualify for the upcoming Pacific Southwest Regional in Eureka, Calif. which starts Aug. 6. But they don't have the funds yet to make the trip.

The all-star team received money from its own league, but that isn't enough to cover all their expenses, especially if they go deep into, or win the tournament.

"We gave them quite a bit of money, but we still need more," said Lezlie Mayville, the president of the Carson City Babe Ruth League. "We gave them a pretty good stipend for the players and coaches; enough to cover whatever they need while they're there.

"They are trying to raise some of the money themselves. They are talking about what they want to do; maybe a car wash."

For many years, visiting teams would be put up by host families during tournament play. Mayville said that tradition has stopped in recent years. Now, players stay with their families.

"Some take RVs and camp, and others stay in hotels," Mayville said. "We're trying to raise between $1,000 and $2,000. That would help a lot. How much we really need depends on how long the team stays."

Mayville also has to look at the future. Should the team win a regional championship it would advance to the Babe Ruth 13-year-old World Series in Murray, Utah Aug. 22-29.

"If that happens, we may have to go back to our sponsors and see if we might be able to kick in a little more money," she said.

Mayville said the league doesn't budget for trips of this nature because they happen so rarely. She estimates it's been 10 years since the local Babe Ruth program has sent a team to regional play.