Legends back to invade Sprenger

The Cleveland Legends softball game is back for its second year when Sprenger Stadium will host the likes of Joe Thomas, Kevin Mack and Austin Carr among others at Sprenger Stadium June 23.

First pitch is slated for 7:05 p.m. and will features seven innings of family-fun action.

The event is presented by Ray’s Auto and Our Lady of the Wayside.

Crushers co-owners Tom and Jacqueline Kramig brought the event back after the success of last year’s inaugural game that featured Travis Hafner, Josh Cribbs and Bernie Kosar as well as returning legends Joe Charboneau and Len Barker.

“The Legends game is a great way for Cleveland sports fans to interact with the heroes they associate with the city they love,” Tom Kramig said. “With legends from the Browns, Cavaliers, and Indians, we hope to provide fans from all over the Cleveland area with an opportunity of a lifetime to meet their hometown heroes.”

This year’s game features a different kind of Cleveland sports legend, though.

Recent Keystone graduate and state softball champion, Brooke Piazza, will be participating alongside the other athletes after the Wildcats won the Division II title June 2 — the fourth championship in program history.

“I’m really excited that I have the opportunity to

represent my team and I’m happy I get to be considered a Keystone softball player a little longer,” Piazza said.

For the second year in a row, proceeds from the event will benefit Our Lady of the Wayside, an organization established over 50 years ago which supports children and adults with developmental disabilities through services such as managing homes in more than 40 communities across Northeast Ohio, operating a fleet of over 155 vehicles and pioneering the Pathways Program — a innovative day program for adults with developmental disabilities.

The organization is near and dear to many of the local athletes who expressed great pride in helping raise money for Our Lady of the Wayside in last year’s game while treating 1,000plus fans to an entertaining night, so it was a nobrainer for Wayside President and CEO, Terry Davis, to once again partner with the Crushers for what has become an annual event.

“Our Lady of the Wayside is a huge fan of the Lake Erie Crushers for their work with community leaders like Ray Gilles from Ray’s Auto, and other amazing stakeholders, on the 2018 Legends Game,” Davis said.

“Bringing together great athletic talent for a great cause that also makes for a great evening for the city of Avon and its neighbors, it is a privilege for Wayside to be involved in this legendary event.”

“The Legends game is a great way for Cleveland sports fans to interact with the heroes they associate with the city they love,” Crushers co-owner Tom Kramig

ASSOCIATED PRESS FILE PHOTOS Cleveland legends such as, top row from left: Len Barker, Austin Carr and Joe Charboneau; and, bottom row from left: Joe Thomas, Mark Price and Kevin Mack will take the field at Sprenger Stadium on June 23.