Team to host fundraiser ahead of tournament

Baseball: Black Sox preparing for Cal Ripken 11U tourney

The Santa Clarita Youth Baseball Black Sox team is heading to the Cal Ripken 11U Pacific Southwest Regional Tournament in Vernal, Utah, which starts on Sunday and concludes on Saturday, July 20.

The Black Sox finished in second place at the Cal Ripken State Championships, earning a bid to the upcoming regional tournament. The 12-person squad will be the first team in action to start the tournament, playing its opening game on Monday against Hawaii Kai at 10:30 a.m. PDT.

The team is hosting a fundraiser today at Toppers Pizza Place in Valencia from 3:30 p.m. to 9 p.m. Toppers Pizza will donate 20% of all pre-tax sales to help finance the team’s upcoming trip.

To help raise funds, bring in a copy of the team’s flyer or mention it when placing an order in-house or over the phone. This fundraising opportunity excludes online orders and other discounts or coupons will not be honored.

Los Angeles County Supervisor Kathryn Barger has already made a sizeable donation to help finance the team’s transportation to Utah.

“One of the biggest things as most people probably remember when they were kids, when I was a kid I remember it, you never really went anywhere in little league, you might have made the all-stars and that was it,” said Black Sox coach Rob Hines. “These guys are going to Utah, going out of state and playing different teams from all around the west region. So just giving them an opportunity to get there is huge.”

Additionally, registration for the fall season is open and more information can be found at www. santaclaritayouthbaseball.com.