LITTLE LEAGUE: Making Event Sought-After Tourney Is Goal

Team members include Jacob Bennett, Raymond Bequette, Lane Booher, Mason Clinton, Andrew Easterling, Liam Eastwood, Maddox Hixon, Dylan Knight, Caden Mennen, Holden Rumancik and Cade Wright. The head coach is Chris Bennett.

Promoting The Tourney

Sam Peronni’s vision is to promote the tournament so that teams are fighting to get in it. As an invitational organizers are looking for any teams around the state. If they have a lot of teams that want to get in and only have five places, they’re going to have a lottery, put all the team names in s wheel and pull out five.

“I have fond memories of my time in little league when I was the same age as the young boys who were out here today, 10 years old. I think that’s when I fell in love with baseball. It’s kind of funny, after little league I never played baseball again, but I always loved the sport,” Sam Peronni said.

The rural environment appeals to teams and fans alike.

“They really like coming out there. I think it’s the all- around atmosphere. It’s not like going to a field where they have five or 10 baseball fields. They’re coming in the country and I think they just enjoy the grass and surroundings, kind of the field of dreams look,” Sam Peronni said.

Cooling Off

Alzheimer’s’s affects the memory and Sam Peronni candidly recounted painful moments during the journey.

“It takes a lot of patience in the beginning and there’s a lot of heartbreak as the disease progresses and I think all I can say to people is ‘be patient and be prepared,’ and there are ways [to learn how to], there are books that you can read and people that you can consult to try to help you deal with the emotional roller coaster of somebody with Alzheimer’s’s. It’s just a very tragic thing to watch,” Sam Peronni said.

The tournament generated a whirlwind of activity over two days, making the family property very busy with teams coming and going, and by the time it all wrapped up late Sunday afternoon Sam was ready to cool off from the summer heat.

“In about five minutes I’m going to jump in the swimming pool with my dog,” Peronni said.