Hope Foundation sets softball benefit game

NILES — The Hope Foundation of the Mahoning Valley and the Mahoning Valley Scrappers will stage a Softball Game of Hope on Saturday at Eastwood Field before the Scrappers play the Batavia Muckdogs.

The community leader/celebrity softball game will begin at 4 p.m. and will benefit and support chronically/terminally ill children in the Mahoning Valley. Tickets cost $7.

The Mahoning County softball team will include: Boardman Trustee Robyn Gallitto; Jim Leugers, State Farm Insurance agent; Jay Macejko, Youngstown City Prosecutor; Mike Sciortino, Mahoning County Auditor; Joe Fanto, National City Bank; Barb Nick-Balestrino, Ursuline assistant softball coach & Mahoning County employee; Katie Libecco, Valley24.com; Bo Pritchard, Austintown Township trustee; Dennis Biviano, WKBN/WYTV News; Dr. Chris Raymond, Raymond Chiropractic; Matt Spatz from 93.3 The Wolf; Phil Kidd, Defend Youngstown, Inc. creator; Mike Szenborn, YSU Baseball Hall of Famer; Jack Leow, Southside Boxing Club; and Anthony D’Apolito, Magistrate for the Mahoning County Juvenile Court. Dave Betras, a partner of Betras, Maruca, Kopp, & Harshman, will serve as Honorary Coach.

The Trumbull County teamhas: Col. Karl McGregor, base commander for the Youngstown 910th Air Reserve Station; John Finizio, president of St. Joseph’s Health Center; Jim Graham, United Auto Workers; David Green, United Auto Workers; Mark Catello, IBEW Local 573; Dave Smith, Mahoning Valley Scrappers general manager; Dr. Robert Naples, family practitioner; Kim Calhoun, Hospice of the Valley; Dave Lee Morgan, Jr, author and sportswriter for the Akron Beacon-Journal; Mike Chaffee, mayor of Lordstown; Dr. Angel Ricciulli, Angel Chiropractic Center; Mark Catello, IBEW Local 573; Chris Jaskiewicz, COO, Valley Electrical Consolidated; Terry Ivanchak, Warren Municipal Court Judge; Dave Herron, Sr, pastor of the Community Outreach Complex, and Mac Morgan, a Teacher from the Warren City Schools. Bob Hannon, president of the United Way of Youngstown, will serve as Honorary Coach while Greg Hicks Warren City Law Director will serve as Honorary Team Owner.