Scrappers host ballpark benefit for Howland girl at game tonight

Staff report

NILES

Marisa Kay Vincent, the 7-year-old Howland girl severely injured in a Bobcat loader accident Memorial Day weekend, will be coming home today and attending a benefit for her at Eastwood Field.

The girl, who suffered internal injuries, a shattered pelvis, two broken femur bones and severe leg damage, will throw the first pitch at the Scrappers baseball game, which begins at 7:05 p.m. today.

She’s been at the Cleveland Clinic Children’s Rehab Center for about six weeks after spending the first few months at Akron Children’s Hospital.

She’s expected to arrive at Eastwood Field about 3 p.m. to participate in the tailgate party and Scrappers Best Dog-gone Chili cook-off that starts at 1:30 p.m. The tailgate party and cook-off are fundraisers that will benefit the Vincent family as it makes its home handicap-accessible for the girl, who is in a wheelchair.

Scrappers tickets to thegame purchased at the Scrappers box office until about 2 p.m. today will benefit the girl’s family.

, said Cindy Rogers, one of the organizers of the benefit.