At 11 AM on the morning of Sunday October 13th, under a cloudless autumn sky at Christmas Hill Park, 16 Local Celebrities squared off against 15 of Gilroy’s own First Responders in Gilroy Rotary’s Inaugural Softball Scholarship Classic. The game, which is now planned to be an annual event, was envisioned and developed by Gilroy Rotary Past-President Whitney Pintello and was financially underwritten by over 40 Rotarians. The game raised over $2500, all of which will be used to augment Gilroy Rotary’s scholarship program benefitting local high school and community college students.
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Adding to the atmosphere of fun and camaraderie were “stadium announcers” Sam Bozzo and Gene Sakahara (“SakaBozzo”) and uniformed cheerleaders from both Gilroy and Christopher High Schools. Members of Gavilan’s championship Ladies Softball team were available to pinch hit for a $20 donation from recalcitrant batters. Gourmet hot dogs were grilled and served by none other than Gilroy City Administrator Gabe Gonzales and local realtor Rick Patereau, both of whom are active Rotary Club members. The grandstands on both sides of the diamond were filled to capacity with people cheering (and sometimes jeering) friends and relatives who were playing in the game.
The final score: Local Celebrities 12; First Responders 8. It appeared that Joel Goldsmith’s expert pitching and the combined hitting of Ryan Dinsmore, Mike Luevano and Gavilan star, Nikki Dequin were too much for the First Responders, who, let’s be honest, may have had to work all night the night before. The First Responders did however vow revenge in next year’s game!