Naugatuck 'Pitch, Hit & Run' Competition Slated for May 5

The is hosting its fourth annual “Pitch, Hit & Run” competition next month at .

Sponsored by Aquafina and Major League Baseball, the event is free and open to kids ages 7-14 that want to take a swing at the plate. The young players will compete in trials putting their running, pitching and batting skills to the test.

The event is scheduled for 5 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, May 5, at the softball and soccer fields at the high school. Park & Recreation commissioners, as well as NHS softball team players, will be assisting, said Commissioner Jay Kuczenski, the event organizer.

As opposed to last year, when the event was held at 10 a.m., Kuczenski said the department decided to move the event to the evening so to allow families that work during that day to come out and watch their kids play.

The field lights at NHS will be turned on as evening sets in, he said.

Registration is done the day of. When the players show up, they are broken up into different groups based on age and then sent to different locations during the competition.

Kuczenski said qualifiers then go on to the sectional finals, where they will get a chance to excel to the regional finals. After that, it’s the national all-star finals, he said.

“We’ve sent a couple kids to sectionals, but I’m not sure if they went to regionals,” Kuczenski said. “The first year we had the competition one kid went all the way to the all start game, and won his division.”

The rain date is Sunday, May 6.

Any one with further questions should contact the Parks Department at 203-720-7071.