Gold Hill, Ore. –Little league players from Gold Hill and Sam’s Valley suffered a major hit this weekend after their field was destroyed by vandals.
President of Gold Valley Little League Casey Hudlow said the damage happened to Mack Field sometime late Saturday night or early Sunday morning. Deep tire ruts and broken sprinkler heads are what’s left behind after someone did donuts in their vehicle on the field.
The field off Highway 234 in Gold Hill was built in 1968 and is used by hundreds of kids in the community.
“You have people who had kids go through this program who now have children going through this program,” Hudlow said. “So it’s a pretty sad thing.”
The neighboring softball field was untouched, but Hudlow said the baseball field suffered extensive damage and the nine minor league teams who use the field may have to call the season early.
“Deep ruts like that in the outfield pose a pretty big risk for kids twisting their ankles or falling and hurting themselves,” Hudlow said.
Volunteers spent seven hours Sunday dragging the infield and trying to fill the tire ruts. The baseball games scheduled for Monday night were cancelled, as the league waits on a safety inspection from the district.
The league has set up a gofundme account to raise money for repairs. To donate click here.
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