Disappointment for the Moncton Youth Softball Association, after their Hut was hit by thieves.
President Victor Bastarache says someone broke in over the weekend at the Evergreen School ball fields.
“Somewhere between Friday night and Sunday morning, there was an adult Slo-pitch tournament going on, so we were off the field and most of our teams were away. Our Coaches arrived Sunday morning to put away some equipment and noticed that the lock was cut. When they opened the door, it was trashed everywhere and the equipment was stolen.”
He says up to $5000 worth of equipment was taken, including 24 bats, a couple of gloves, brand-new catcher equipment, and two sets of bases.
“We also have a cooler and we keep treats for the kids. All of the treats were stolen as well, ” Bastarache adds.
He says this is hitting the youth hard, “Especially the younger teams, the U13’s, U11’s and the Learn to play. That’s the equipment that got stolen from us. So now we have to find more equipment. Most sports stores are just about sold out for the year. And now it’s going to push us back a few weeks to get new equipment and get up and going again.”
He says there were several extension cords and hammers stolen as well, that they use for pitching machines and putting in bases.
Bastarache says other community organizations have been really supportive including Softball Nova Scotia, Softball PEI and Softball New Brunswick, and they’ve had a few people come forward with donations.
The theft has been reported to RCMP and they are investigating. Any information regarding the theft should be reported to Police.
If you have any equipment to donate, you can reach out to the Association via their Facebook page.