Stevensville slo-pitch tournament to support children’s hospital

United Empire Loyalist Park on Ott Road in Stevensville will host 11 slo-pitch teams this weekend as a fundraiser that began after a local child’s cancer diagnosis.

The second annual ‘Mack for McMaster Slo-Pitch Tournament’ runs September 27 and 28, raising money for McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, where four-year-old Macklin Murray was treated.

Organizers hope to meet or exceed last year’s $25,000 fundraising total.

Games start at 8:30 a.m. on both days, with final pitches taking place around 6:30 p.m, and spectators are invited to attend at any time throughout the weekend.

There will be food trucks on site, including the Purple Perk mobile coffee truck and 905 Hot Dog, and a 50/50 raffle and penny sale featuring gift card trees, golf passes, wine baskets and local restaurant vouchers.

All proceeds will support the hospital’s pediatric oncology care.

Macklin was diagnosed with cancer at age two. His mom, Brianna Murray, told Fort Erie Radio that young Macklin completed six months of chemotherapy at McMaster Children’s Hospital in Hamilton, and has been cancer-free since March 2024.

“At that time, a group of us, family members and a couple of close friends, decided that we had to do what we could to give back to the hospital that essentially saved my son’s life,” Brianna said.

The Douglas Memorial urgent care site first detected Macklin’s cancer in 2023, she said, and McMaster doctors confirmed how critical that discovery was.

“Had it not been for the Fort Erie hospital, I don’t know how much longer it would have gone on,” added Brianna. “If they hadn’t found it when they did, we were told straight up by McMaster that our son would have passed within six weeks.”

The idea to hold a baseball tournament in support of McMaster was a “no-brainer,” said Brianna, noting that she and her family are big fans of the sport.

Players range in age from 19 to their 50s across the 11 co-ed teams.

The family is still seeking sponsors and welcomes donations until November, when the total raised will be presented to McMaster.

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