First Game At Sonora Dome Field
Sonora, CA — The Youth Sports Foundation of Tuolumne County is putting the finishing touches on its baseball field for a softball game tomorrow night. Sonora girls softball season-opener against Bret Harte starts there at 3:30pm tomorrow.
A portable pitcher’s mound is being installed along with the bases and a new scoreboard is ready for the first game. The existing field now has an irrigation system and dirt was brought in to level the main field with the lower practice field. Sonora Union High School will be in charge of maintaining the field.
Youth Sports Foundation (YSF) President Dave Crocker says, “We are very excited. Its been a long time and a lot of volunteer labor.” He added that they are planning to host open house in the Spring but they have not set a date yet. The open house would feature other campus partner/neighbors such as the Sonora Lyons Club which renovated their small community park, the Central Sierra Arts Council’s new Kids Arts Academy and the Master Gardeners Demonstration Garden.
Crocker says, “The last real major project like this was Standard park over 30 years ago.” They chose to renovate the field not only because of its historic nature but because of the partnership with Sonora Union High School and the existing field’s lights. Crocker hopes to use the process with the Dome Field as a boiler plate plan for other field renovations. He says “We want to work with the county and some of their local fields and continue to provide more feasible parks and play areas.”
The Major League Baseball’s Baseball Tomorrow Fund contributed over $150,000 to the project. The Sonora Area Foundation also donated $50,000.
YSF began field renovations at the Sonora Dome in 2010. Nearly 500 players, including the Sonora High School girls’ softball teams, boys JV baseball team and summer youth baseball, ASA girls Fastball, youth football and soccer programs can use the fields.
