Battle of the Bats Returns to Central Park Saturday

Don't miss the 4th annual "Battle of the Bats" softball invitational this weekend at .

The event hosted by Special Olympics Forsyth County (SOFC) will bring in 25 Special Olympic softball teams from Georgia, South Carolina and North Carolina competing for the Gold, according to Linda Fitzpatrick, an event organizer.

"We'll have over 300 Special Olympic athletes plus their families," said Fitzpatrick. "There will be at least 500 people descending on Central Park on Saturday."

There are three teams out of the 25 representing Forsyth County; The Golden Gloves, The Loose Cannons and The Mystic Batters.

The all day event begins at 8:30 a.m. with opening ceremonies that will include performances by the  Marching Band, the ROTC and the Mounted Patrol Unit of the .

"This is a sanctioned Georgia softball invitational," Fitzpatrick said. "It is a competitive event."

Fitzpatrick said SOFC has been fundraising and preparing for the big day for several months to cover the costs associated with the event. One cost in particular – providing trophies for all the athletes.

"Our community and the companies in Forsyth County and some of the businesses once again have been very, very generous to provide sponsorship donations," she said.

Fitzpatrick also said that the Forsyth County Parks and Recreation Department is a big contributor of the event to make it a big success.

"Without the park and rec helping us and pulling this together, you know we would not be able to make this day happen," she said.

The event began as a desire to compete against other teams in preparation for the state games. This year the state fall games which include more than 1,500 athletes competing in bocce, cycling, long distance running, walking, golf and softball will be held Oct. 12 - 15 in Dalton, Ga.

For more information about the "Battle of the Bats" visit the SOFC website or download the PDF flyer to the right of this article.

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