“One dollar can go a long way.” This was the motto that the varsity baseball team upheld when they hosted a charity event for leukemia and lymphoma during the week of Monday, April 30. The team worked with the Oceanside Sailors, their opponent on Thursday, May 3, to raise awareness and money for these diseases. The Chiefs sold paper baseballs that donors could autograph and display on the wall of the gym lobby. The balls were sold for one dollar each and all of the proceeds went to the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

“The idea came from Oceanside’s coach Pat Wallace,” Chiefs coach Tom Sheedy said, “we both wanted to do an event for a disease and we decided on leukemia and lymphoma.”

The event concluded when Massapequa defeated its opponent Oceanside at home by a score of 8-1 for their third consecutive win against the Sailors. Pitcher Rob Fitzpatrick threw for six innings and gave up one run on four hits.

“The greatest thing was seeing how many people donated,” pitcher James Ott, who was one of the biggest contributors to the event, said. “I guess they thought a dollar wasn’t really a big deal.”

They must not have, as the team ended up raising 2,500 dollars.

“It’s an honor to play baseball for someone who’s fighting for his or her life,” said shortstop Brian Flecker. “We really take so much for granted.”