JGSL enjoys record-setting year

By PETE FONTAINE

In keeping with its brief, yet terrific tradition, the Johnston Girls Softball League’s Rhode Island Rockets wrote one of the town – and state’s – special sports success stories of 2021.
So much so, in fact, just when it looked like the JGSL’s three traveling teams would not host its 3rd Annual 50 Innings of Softball to continue raising money for breast cancer research due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the Rockets knocked it out of the park for the highly-acclaimed Gloria Gemma Breast Cancer Research Foundation.
A total of five teenage girls’ softball teams – along with the Bay State Blitz and KNB Rox of Massachusetts – smashed all previous fund-raising records and after what JGSL President Lisa Calabro called “a long, 12-hour day of softball, the donations were tallied and we $12,000.”
Which was, as representatives from the five traveling teams concurred, “a far cry from the first year back in 2019 when we only raised $1,700.”
Perhaps even more impressive was that last year the event took in $7,250.
So, as Calabro and her husband Derek – who have led the Johnston Rockets to become one of the most respected traveling team organizations in Southern New England – explained: “immediately following the last pitch in 2020 the coaches agreed that this year’s goal would be $10,000.”
However, even the most optimistic coach, as Lisa Calabro noted: “we were all unsure if that would be a possibility with the uncertainty of COVID-19, but we all pushed our girls to do their best and that led to the extraordinary amount of $12,000 that brought the event’s three-year total to over $20,000 for breast cancer research.”
As the Calabros continued, while announcing “we want to break another record in 2022,” we have a lot of THANK YOUS to send around.”
“Johnston Girls Softball would like to thank the five teams – RRI Rockets Blue, Red and White teams – as well as the Bay State Blitz and BNB Rox – for a great job on-and-off the field, raising money for a great cause,” the enthusiastic husband and duo emphasized. “We would also like to thank our RI Rockets family for all their raffle donations that resulted in over $1,000 we added to this year’s total.”
After pausing and wearing her usual special smile on her face, Lisa Calabro added: “We also want to thank our umpires – Justin Bazinet and Shawn Cadieux – for their generosity of volunteering their time. We look forward to another successful event next year and YES, we hope to surpass this year’s total.”
Thus, as Derek Calabro added: “I can’t believe it’s been three years for our 50 innings of softball. It’s an absolutely rewarding experience for everyone involved; the players, coaches, parents, super sponsors and supporters … who have all been part of a two-fold program of softball sportsmanship that gives all our girls the opportunity to do something special for other people.”
When asked if there was a winner after 50 innings of softball, Derek Calabro wanted it known: “That’s really not important; each of the five teams played three, 12-innng games and two, 7-inning games and we give all the girls an award and the memory of raising money that will further enhance breast cancer research here in Rhode Island.”