The Miami Stingrays 12U girls’ fastpitch softball team recently collected gently used softball equipment to send to the girls who play in the Dominican Republic Girls Fastpitch Softball Association.
The team effort was led by shortstop Ally Mena, age 12, a student at Westminster Christian School, who partnered with her mother, Rosa Mena, M.D., medical director of Ultima MedSpa in Palmetto Bay. Ally inspired her 11 teammates and members of the Pembroke Pines Diamond Dusters to bring the softball equipment to their friendly exhibition game, played on Saturday, July 16, at Palmetto Bay Park.
The teams rallied and thanks to their efforts, the girls in the Dominican Republic will be receiving helmets, bats, gloves, cleats, uniforms and catcher’s equipment.
“I wanted to help the girls in the Dominican Republic who may not have the money to buy all of the equipment they need,” said Ally. “It’s important for them to have proper equipment, like helmets, to keep them safe. It made me feel really good to see all of the items we collected.”
The Miami Stingrays 12U team, coached by Steve Hager and Ben Barlow, has been busy preparing for the USSSA Girls’ Fastpitch World Series. To qualify for the event held in Orlando July 24-30, the team, which consists of girls from several area schools, has played successfully in multiple tournaments throughout the summer.
