BENTON LITTLE LEAGUERS OPEN PLAY ON NEW FIELD

BENTON -- Rain delays didn't drench the excitement at Benton City Park Friday night.

Residents crowded the park to watch the first games played on the city's newest baseball diamond.

After 15 months of construction, players from two Benton Little League teams took the field for their tournament Friday.

Benton Mayor Joe Stuckey said the field will be dedicated in the spring season.

The new field was the project of many people in the community. About 100 volunteers helped with the construction and clearing of the land, Park Board President Jeff Riley said.

"All of the Benton community helped," he said. "Everyone from 4-year-olds to 70-year-olds came out."

Most of the initial planning was done by Riley, David Felter and Ronnie Schlosser.

Schlosser did the survey work and presented the idea for a new field to the Benton Chamber of Commerce. The chamber then donated the site for the field. Schlosser's father, Bill, cleared the land.

"We knew where home plate was when we started," said Bill Schlosser, owner of Schlosser Construction Co.

The city park board funded part of the project with the help of businessman Glenn Ferrell.

"It couldn't be completed like it is without his help," Riley said.

And without the help of the community, the project wouldn't have been completed for another few years, Ronnie Schlosser said.

However, not just Benton residents helped with the work. Many volunteers came from surrounding towns like Blodgett, Diehlstadt and Kelso.

About 560 children from the Benton area play in the league, so the additional field was somewhat necessary, Riley said.

"It will give them more exposure with the lights and take the pressure off the other fields," he said.

Friday was the opening night of the Little League tournament in Benton so two of the fields were being used.

"I was hoping it would happen this way," Schlosser said. "I wished every kid could be here for the first pitch."

And because the games were part of the end-of-season tournament, many of them were.

Benton constructed its first baseball field in 1978 and a second field, used for T-ball, was built six years later, Riley said.