Weekend Spotlight: Home Run Derby to Benefit Memorial Scholarship Fund

A benefit for the Travis Field Memorial Scholarship Fund begins with a home run derby Sunday afternoon, followed by a dinner at Harbor Grill in the evening.

Both events will precede the group's fourth annual softball tournament, which begins next weekend. 

The bracket-style will take place at Terry King Softball Field on Abrahams Path in Amagansett. This is the first year of the home run derby, and almost 20 batters have signed up.

"Everyone participating is friends with each other," Brian Anderson, Travis Field's best friend, said. The afternoon features a PA system and includes music and concessions, he added. "When we decided to put it on, everyone signed up immediately."

Following the event is the "Bracket Bash" fundraiser at Harbor Grill in East Hampton, which includes a dinner buffet, live music and a cash bar.

Proceeds from the day will benefit a scholarship fund set up to memorialize Travis Field, a Springs resident killed in a car accident in May 2008 at age 20. Field was an avid athlete respected for his community service, playing baseball, signing on as a traffic control officer and working with children's sports while in high school before becoming a student at Suffolk Community College.

"He was always just smiling, [wanting] to have a good time…help out any which way he can," Anderson said. "We could have made a plaque or…donated something, but a scholarship is a way we can give back every single year," Anderson said. 

Anderson organized the tournament events, and said most participants in the home run derby had gotten to know Travis Field through the East Hampton softball circuit. Anderson said last year the event raised $11,000 for the scholarship.

This year the Travis Field Memorial Scholarship was given to four high school seniors from East Hampton High School, where Field graduated in 2007.

Anderson said the scholarships are awarded to graduating students who are "well-rounded," sharing Travis' values on the field, in the classroom and in the community. 

"The number one thing we look for is community service," Anderson said. "That's what Travis was all about, helping the community non-stop." He added these particular students were athletes also worked hard in the classroom. 

The entry fee for the home run derby is $50, of which $20 will go toward the pot for the winner and second-place finisher. The cost to attend the "Bracket Bash" is $15 at the door. The home run derby begins at noon Sunday, and the dinner at the Harbor Grill lasts from 7-11 p.m.

For more information on the event and to make a direct donation, visit the event Facebook page here.