Aquafina® Pitch, Hit & Run Local Competition

April 20 at Pioneer Park

Each spring, Kenton County Parks & Recreation, in cooperation with Independence Parks & Recreation, presents a local MLB Pitch, Hit & Run Local Competition. The contest is sponsored nationally by Aquafina®.

The competition is free and open to Boys and Girls, ages 7-14, competing SEPARATELY, and will be held from 4:00 pm until 7:00 pm at Pioneer Park on Tuesday, April 20. For information, call Kenton County Recreation at (859) 525-PLAY (7529) or Independence Parks and Recreation at (859) 356-6264.

Pitch, Hit & Run allows youngsters to showcase their talents in throwing, hitting off a tee, and running. Participants must fill out an entry form that can be obtained on site. A valid birth certificate and parental signature are required.

Girls will compete against Girls using softballs and Boys against Boys using baseballs. Girls 7/8 and 9/20 will use 11" softballs; Girls 11/12 and 13/14 will use 12" softballs. Boys will use standard size baseballs.

Pitch: Each competitor will receive six attempts to hit the designated "Strike Zone". Girls will pitch from a distance of 35 feet; Boys will pitch from a distance of 45 feet. Both Boys and Girls will pitch to a 17" X 30" and receive 6 attempts to hit the designated "Strike Zone". Each attempt hitting ANY portion of the "Strike Zone" target will count.

Hit: Each competitor will be allowed three swings in an attempt to hit the ball. A swing and a miss counts as on one attempt (one swing = one attempt). Only the best attempt will count toward a competitor's score. Scores will be based on distance and accuracy and the goal of each competitor should be to hit directly to dead-center field. Any distance "off" center will be subtracted from the total distance.

Run: Boys will run 160 feet and Girls will run 120 feet and each must complete one turn (at third base). The program standard for distance between bases in the Boys divisions will be 80 feet and for the Girls division will be 60 feet.

All entrants at the Local level will receive a participation card from Major League Baseball.

All-Around winners from each of four age groups (7/8, 9/10, 11/12, 13/14) at the Local competition will advance to a Sectional competition and the next step toward the National Finals. The All-Around winners at the Sectional competition will have their scores compared with other Sectional champions, and the top four scorers from the pool of Sectional champions will advance to the Team Championship in June.

The top four scorers within each age bracket from that pool of 30 Team Champions will qualify for the National Aquafina® Pitch, Hit & Run Finals, in Angel Stadium in Anaheim, CA in 2010.

Pitch, Hit & Run is produced by Major League Baseball Properties and sponsored by Aquafina®. For more, visit http://www.mlb.com/phr.

Pioneer Park is easy to find! The address is 3951 Madison Pike, Covington, KY 41017. From I-275, take Exit 80 (Covington/Independence). Go south on KY 17 about one mile. You will see the park on your right before you come to the entrance.

For news of upcoming programs, activities, and events to be held in Kenton County's parks, call the Parks & Recreation office at (859) 525-PLAY (7529). Ask about signing up for a once-a-week e-mail update of What's Happening in Kenton County's parks.