Softball, Baseball Tournaments Kick Off Summer Season in Erie

Erie Frost Softball’s 7^th Annual Battle of Lake Erie Tournament and the first Millcreek Summer Sizzler Tournament of the season will take place this weekend as the Erie Sports Commission officially welcomes summer. The Battle of Lake Erie will take place Friday-Sunday with a college showcase Thursday, while the Millcreek Summer Sizzler will take place Saturday and Sunday.

The Battle of Lake Erie is one of the region’s largest youth softball tournaments and includes teams from 8U to 18U, making up over 60 teams competing. The tournament takes place at six separate sites over the weekend: Mercyhurst University, Harborcreek Community Park, Walnut Creek, McDowell High School, Fort LeBeouf High School, and Penn State Behrend.

Tournament games will be played 3-6:30 p.m. Friday, 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday and Sunday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The college showcase, held before the tournament, is sponsored by Gannon University with support from colleges in the surrounding area including Penn State Behrend, Edinboro University, Fairmont State University, Grove City College, Mercyhurst University, Pitt-Bradford, Slippery Rock University, Thiel College, and the University of Buffalo.

“When you think of summer, you think of taking to the diamond,” said Erie Sports Commission Executive Director Mark Jeanneret. “There’s no better way to kick off our summer calendar than with these tournaments, and we know that any participants experiencing an Erie summer for the first time will be pleasantly surprised.”

The Millcreek Summer Sizzler baseball tournament series will host its first tournament of the summer Saturday and Sunday. This is the first year that the tournament series has hosted a 14U event. The tournament will see 10 teams competing in a three-game round robin format for a chance to play in the championship game.

Teams will take the field at Feidler Field, McDowell High School and Scott Park. Games will be played Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., with Sunday’s games running from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

For more information on these and other events coming to Erie this summer, visit www.eriesportscommission.com