SAN DIEGO (KGTV) — This week's historic rainfall on Monday severely damaged Lemon Grove Little League baseball fields, just a week and a half away from tryouts.
Opening day is scheduled for March 9th; the hope is they will be yelling play ball.
"So when the rains came, the fields were all swamped."
That's the first thing league treasurer Yahaira Preciado saw when she drove to the fields this past Monday. She couldn't believe her eyes when she saw all the damage.
"This rain was none like we have ever had before, so my first instinct was like, what do the fields look like."
The fields were saturated with water, but nothing compared to three areas near the outfield fence where the ground completely gave way. Due to the sinkhole, the Little League has to close two of its fields, according to Preciado.
Early estimations show it may cost $10 to $20,000 to fix the damage the storm caused.
"It's going to be costly to us," Preciado said. "I think our board members were trying to figure it out. We haven't been able to get any equipment in here because everything is still too soft; it will make it worse if we have people working on the fields at this time."
Preciado said their league budget is more geared toward maintenance, equipment and a snack bar, not major sinkhole repair.
"For a lot of kids, this is literally their favorite thing about being kids: being out here playing with their friends," Preciado said. "It is a really big community, so I'm pretty sure they will come and help us."
To donate to the Lemon Grove Little League, visit Lemongrovebaseball.com
