Ball players help open the Ruby Rutnik Memorial Softball Tournament with Ruby’s family, below, on Friday, April 12.
Action got underway on Friday night, April 13, in the 16th annual, and likely final, Ruby Rutnik Memorial Softball Tournament at Winston Wells ball field in Cruz Bay.
In the wake of their daughter’s untimely death in a car accident, the Rutnik family launched the softball tournament in 1996 to fund the Ruby Rutnik Scholarship Fund, which has awarded more than $122,000 mostly to St. John girls pursuing degrees of higher education.
This past year, the Rutnik family suffered another tragedy with the death of their son Amos, who also died in a car accident. Amos Rutnik had been a regular presence at all of the softball tournaments over the years, calling the play-by-play alongside his father.
“Amos is with his sister now,” Andy Rutnik said at last weekend’s opening ceremony, during which the family announced that this year’s diamond action would likely be the final Ruby Rutnik Memorial Softball Tournament.
See next week’s St. John Tradewinds for additional tournament coverage, including results.
