On Tuesday, March 21, Riverbend’s JV and Varsity Baseball home games against Massaponax were used to help raise funds for the Beaty family. All the proceeds of the games were to be given to the Beaty family to help pay for the funeral costs of their five year old son Chase Beaty. The little brother of JV baseball player Seth Beaty, Chase died Saturday, March 18, of an asthma attack. Many Varsity and JV players attended both Chase’s viewing and funeral and were determined to win on Tuesday.
JV was the first game at 4:00 p.m., and found themselves down 4-0 heading into the bottom of the fourth. The team scored six runs that inning helped by Ryan Swanson’s 3 RBI double. They held that 6-4 lead for the rest of the game thanks to William Dukette’s four shutout innings. Next up was Varsity at 7:00 p.m.
Before the game started, Mr. Beaty threw the ceremonial first pitch to his son Seth. Senior R.J. Vanvickle pitched 5 innings, giving up only 2 runs, and the Bears were tied 2-2 with Massaponax going into the top the sixth. Massaponax then scored one run in the top of the sixth, and then four more in the top of the seventh. The score was 7-2, and the Bears had to score five runs to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh. In a miraculous comeback, the team scored six runs and won 8-7.
After the game, remaining JV players handed out red balloons to everyone in attendance. The balloons were red specifically because Chase’s favorite color was red. The Beaty family was invited onto the field, and varsity players lined up on the 3rd baseline and stood in silence as Wiz Khalifa and Charlie Puth’s “See You Again” played through the field’s speakers. Every balloon was released during the song, and the crowd watched in silence as the red balloons floated away into the night sky. This was followed shortly by a fireworks show of only red fireworks. Finally, both JV and Varsity players exchanged hugs with the Beaty family.

Seth Beaty said that the support the team gave, “Helped a lot, because it really showed how many people cared.” He also said that he wants people to remember his brother as, “Someone who made you happy.”