Published: August 12, 2008 12:13 am      

Fans young and old turn out for AAABA tourney opener

Fans of all ages converged on Point Stadium on Monday to catch Johnstown’s Delweld host Youngstown, Ohio, in the 64th annual AAABA Tournament opener.

The game got under way with Delweld batboy Matthew Hohan, 14, throwing outthe first pitch to rousing cheers from the thousands in attendance.

“I wouldn’t miss this,” said Jerry Maser of Johnstown. “This is the best amateur baseball in the country and a Johnstown tradition.”

Maser said he has been coming to the AAABA Tournament since he was a kid – and that he coached some of the current players when they were younger.

Ronald Rice of Johnstown brought his son, Ronnie, 12, to take in the action.

“This is our first time here in a while, but we wanted to check it out,” Rice said. “This is a great thing for the city as long as Johnstown can stay in it, because then crowds go down.”

Seward resident Nathan McCullough brought his 7-year-old son, Marc.

“I used to come to this with my dad when I was growing up, and now I’m bringing Marc because he likes baseball and wants to see the older kids,” McCullough said. “He’s looking to maybe get some pointers.”

He added that a tournament of this caliber is good not only for the local economy, but also to showcase talented players from all over the country.

At the merchandise booth, Mary and George Kogut, owners of Action Awards in Johnstown, were busy selling AAABA T-shirts, hats and baseballs.

“The T-shirts and hats are the popular items,” Mary Kogut said.

The pair hav been selling their goods at the tournament for more than 20 years and both said they like being a part of the action.

“We enjoy talking to the people,” George Kogut said.