Cranberry Township Athletic Association's two batting cages at Graham Park were destroyed in a March windstorm.

CRANBERRY TWP — Cranberry Township Athletic Association's baseball and softball seasons began earlier this month, but they were without some key pieces of equipment.

The association's two batting cages at Graham Park were destroyed in March by a windstorm.

Matt Baic, a coach with the organization, said the cages were pushed over from the wind, and some trees seemed to have been knocked down as well, but nothing else in the area appeared to be damaged. The township took the damaged cages down, Baic said.

One cage was behind the Miracle League field and dek hockey rink and the other was behind the association's maintenance shed. The cost to replace both is around $10,000, Baic said.

The group is hosting a cash bash to raise funds for new batting cages from 5:30 to 10:30 p.m. May 6 at Economy Fire Hall, 3308 Conway Wallrose Road, Sewickley. Tickets are $30 with four chances every half-hour to win cash prizes, with a grand prize of $1,000.

Teams began playing games April 22 and will continue through October, with a short break in August. The association has nearly 1,000 youngsters ages 4 to 18 playing baseball and softball. About 300 play at the Graham Park fields.

“That impacts our teams, and impacts our tryouts too,” Baic said. “I just ran a tryout and normally we'd take kids into batting cages to evaluate how they hit, but instead they had to do it on the field.”

Association teams that play at the Cranberry Community Park have a batting cage and have been unaffected.

Baic acknowledged that batting cages are a luxury, but said most other baseball organizations have them these days. The association also hosts large tournaments with teams from around the state.

Those interested in cash bash tickets or in donating to new batting cages can visit www.ctaaonline.com.