WEST SUNBURY — The hugs Chloe Eshenbaugh receives from her mother Claudine are just a little bit longer and just a little bit tighter these days.

Especially when the Saving Second Base charity softball tournament for breast cancer research is approaching.

Claudine is a breast cancer survivor who has been in remission for a year.

“My mom's my best friend,” Chloe Eshenbaugh said. “It's huge to get out into the community and raise awareness and money. Research is huge.”

Saving Second Base, a two-day softball tournament which will be held through the entire days of June 3 and 4 at the West Sunbury ball fields at 772 Hall Road, is an undertaking close to the hearts of Eshenbaugh and her former classmate and Moniteau former softball teammate, Heather McMillen.

McMillen lost her mother Mitzi after a long battle with breast cancer in 2004.

“This is more of a heart to heart with my family,” McMillen said. “In my mind, it's something I can do for Chloe's mom and my mom and every other mom and family who has had to deal with this disease.”

Eshenbaugh and McMillen, now both 22, began the Saving Second Base charity softball event for a senior project at Moniteau.

After a year hiatus, they brought back the event three years ago and have raised roughly $5,400.

All proceeds are donated to Magee Women's Hospital for breast cancer research.

“The first year we did it was crazy,” Eshenbaugh said, chuckling. “We had no idea what we were doing. Since then, it's gotten a lot easier because we've done it a couple of times.”

This year they are upping their game.

They have five teams of 10 registered, but are hoping to get more.

Cost for a team is $100. Each 10-person team must have at least one female member.

To register a team or to make a donation, call McMillen at 724-290-5936.

McMillen has been amazed by the eclectic composition of each team in the past.

“We've had 16-year-olds play, people in their 40s and 50s,” McMillen said. “Men, women, boys, girls. It's really all-inclusive.”

There will also be a concession stand, drawings, auctions and breast cancer awareness car window stickers for sale.

There will also be other activities in addition to the double-elimination tournament.

“There's different activities to get as many people involved as we can,” Eshenbaugh said. “We just want to raise as much money as we can so we can donate all the proceeds.”

It has been a labor of love for Eshenbaugh and McMillen.

Both were in school during the planning stages. Eshenbaugh recently finished up her nursing degree at Jameson School of Nursing. McMillen will enter her senior year studying early childhood education at Edinboro University in the fall.

That didn't leave much spare time to organize an event as big as Saving Second Base.

“Any free time we got,” Eshenbaugh said. “We'd met up mainly on the weekends and go around getting donations and putting up fliers everywhere.”

In the end for both, it's all been worth it.

“Every year we do this, my mom hugs me,” Eshenbaugh said. “She's just so overwhelmed with joy that we're doing this for her and Heather's mom as well.”