CHERRY TWP — Two Moniteau High School seniors decided to raise awareness and money for breast cancer via their favorite sport — softball.

Chloe Eshenbaugh and Heather McMillen raised about $4,000 at a softball tournament Sept. 9 for breast cancer research.

“Both of us have firsthand experience with (breast cancer), and we just wouldn’t want anyone else to go through what we had to go through,” Heather said.

Heather’s mother, Mitzi McMillen, died in 2004 after a four-year battle with breast cancer while Chloe’s mother, Claudine Eshenbaugh, is a breast cancer survivor.

Chloe plays shortstop, while Heather plays second base for Moniteau. The two planned the tournament as their senior projects, wanting to raise money for breast cancer research and do something in the community.

“It was great seeing the community come together for something,” Heather said.

The students spent at least two months working on getting sponsors, organizing teams and arranging the donation.

They started by making a Facebook event, asking anyone interested to form a team to compete in the tournament.

Each team had about 10 to 15 players and was asked to pay $40 to play.

The girls also sold T-shirts for $8 that said “Saving Second Base” on the front.

Chloe and Heather spent their 2012 summer driving from business to business looking for donations of money or items.

“It helped with our social skills,” Chloe said. “We talked to a lot of people.”

Many companies participated by donating gift cards or items for a Chinese auction.

West Sunbury Ball Field donated the use of its fields to the girls for a weekend.

The pair also asked Dr. Shannon Puhalla from Magee-Womens Hospital to speak during the tournament about breast cancer and how the money raised would be used.

After organizing 18 teams, 18 baskets, monetary donations and the speaker, Heather and Chloe were ready to go, but the weather had other plans.

“It was suppose to be a Saturday to Sunday thing, and we got there Saturday and it just started down pouring so we had to cancel everything Saturday and move everything to Sunday,” Chloe said.

Those in attendance Sunday could buy the T-shirts for $10, enjoy food from Thompson’s Market in Eau Claire and watch the games.

Whenever Chloe and Heather originally contacted Magee-Womens Hospital, they were told about a program by The Fashion Footwear Association of New York (FFANY) and QVC that matches donations. Through that, their total donation was about $8,000.

University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute partnering with the UPMC CancerCenter is one of the beneficiaries of the 2012 QVC Presents “FFANY Shoes on Sale,” a charitable shoe sale to benefit breast cancer research and education.

The cancer institute could receive up to $125,000 in 2013 from the shoe sale, as long as it raises matching funds.

The tournament’s money will be used for research led by Dr. Adrian Lee, director of the Women’s Cancer Research Center at UPCI and Magee-Womens Research Institute, and Dr. Nancy Davidson, director of UPCI and UPMC Cancer Center.

Lee, who is a professor of pharmacology and chemical biology at the University of Pittsburgh, said the research focuses on what causes breast cancer to recur after therapy and metastasize.

“The money that’s raise philanthropically is critical to our research develop.” Lee said.

He said while most money is used to start new research, this money also will help the research team collect tissue samples for continued research.

“(Some funding) pays for the research, but not the banking of the tissue,” Lee said. “That money is invaluable for that part of the process.”

Lee, whose mother had breast cancer, said the death rate of breast cancer has fallen over the past 10 years. With continued research, he believes it will continue to drop.

Chloe and Heather said the day was a great success, and they are thankful for everyone who donated and played.

“Everyone said they enjoyed it a lot, and they want to have another one next year,” Chloe said.

The two seniors already know of two junior softball players who want to continue the tournament as their senior projects next year.

“Hopefully more people will start doing different community things,” she said.