What began as a challenge game wound up as a charitable one.

The Kelly Chevrolet slow-pitch softball team, the winner of the Franklin Field League seven times in the past eight years, recently played a Restaurant League all-star team to benefit the fight against Multiple Sclerosis.

"We didn't even know the Restaurant League existed," said Frank Hawryliak of Kelly's said. "(Teammate) Marc Milich and I saw one of their games and decided to have some fun by challenging their best players to a game."

Rob Philpot organized the Restaurant League and accepted the challenge - provided the game was for charity.

"I didn't want a serious, out-for-blood type of game and figured playing for charity was the best way around that," Philpot said.

Philpot's sister was recently diagnosed with MS and he had been doing research on the disease.

Restaurant League All-Stars sold raffle tickets at the game, which attracted 150 people instead of an anticipated 300 because of inclement weather, and Kelly's donated money for each home run hit by one of its players.

Kelly's swept the doubleheader, 35-5 and 36-3, hitting 27 home runs in the process.

The all-star challenge raised approximately $700 to fight MS and will become an annual event.

"We have guys who have been playing together for 20 years," Hawryliak said. "I'm 30 and one of the youngest guys on the team."

Kelly's averages only four losses per season. The squad doesn't enter many tournaments, but it finished second at a 64-team event in Oil City last year.

"A team is only allowed to hit three home runs over the fence in a league game," Hawryliak said of the Franklin Field League. "We always hit our three.

"If there were unlimited homers allowed, we'd probably hit 10 per game."

Philpot said the team he put together was one that "hits the ball into the gap and runs fast." He admitted his team was overmatched.

"They kept muscling up, trying to outdo each other in home run distance," Philpot said of Kelly's. "It was impressive to see.

"Next year's game is being planned for Pullman Park and I'll put together a team that will provide a more challenging game," he added.

Hawryliak and Milich hit five homers each for Kelly's while Bill Jarach, Dave Miller, Jim Rice and Rick Snodgrass hit three each.

Bob Foley, Kevin Lutz, Ron Wissinger, Paul Hilliard and Mike Olio also homered for Kelly's. Wissinger is the oldest player on the squad at 54.

"I'm glad we were able to get together and do this," Hawryliak said. "We definitely want to make it an annual event."

Philpot vows to make it better.

"We'll promote it more next year, play in a bigger ballpark, put on a good show, get more people involved and raise a lot more money," he said. "This is only the beginning."