Softball tournament in honor of Newtown

(WTNH) -- A special softball game was held tonight as part of a tournament held in honor of the Sandy Hook victims.

"I knew a couple of people and I went to a couple of wakes and it was sad," said Grace Urell of Newtown.

Teams held hands in unity before every game.

"We will begin this game with 27 seconds of silence," said an official.

This softball tournament was not about winning.

"This is about helping a neighbor," said coach Kevin Welch of Monroe.

"It's about raising money and helping the school of Sandy Hook and making them feel safer," said Lauren Welch of Monroe.

"It's exciting to share the field with them and be together as one big family," said Alyssa Noce of Monroe.

The owner of fast pitch nation in Bloomfield donated his indoor field and 58 teams came from as far away as New Jersey, including teams from Newtown. Their coach addressed the players from Monroe before the game.

"Being neighboring towns, when I grew up and was at Sandy Hook and Newtown High we were rival schools but you show us the true meaning of community for donating your school to us and we cannot thank you enough," the Newtown coach said.

The tournament was a spur of the moment thing. They just thought they would get a couple of teams together to play and 75 teams came forward to support Newtown. Even by extending the tournament to 3 days, they could only get 58 teams into the tournament. Some of the teams that couldn't make it in paid for an entrance fee anyway and donated it to Newtown.

"What is it doing for your heart right now," asked News 8's Bob Wilson.

"Just to get the parents together and for us to be able to talk and to see the goodness that is coming out of this and for the kids to know that there is good in the world," said Pattie Cheh of Newtown.

"Everybody is kind of like staying at home and not wanting to do anything because they are so sad. Now that everybody is coming to support us, everybody is getting out of their houses," said Carley Nuzzo of Newtown.