NECBL Opening Night At Goodall Park [VIDEO]

The Sanford Mainers open their New England Collegiate Baseball League summer season tonight against the Vermont Mountaineers. For many baseball fans, it will be an opening night at Goodall Park like no other.

Last Friday night, a car driven by 51-year-old Carol Sharrow of Sanford, drove on to the field at Goodall Park in the middle of a youth baseball game. After driving erratically all over the field, the car exited the park, struck a gate and then struck 68-year-old Douglas Parkhurst (West Newfield) who was standing near the gate. He died of injuries sustained in the incident.

Sharrow has been arrested and is being charged with manslaughter.

As the NECBL begins play tonight, team officials issued the following statement...

On Friday night, the Sanford community endured a tragic incident that no community should have to go through. On the field of our very own Goodall Park, members of our local Babe Ruth League were full fledge into a competitive ball game, only to be interrupted by an unimaginable incident.

The Sanford Mainers organization sends our deepest sympathies to the family of Douglas Parkhurst. The Mainers have always felt strongly about the importance of youth baseball and stand behind the kids that were affected in hopes that this does not damage the game of baseball for them.

The Mainers open their 2018 season at home on Wednesday night at 6:30pm and invite all members of all Little Leagues and Babe Ruth Leagues to this game at no cost. Just wear your jersey and together let's show how strong not only the baseball community is, but how the City of Sanford can also come together when something so tragic invades something that is a piece of all of us.

The Sanford Mainers team is one of 13 teams that make up the NECBL. It league brings in top college players from all over the country to play summer baseball. This year's Mainers team includes players from schools such as TCU, Michigan, Vanderbilt, Georgia and Duke.

NOTE: Chris Morris, a former Brewer American Legion coach and former Husson assistant baseball and football coach, returns to the Sanford Mainers as head coach. It will be his third season coaching the NECBL team.