ADMISSION No admission charge, but donations will be accepted

Tonight’s high school baseball game between Vilonia and Mayflower may not mean anything as far as playoff aspirations are concerned, but the contest should do wonders for both of Faulkner County towns.

“In the grand scheme of things, it means nothing as far as postseason positioning,” Vilonia Coach Brad Wallace said. “But it’s an experience our kids will never go through again and should enjoy. It’s going to be great to represent our school and community. … Our kids will never be the rock stars like they will be [tonight].”

A week after the two communities were devastated by a tornado, the two teams will play a benefit game tonight at North Little Rock’s Dickey-Stephens Park, the home of the minor-league Arkansas Travelers. The park seats more than 5,200 with room for about 2,500 more on the outfield berms.

Gates will open at 4:30 p.m. and the first pitch is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. There will be no admission charge, but donations will be collected by each high school’s cheerleading squad and all proceeds from concession sales will go directly to those affected.

It’s a contest that matches two very good teams. Before Monday’s games, Mayflower(22-2) was on a 16-game winning streak and Vilonia (14-6) was in contention for the 5A-West Conference title.

“We were scheduled to play early in the year, but that game got rained out,” Mayflower Coach Joe Allbritton said. “Coach Wallace is a very good coach and has a great team, but we’re playing to win it.”

Both communities were hit by a tornado April 27. The tornado, which started in Pulaski County and remained on the ground for more than an hour, claimed 15 lives, injured hundreds and destroyed more than 3,000 homes. According to The Weather Channel, it was the single most destructive tornado in Arkansas since 1968.

Both schools were not in session last week.

Wallace said the storm might have done some major damage, but that it did not destroy the heart and soul of the community.

“Can we return to some kind of normalcy? In my opinion, that’s up to the individual,” Wallace said. “Some people look to find people who will feel sorry for them. … Just three days after the storm, you could see a big difference in the way things looked. These people don’t sit around waiting for something to happen. They get out and work.”

Tonight’s game Mayflower vs. Vilonia WHAT Benefit high school baseball game with proceeds going to assist people in both communities affected by last week’s tornado.

WHERE Dickey-Stephens Park, North Little Rock WHEN Gates open at 4:30 p.m. First pitch scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

Sports, Pages 17 on 05/06/2014