Cranberry CUP Home Run Derby Rescheduled for Sunday at PNC Park

The Cranberry CUP Homerun Derby finals have been rescheduled to be played after the 1:35 p.m. Pittsburgh Pirates game Sunday at PNC Park.

The derby was supposed to be played Sept. 5 at PNC Park, but the game was rained out. Spectators who also are interested in watching the Pirates play the Cincinnati Reds Sunday may purchase tickets  from the Cranberry CUP website. The seats are to be in the same section of the park.

This the first time the CUP’s annual softball home run derby will be played at PNC Park. After a preliminary round earlier in September, six people qualified to participate in the final round at PNC Park. The winner of Sunday’s derby will win a trip to see the Pirates play at their 2012 training camp in Bradenton, FL.

The prize package includes two round-trip tickets to Bradenton, accommodations at the Courtyard by Marriott and tickets to a Pirates game at .

Here's how the derby works: Each batter receives 10 outs per round (an out is any swing that does not result in a fair home run). The top eight home-run hitters advance to Round 2. The top four hitters from Round 2 advance to Round 3, and the top two hitters from Round 3 advance to PNC Park. The person who raises the most money for the event also receives automatic entry to the final round at PNC Park, CUP founder Cathy Cortazzo said.

Cranberry CUP, which stands for Community Uniting People, raises money to support local families in need. This year’s beneficiary is the O’Donnell family of Cranberry. A social studies teacher in the Keystone Oaks School District and a father of four, Shawn O’Donnell was diagnosed with colon and liver cancer in May.

In August, the annual – where neighborhoods competed against each other to – was played in Cranberry. The Pinehurst community, where the O’Donnell family lives, was this year’s winning neighborhood.