The Portland Pirates and the Portland Sea Dogs will host the Ameriprise Financial Celebrity Softball Challenge at Hadlock Field tonight.

The event will include a celebrity softball game and home run derby at Hadlock Field, the home of the Portland Sea Dogs. The Softball Challenge is sponsored by Ameriprise Financial in partnership with the Pirates and Sea Dogs to support the efforts of the Maine Children's Cancer Program. Tickets for the festivities will cost $2 each, with 100% of the proceeds going to the Maine Children's Cancer Program.

The game day festivities at Hadlock Field will begin at 5:00 p.m. this evening, starting with the Tony Boffa Band and a baseball clinic for kids. The softball portion of the evening will kick off at 7:00 p.m. with the Homerun Derby, followed by the Celebrity Softball Game at 8:00 p.m. Fans can purchase raffle tickets for $1 each to play in the Celebrity Softball Game, Bat boy and bat girl.

The list of local celebrities who will step up to the plate for charity include Portland Pirates players Mike Hoffman and Eric Weinrich, Former Bruins Rick Middleton and Bob Sweeney, retired Major League Baseball player Peter Ladd, former NFL player Ed McAleney and Olympian snowboarder Peter Thorndike.

In addition to the celebrities, Planet Cheer, all-star cheerleaders and 9-time National Champions, will be at the event to provide entertainment along with the Sea Dogs Mascot, Slugger and Pirates mascots Crackers and Salty Pete.

The Maine Children's Cancer Program, located at the Maine Center for Cancer Care, offers outpatient consultation and treatment for children diagnosed with cancer. A staff of pediatric oncologists, pediatric nurses and specialists and social workers comprise the staff of the Maine Children's Cancer Program. The program participates in the national Pediatric Oncology Group (POG) Clinical Trials, and employs an on-site research team that manages the program's participation in the trials. Recently, the Maine Children's Cancer program has developed a pediatric peripheral stem cell transplant program in conjunction with The Barbara Bush Children's Hospital to service children in Maine who historically have had to travel to Boston to receive this type of treatment. For more information, visit the program's website at www.mmc.org.

The full event schedule is listed below:

4:00-5:00 pm Volunteers Arrive

5:00-6:45 pm Tony Boffa Band and Baseball Clinic for Kids

6:45-7:00 pm Performance by Planet Cheer

7:00-8:00 pm Homerun Derby

8:00-9:00 pm Celebrity Softball Game

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JUSTIN MASTERSON NAMED EASTERN LEAGUE PITCHER OF THE WEEK
In just his first week in the Eastern League, Portland Sea Dogs’ right-handed pitcher Justin Masterson masters the Eastern League and captures Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors for the week of July 9th through July 15th. Major League Baseball Advanced Media (MLBAM) made the selection.

The 22 year-old, Masterson was promoted to the Sea Dogs from Single-A Lancaster on July 7th. He made his Double-A debut on July 9th at New Hampshire tossing 6.2 innings of no-hit ball with a season high nine strikeouts. In his second Double-A start on July 14th at Hadlock Field, Masterson tossed six scoreless innings allowing three hits and striking out seven. For the week, Masterson was 2-0 with a 0.00 ERA allowing three hits and three walks, while striking out 16. Masterson has now won eight straight decisions between Single-A Lancaster and Double-A Portland. He leads all Red Sox farmhands with ten combined wins.

In 17 starts for the JetHawks this season, Masterson posted an 8-5 record with a 4.33 ERA. He was the winning pitcher on July 4th when the JetHawks captured the first half Southern Division title in the California League. He was 5-1 with a 2.89 ERA in June and was honored as the Red Sox Minor League Pitcher of the Month. Masterson was selected by the Red Sox in the second round of the June 2006 draft. He is the 13th ranked prospect in the Red Sox organization according to Baseball America.

This is the third time in the last four weeks that a Sea Dogs pitcher has captured Eastern League Pitcher of the Week honors. Charlie Zink won the award for the week of June 18th through June 24th, while Clay Buchholz took home the honors for the week of June 25th through July 1st.
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SEA DOGS GET A LOOK AT FENWAY PARK
On Monday, three Sea Dogs players; Michael Bowden, Jed Lowrie, and Justin Masterson made the trip to Fenway Park. The three players were joined by manager Arnie Beyeler along with three players from the Lowell Spinners and Spinners Manager Gary DiSarcina. The group was at Fenway to promote the August 11th Futures at Fenway Game in which the Lowell Spinners will take on the Hudson Valley Renegades in New York Penn League Action, that game will be followed by the Sea Dogs taking on the Harrisburg Senators in Eastern League action.

Tickets are still available for this unique doubleheader. Tickets range between $5.00 and $30.00.

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Click here to read and see video of the Sea Dogs' visit to Fenway

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