And it's 1, 2, 3 strikes for charity

Decked out in pink, area softball players were thinking of green as they rounded the bases for charity Saturday.

The Willowbrook High School girls softball team took on York High School Saturday in an event dubbed "Warriors for a Cure" to raise money for cancer research.

"Young ladies need the opportunity to see what cancer does, especially breast cancer, and their responsibilities, what they can do to raise awareness," Willowbrook softball coach Jim White said.

White started the event this year knowing firsthand the effects cancer can have on a family. His mother is a cancer survivor but his father died of the disease.

White recruited longtime Willowbrook math teacher Laura Butler, a breast cancer survivor with one year cancer-free, to throw out the first pitch of the game Saturday in Villa Park. The team signed a pink softball for her to keep as a memento of the game.

Butler also gave the girls a pre-game pep talk, telling them to be nice to their parents, think about their faith and be valued employees and good friends.

"I wanted them to be aware if they live life that way, if something happened, they would have the support and they would move on," she said. "And everything would be OK in the end."

The advice hit home for the girls, including junior first baseman Megan Laga, whose grandmother died of cancer in 2005.

"You really do need to live your life, and even though we're having a tough season it means a lot to do this," she said. "It kind of brings us together."

Nicole and Michelle Interrante, twin sisters on the team, also have a grandmother who was diagnosed with cancer. Geri Interrante is approaching five years of being breast cancer free and makes it to every home game to see the girls.

The twins' mom, Jill, said it's good for her daughters to take part in the charity game and it makes for a fun day as well.

"I love it," she said. "It's the greatest thing."

On the other side of the field, York coach Tom Babyar said he was pleased White asked his team to take part in the event. He said softball is a microcosm of life.

"You do the best you can, you work hard, you're going to have ups and you're going to have downs," he said. "But really you have to do something other than your job, you've got to give back."

York won both games, 18-5 and 13-5 respectively.

But the real number that mattered was the amount collected for cancer research. White expected to raise about $500 but brought in over $3,500 before the day was even over thanks to donations, T-shirt sales and a raffle in which the winner, a York fan, gave the money right back to the cause.

"A lot of people didn't have a reason, they just wanted to give," White said of the donations. "Sometimes that's more powerful. They just wanted to give."