First Responders Charity Softball Tournament held at Columbia’s Segra Park
By W. Thomas Smith Jr.
Richland County Sheriff Leon Lott and deputies with the Richland County Sheriff’s
Department (RCSD) defeated both the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division
(SLED) and the Columbia Police Department (CPD) in a double-elimination softball
tournament which raised funds for local nonprofit SERVE & CONNECT, Sunday, Oct. 5,
at Segra Park in Columbia.
Participating teams included RCSD, SLED, CPD, the Columbia-Richland Fire
Department, and the Lexington County Sheriff’s Department.
“This was not only exciting, friendly competition between several mutually supporting
first-responder agencies in one of our city’s top sports venues, but it was all ultimately
for a great cause,” said Sheriff Lott who played catcher for the tournament-champion
RCSD Peacemakers. “Athletic competition like this is great fun for all of us and for the
spectators and communities we serve.”
A lifelong athlete, Lott – now 72, but still working out nearly every day, keeping his
deputies on a strict physical fitness regimen (often leading them in tough crossfit
workouts), and playing ball whenever he has a chance – pitched while in college for
USC-Aiken. Years later, he pitched for the Columbia Braves, a Midlands-area baseball
team organized under the national Men’s Senior Baseball League / Men’s Adult
Baseball League. And he has won numerous top honors in the Police Olympics.
“We have a lot of great athletes serving as RCSD deputies,” said Lott. “We frankly
attract those kinds of teamplayers and sports and fitness enthusiasts because of the
culture we’ve created here over the decades at the Richland County Sheriff’s
Department.”
Lott added: “That culture was clearly reflected, as it so often is, in this championship
win.”
The RCSD Peacemakers played SLED in game-one, winning 8-2. RCSD then played
CPD and won 7-5, positioning the Peacemakers in “the winners bracket” as the only
undefeated team. RCSD then lost by one run to SLED in game-three but played SLED
again for the tournament title and won.
RCSD ballplayers included Lott (catcher), Ricky Johnson (outfield), Kenneth Fitsimmons
(outfield), Chris Mastrianni (outfield), Steven Tapler (1 st base), Jacob Murphy
(shortstop), Rebekah Smith (2 nd base), Robert Beary (3 rd base), David Adams (pitcher),
Terry Norton (designated hitter), Morgan Smith (catcher), Luke Martin (outfield), and
Alex Fulmer (outfield).
The Columbia Fireflies, which hosted the tournament, is a Minor League Baseball team
(South Atlantic League) based at Segra Park in Columbia. The Fireflies are the minor-
league affiliate of Major League Baseball’s Kansas City Royals.
SERVE & CONNECT brings police officers and deputy sheriffs together with the
communities they serve through a variety of programs.
– For more information, please visit https://serveandconnect.org/.
