Southold PBA emerged victorious in the 15th Annual Timothy McQueeney Softball Tournament Saturday at Stotzky Park.
Competition began at 8:30 a.m. and continued through nine o'clock at night in the double-elimination tournament sponsored by the Riverhead PBA to raise money for the Timothy McQueeney Memorial Scholarship Fund. McQueeney was a Riverhead police officer killed in a car accident in 1997 on his way home from a late-night shift. He was just 25 years old.
McQueeney's parents, Tim and Patricia of Wading River, and his brothers Kevin, also of Wading River, and Ryan, of Manorville, were on hand for the tournament.
"This is such a nice thing the PBA does," said McQueeney's mom. The event benefits the Timothy McQueeney Memorial Scholarship Fund. "We are awarding three scholarships now," she said, to students graduating from Riverhead High School, Shoreham-Wading River High School, and McGann-Mercy High School.
Teams competing in the tournament were Riverhead PBA, Southold PBA, Southampton Village police, the Suffolk County Sheriff's Office, the N.Y. State Police, the Jamesport Fire Department and "Team McQueeney" — made up of friends and relatives of the officer and members of the Wading River Fire Department, where team member Kevin McQueeney is an assistant chief.
On route to the championship, Souhold PBA beat Jamesport Fire Department in the first round, then the N.Y. State Troopers. Southold lost a game to Southampton Village Police but then beat Team McQueeney in the semi-final, moving on to a rematch against Southampton Village Police in the final game, which Southold won 21-20.
