WASHINGTON – Organizers for the Congressional Baseball Game made additional tickets available for Thursday’s night game due to high interest in the charity event and have sold more than 20,000 tickets.
The game is being held less than 48 hours after members of the Republican congressional baseball team were attacked by a rifle-wielding gunman during a practice in Alexandria.
So far, the event has raised more than $1 million due to an outpouring of generosity, said Meredith Raimondi, with Epiphany Productions.
In comparison, last year more than 9,000 people attended the charity event, which raised more than $500,000, according to Congressional Baseball Game for Charity.
Each year, the tickets and sponsorships raise several hundred thousand dollars for local charities. This year proceeds support the Boys & Girls Clubs of Greater Washington, the Washington Nationals Dream Foundation and the Washington Literacy Center. And the Capitol Police Memorial Fund was added yesterday following the shooting.
U.S. Capitol Police officers, who were at the Alexandria ball field as part of Rep. Steve Scalise’s security detail, and three Alexandria police officers responded to the shooter.
Two Capitol Police officers were among those injured along with Scalise, a representative from Louisiana.
A D.C. tradition, the game dates back more than a century.
Tickets are available through the Washington Nationals. Or click here to donate.
WTOP will broadcast live play-by-play coverage from Sports Director George Wallace, Capitol Hill correspondent Dave McConnell and Sports Editor Noah Frank on 1500 AM beginning at 7 p.m.
WTOP’s Noah Frank contributed to this report.
