Alameda youth baseball field flooded, vandalized

ALAMEDA, Calif. (KGO) -- Someone has a major ax to grind with the Alameda Babe Ruth Baseball League. And when you see the damage done to the field, it's outrageous.

It appears whoever is responsible knew exactly what to do, and that was to find the right sprinkler valve that would do the most damage.

"We're non-profit, we only help kids, so I don't know why they would not like us," Erik Schuler from the Alameda Babe Ruth Baseball League said.

Volunteers with the Alameda Babe Ruth Baseball League are scratching their heads. Sometime over the weekend, someone smashed six sprinkler heads and left them on overnight. About 100,000 gallons of water was wasted.

"They took a shovel and dug this area out so the water would get under it and start eroding away," Schuler said.

Both the pitcher's mound and the batter's box have to be redone. By the looks of it, this was no random act. The Alameda Babe Ruth Baseball League, which serves 13 to 20-year-olds, has leased the field at the College of Alameda since March.

Of all the signs that hang on the fence, only the league's and their sponsor's sign were torn down the night of the vandalism.

"Not many people know where the automatic shut-off valve is, so somebody who's played on this facility, or knows facilities, had to have known that by kicking off the sprinkler heads it would do more damage," Schuler said.

Investigators are following up on tips. They're also reviewing surveillance video from cameras mounted throughout the campus.

"This is a pretty big priority for us just because the impact that it's had on so many people," Alameda Police Lt. Hosh Durani said.

Some of the baseball players couldn't play their last home game of the season because of the flooded field.

"I thought it was pretty messed up that someone would come just destroy all the hard work people have put in," baseball player Brendan Collins said.

The damage is estimated to be around $10,000. Insurance will pay some for some of the repairs. Money from fundraisers will pay for everything else.