Vandals destroy Leominster Little League backstop, costing thousands in damages

Communities in Leominster are outraged after vandals destroyed the backstop at one of the city’s Little League baseball fields.

“Thank you to whoever thought it would be a good idea to help us redecorate!” the league wrote in a Facebook post, which included photos of the shredded backstop with the padding ripped out. The damage will cost at least $3,000 to repair, according to the league.

Rob Lora, volunteer coach and president of Leominster American Little League, discovered the damage Monday morning, according to CBS Boston. Until the backstop is fixed, teams can’t play at the field due to safety concerns.

“They did something very malicious to hurt the kids. They knew that. It was not throwing a cone, they took the action of ripping it apart, ripping it all out and they knew what they were doing,” Lora told CBS. “You’re not hurting us, you’re not hurting the park, you’re hurting the kids because they can’t use that facility. So, it’s heartbreaking.”

Lora told CBS that it could take “a month to six weeks or more” until the field is safe to play on again.

Melissa Bible, a parent whose son is in his final year on the team, made a GoFundMe to cover the cost of repairs and maintenance. It has raised over $6,000.

“The amount of hours [Lora] puts in are countless, year round, to try to maintain the field and give our kids a safe environment,” Bible said. “It’s just so incredibly frustrating.”

Bible said the field already needed repairs and experienced smaller instances of vandalism before the May 29 incident, but the recent events made the field “unusable.” The team is using another field in Leominster in the meantime, and Fitchburg offered additional space as well.

The initial cleanup took 24 hours but the team now has to invest between $5,000 and $7,000 just for new padding, Bible said. She took the initiative to create the fundraiser because she knew Lora is not one to ask for help.

Bible said an end-of-spring cleanup is currently being planned as there was a lot of interest from parents and community members to help.

“I’m thankful for the community that’s come together,” Bible said. “It’s frustrating that one individual can do damage, but the greater good has been really enlightening, to see people coming together to try to help.”

Leominster police are investigating the vandalism but currently have no leads as to who did it or why, according to The Worcester Telegram.

Lora and Leominster police did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

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