While Pikachu, a strawberry, a sumo wrestler and Willie Robertson rounded the bases at Lucy Young Field, a young hunter, a skeleton, a witch and a football player roamed around in the grass field just behind the bleachers enjoying their night out.

The third annual Warren Central Spooktacular softball game divided the high school softball and baseball players into red and blue co-ed teams to battle it out in a slow-pitch game benefiting Blair E. Batson Children’s Hospital. The blue team came out victorious, 7-4.

Warren Central softball coach Dana McGivney said about $900 was raised from ticket sales alone. Money was also raised from T-shirt sales and in the concession stand.

“It went really well,” McGivney said. “We had a pretty good night and a pretty good crowd. Had lots of kids out, which is what you want to see.”

Warren Central students were on hand to encourage their peers.

“I came out for the charity event to support,” Warren Central junior football player Keonte Lumpkin said. “The night’s been great to see the teams out here supporting for a charity and just to know Warren Central is trying to do something great for everybody.”

Sophomore student Ryne McCallum entertained the crowd by doing comedic heckling and multiple impressions, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Adam Sandler, during his game commentary over the PA system.

In the middle of the fifth inning a costume contest was conducted among the younger children, older children and the ball players. In the small child division a dinosaur and a lamb grabbed the title, and from the older children Darth Vader and Minnie Mouse took top honors.

As for the players, Colonel Sanders, better known as Christian Oakes, and the six senior softball girls, who dressed as different color M&M’s in large tutus, were named winners. The players were excited about the size of the audience that filled the bleachers and stood along the net behind home plate.

“I think it was fun to see everybody in the community come out,” senior softball player and green M&M Sarah Kate Smith said. “To really see how many people came, it meant a lot.”

Smith said she liked how competitive the game was between the two teams. Striving for the victory made the game even more enjoyable.

“It was fun because everybody played like they wanted to win so bad. That makes it more fun,” Smith said.

Donna Lee attended the game to support her daughter, who was playing on the red team as a laughing emoji, and also to let her young son — who was dressed as Dracula — participate in the costume contest and get candy that was handed out between innings.

“He comes to get the candy, and she comes to play,” Lee said. “It’s always fun. The kids have a blast every year.”

Lee said Tuesday night was a little bit more of a relaxed atmosphere than the intense games during softball season. She liked seeing the camaraderie between the softball and baseball players exhibited throughout the game.

“They can really respect and appreciate what each other does,” Lee said.

In 2014, the proceeds of the Spooktacular went to Warren Central student Afton Wallace, and last year to former student Gabby Butler to assist in their battles with cancer. This year, all proceeds from the event are going to Blair E. Batson.

“It feels awesome just to know we did it first for Afton and it really helped out the families,” Smith said.

Former Warren Central softball player Brooke Patterson came up with the idea of the game three years ago based on Hinds Community College’s yearly “Monster Mash” game as a way to give back.

This year Patterson is a freshman at Hinds and, coincidentally, played in the Monster Mash Tuesday night at Joe G. Moss Field on Hinds’ Raymond campus. The proceeds from that event also benefited Blair E. Batson.