While most organized softball tournaments go to support individual teams or schools, Saturday’s softball tournament at Halls Ferry Park will go to support  a local organization helping support victims of child abuse.

The second annual “Strike Out Child Abuse” tournament — a partnership between RipTide Softball and The Exchange Club of Vicksburg Child And Parent (CAP) Center — will be played Saturday. A total of 27 travel softball teams from throughout the area will participate.

The teams participating range from teams as high as 16-under, all the way down to 8-under.

“The turnout from one year to the next has been amazing,” CAP Center board member and one of the tournament organizers Jeremiah Pant said. “My phone has been ringing off the hook the past few days. We have teams on a waiting list just hoping for another team to cancel.”

All of the proceeds from the event — including team registration fees, event sponsors, admission and profits from the concession stand — will go to support the CAP Center.

“In our first year, we raised just over $6,500,” Pant said. “I would expect we are going to raise far more than that this year.”

RipTide, a Vicksburg-based travel softball team, is the host team for the tournament.

“We are tremendously proud to be able to do this for the CAP Center and those they serve in our community,” RipTide head coach and Vicksburg Girls Softball Association Chairman Mike Foley said.

RipTide, a 12U tournament softball team based in Vicksburg, is playing in the tournament and is the co-host team.

“While we hope to win the tournament, we know that we have already won by supporting the CAP Center,” Foley said.

The CAP Center offers hope and help to families in need of support and guidance to prevent child abuse and/or neglect.

Through the joint efforts of the Exchange Club of Vicksburg and the Warren Council for Child Advocacy, the CAP Center was opened on March 4, 1985. The CAP Center is a private, non-profit agency committed to preventing child abuse and neglect. The CAP Center assists families within Vicksburg and Warren County in developing healthy, non-violent parent-child relationship.

The one-day tournament will begin with pool play games at 8 a.m. Games will continue throughout the day, with some age group championship games scheduled to start at 10:30 p.m.

Admission is $7 per person. Children under 5 will be allowed in for free.