Softball Game To Benefit Fallen Southington Trooper's Family

HARTFORD/SOUTHINGTON, CT — A benefit softball game at Dunkin Park in Hartford will feature some big names in the area's sports scene — all to benefit the family of a fallen state trooper from Southington.

A team of Connecticut State Troopers will take on "Rob Dibble's All-Stars" in a benefit softball game on Saturday, Aug. 24, at 3 p.m. (gates open at 2 p.m.)

It will take place at the home of the Hartford Yard Goats, which is located at 1214 Main St., Hartford.

Proceeds will benefit the family of Southington resident Aaron Pelletier, who died at 34 on May 30 after a motorist struck him while he was conducting a traffic stop on Interstate 84 in Southington.

The Southington native lost his life conducting a seat belt enforcement check, part of an ongoing safety initiative. The driver of the pickup truck that hit him fled the scene and was, later, caught.

Pelletier left behind a wife, Dominique Pelletier, and two young sons, Troy and Zach, along with several friends and family members.

Dibble, himself a Southington native and graduate of Southington High School, was an all-star reliever for the Cincinnati Reds in the late 1980s and 1990s.

He's best remembered as a member of the 1990 world champion Reds and was part of the team's famous "Nasty Boys" bullpen.

Dibble currently is a sports radio personality.

Several area sports stars and coaches will be playing with Dibble against the troopers, among them: ex-UConn women's basketball player/New York Liberty player Ashley Battle (now a Boston Celtics scout); New York Knicks Head Coach Tom Thibideau; former New York Yankee world series champion Shane Spencer (of 1998 Yankees fame); Tebucky Jones, a New Britain native and formerly of the New England Patriots; and UConn men's basketball hero Scott Burrell, who also won an NBA title with the Chicago Bulls.

Tickets will be available through the Hartford Yard Goats' website, according to Connecticut State Police.

In addition, the event will feature plenty of autographed memorabilia that will auctioned off for Pelletier's family.

To order tickets for the game, click on this link.

From June 5: 'Fallen Trooper Laid To Rest Amid Outpouring Of Emotion'