If there was one thing that Ryan “Pie” Truesdell loved doing it was playing ball. Friends and family gathered over the weekend to preserve his memory with the inaugural Ryan Truesdell Memorial Softball Tournament.

Truesdell was an Albert Lea High School graduate who died after he was trapped in a grain elevator last summer at Glenville Grain. It was his last week on the job before he went back to school at Rochester Technical College, where he was studying physical education and health.

Nineteen teams came together over the weekend to participate in the softball tournament at J.M. Snyder Field. Most of the teams comprised players who knew Truesdell and the tournament was an opportunity for everyone to reminisce.

“This is overwhelming for our family,” said Ryan’s father Scott Truesdell. “It’s a great show of support.”

Truesdell hoped to raise $10,000 to $15,000 dollars for area sports and the Arc of Freeborn County, an organization devoted to helping developmentally disabled people. Last year’s benefit raised $3,800. Truesdell wants to the money to be used for a number of things such as baseball clinics and putting scoreboards on the fields at Snyder Field.

Chad and Lon Sorenson helped Truesdell set up the tournament as a way to honor Pie.

“One bad thing can lead to a good thing,” Lon said. “Basically it’s keeping his name alive, keeping his personality and his abilities alive.”

Chad said putting on a softball tournament was the best way to honor Pie, who played softball three nights a week that summer when he died.

“I just felt like I had to do something for the Truesdell family,” Chad said.

The group would like the event to become a community event over time and giving back to the community is part of that.

“The community is going to see great things and it is also going to have his name stay alive,” Lon said.

Pie was a person who dedicated himself to baseball and softball. He was a two-time all-conference winner during his high school baseball career at Albert Lea and served as captain for two seasons. On the softball diamond he batted leadoff for the Aragon Pirates. Chad and Lon played with Pie on the team.

“I miss playing with him, he was a good ball player,” Chad said. “It’s good to see everyone come together to play softball.”

Pie was known for giving maximum effort in everything he did, a value his father instilled in him early.

“He was even raised ‘You don’t do 100 percent, you do 110 percent,’” Truesdell said. “You never feel bad if you can do that.”

For Truesdell the tournament was a bittersweet event but an opportunity to reconnect.

“I might have lost a son, but I gained a lot of sons in terms of his team,” Truesdell said. “They treat me like a dad now.”

There was also a sand volleyball tournament going on and raffle. T-shirts were being sold and concessions as well.

“We want this to be an event that goes on year after year,” Truesdell said.