Rolando Little Leaguers nearly saw their season end much too early, thanks to a thief.
Sometime between 5 p.m. Saturday and 8 a.m. Sunday, someone broke into the league’s storage shed and stole team equipment.
Mike Van Til, the president of the girls’ Little League, said the theft was just “mean-spirited” since the burglar also took the bases needed to continue the season, which still has six weeks remaining. The girls who play in the league range from 7 to 12 years old.
About $2,000 worth of equipment was stolen. Thieves stole a golf cart used to carry baseball equipment and drag a wire screen that keeps the dirt manicured. Four special "break away" safety bases, worth $450 were also taken.
On Tuesday, however, the stolen bases and drag screen were found on the grounds of an elementary school.
Also stolen was a battery charger. The cart turned up Monday morning in Lemon Grove.
The recovered equipment is now back at the field on King Street in La Mesa. Since almost all of the equipment stolen from a local Little League field has been recovered, league officials say the season will go on as planned.
