ISU students will be stepping up to the plate Saturday in an effort to raise money for heart disease research.

The Richardson Court Association will be hosting its Third Annual Hit for the Heart softball event. It’s a fund-raiser for the American Heart Association, and its participants play 100 innings of softball.

The daylong event will be from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. at South River Valley Park.

“Students pay $1 per inning to participate, and if they play five innings, they receive a free T-shirt,” said Lisa Klocke, intramural chairwoman for RCA.

If students choose to play more than 10 innings, they do not have to pay more than $10, said Klocke, sophomore in English.

By Wednesday, all of the innings had been filled with 20 teams of eight to 10 players, Klocke said, meeting her goal to fill all the innings. However, RCA President Nathan Ohrt, senior in environmental science, said people can still try to fill in spots during the games.

“The goal was to raise at least $1,000 and to get more of the university involved in the event,” Klocke said. Last year, about $1,000 was raised, and Klocke wanted to at least equal that amount.

In the past, the participants have been primarily from RCA, but this year, organizers made an effort to branch out.

The Inter-Residence Hall Association and Government of the Student Body are co-sponsoring the event. Area businesses have donated refreshments and Mary Greeley Medical Center donated supplies.