(ABC 6 News) – A community gathering connected people within the Micronesian community in Mason City through a friendly and competitive game of softball on Sunday.

It didn’t just highlight a favorite summer pastime, but it also brought together people of diverse backgrounds.

“Something that they love, coming together as a family, feel like we’re still together and we can still be together as a community,” softball tournament organizer Esdaka Soukon said.

This is the second year Soukon organized this tournament.

Players were able to engage in healthy competition against each other, but for many, this meeting was more than just a game.

“Everybody be busy, so a tournament like this just brings everybody together, we all come as one, just have fun,” Junior George said.

Games went on throughout the day, causing quite the buzz at Frederick Hanford Park.

Even as the tournament wrapped up this year, there’s still big plans to for the future to make this tournament grow more in years to come.

“I’m looking for to see if there is any way that the Iowa state can help the Micronesian together build a softball complex, a four-field softball complex where we can run it and then we can have our own concession stands where we can sell our own foods,” Soukon said.