There was not a cloud in the sky at first pitch.

The brilliant sunshine made the manicured field look better than ever.

And, most importantly, it was “Strike Out Cancer” night, sponsored by Nascentia Health. Admission was $7, with $2 from each ticket donated to the Italian-American Charity Golf Association in its years-long effort to raise money for local cancer care.

To commemorate it all, the Tarp Skunks wore their pink jerseys and the bases were painted the same color.

Jamestown’s Steven Scarfone, right, is greeted by head coach Ryan Hill after belting a three-run home run in the eighth inning of Saturday’s Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League game at Diethrick Park. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

For No. 18 on the Jamestown roster, right-fielder Steven Scarfone, the second-to-last home game of the season — along with its accompanying fundraiser — carried special meaning. Because not quite two years ago, the Staten Island native lost his mother, Nancy, to lymphoma.

Like most moms whose kids love sports, Nancy was Steven’s biggest cheerleader and practice/game-day chauffeur growing up. But just days before he was set to leave for his freshman year at Clarion (Pennsylvania) University, Nancy passed away.

She was 49 years old.

“She was my number-one fan,” Steven said. “In high school, you always heard her. … She always wanted the absolute best for me.”

Penciled in eighth on the lineup card in a game the Tarp Skunks would ultimately lose 10-7 to Geneva, Steven flew out to left field in the second inning, singled to center in the fourth and struck out in the sixth. By the time Jamestown came to bat in the bottom of the eighth, its deficit stood at 10-4. Yet most of the large crowd remained in the stands, enthusiastic as ever, hoping for something special to happen.

And then it did.

With one out, Shaniel Maldonado reached base on a fielder’s choice and Leo Doyle drew a walk against Red Wings reliever Tyson Bryant-Dawson, which brought Steven to the plate. To this point in the season, the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder hadn’t been hitting that well, his batting average hovering around .200 with 23 strikeouts. Yet on a 2-2 count, the left-handed hitter made solid contact, sending a soaring flyball to right field, which is the deepest part of the park.

“When I hit it,” Steven said, “I saw the (Geneva right fielder Matt Jennings) and he went back and he kind of stopped. I was like, ‘No, I did it again.’ This year I’ve been notorious for just hitting it to that wall.”

But then Jennings ran out of room and the ball easily cleared it.

“Oh, my god, it’s gone,” Steven recalled thinking as he began his home-run trot. “The emotion was crazy in the moment. I kind of blacked out running the bases a little bit.”

It was Steven’s first round-tripper of the summer, and it came on “Strike Out Cancer” night, just shy of the two-year anniversary of his beloved mother’s death from the dreaded disease.

“I got back to the dugout and I realized what I did,” he recalled, noting that his right cleat was adorned with lime green, which signifies lymphoma awareness. “I know she’s watching over me, my beautiful mother. She’s happy, she’s proud.”

So were Steve’s teammates.

As he rounded third, he was greeted enthusiastically by head coach Ryan Hill, and upon stepping on home plate he shared an embrace with Doyle.

The celebration only got better from there. On-deck hitter Connor Kiefer offered an over-the-top high-five with Steven, followed immediately by individual greetings from the rest of his teammates and a hug from trainer Kari Newman.

If you didn’t know any better, you might have thought that Steven’s blast had given the Tarp Skunks the lead, improving their shot of securing a much-needed win to keep their playoff hopes alive in the Western Division.

But while it wasn’t quite a Hollywood moment, it truly was a heart-tugging one.

“I’m so happy for him,” Hill said. “He deserves the world. He’s one of the hardest workers out there. Just to see that from him put a smile on my face.”

Steven admitted that he was smiling through his tears as he remembered his mom during that moment.

“She just grabbed (that ball) and flicked it over the fence for me,” he said.