The act of sportsmanship in a softball game this spring between Western Oregon and Central Washington is up for an ESPY award in the category of “Best Sports Moment.”

When Central Washington’s Mallory Holtman and Liz Wallace helped complete Western Oregon’s Sara Tucholsky’s home-run trip around the bases by carrying her in a pivotal conference game on April 26 in Ellensburg, Oregon, the unique gesture received national and international attention.

Now, the story and three players involved in it will get the red-carpet treatment. The 16^th annual ESPY Awards will be taped on Wednesday, July 16, at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. The show airs on ESPN Sunday, July 20, at 9 p.m. Eastern.

The “Best Sports Moment” category has two other competitors – Indy car driver Danica Patrick’s victory in the Japan 300, and Boston Red Sox pitcher Jon Lester’s no-hitter against the Kansas City Royals in May, less than a year after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

The categories, which include Male Athlete of the Year and Female Athlete of the Year, were announced July 1, during which ESPN talent opined about the winners. Pardon the Interupption’s Michael Wilbon and Tony Kornheiser both picked the Western Oregon-Central Washington play as their favorite.

Fans can vote for the winner of this award and other ESPY categories at www.espys.tv or on a mobile phone at www.espn.mobi. 

Tucholsky and Holtman will be at Yankee Stadium in New York for Major League Baseball’s all-star game festivities July 11-15. They’ll fly from there to the ESPYs.

Later this summer, Tucholsky will appear at the Little League Softball World Series in Portland. She graduated from Western Oregon earlier this month with a degree in business.

Watch the video from ESPN’s SportsCenter here.