Winter Haven vs Haines City
January 14, 2012
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Former Haines City High School standout baseball player Dean Barnett challenged Fred Dampier to create a team and play against his high school teammates of 1965 in a doubleheader. The idea was to benefit the boys baseball team and the girls softball team. Two years ago, Dean ripped apart a team from Lake Wales but Fred was up to the task of assembling a worthy opponent. The wood bat games were played at the girls softball field, with fences 205' to 225' from home plate. The Winter Haven team batted first and put two runs on the board. After the first out was made, Fred Dampier walked but was forced at second when the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice. Les Jacobson came through with a two-out double and drove home the first run. Frank Jacobs had an RBI single to cap off the scoring in the opening frame. Three more scored in the second. Tom Hamilton and Brent Alumbaugh began with singles before back-to-back fielder's choice plays put two outs on the boards in a hurry. However, one run did score in the process. A base rap by Wayne Mundy and another free pass to Fred Dampier loaded the bases for Regis Finnegan, who drove a double down the leftfield line for a couple of runs. The third inning resulted in three runs on four hits. Chuck Duff singled, Bob Zelazny doubled, and both Tom Hamilton and Richard Marino had base hits. After one dry inning, Winter Haven was at it again when the fifth frame rolled around. Bob Zelazny hit his second consecutive two bagger and Brent Alumbaugh also doubled in the inning. The final score of the first game was 13-0 in favor of Winter Haven. Regis Finnegan started the game on the mound and recorded the "W". A "hold" was credited to relief pitchers Tom Hamilton, Fred Dampier, Les Jacobson, and Frank Jacobs.
After a thirty minute break, the second game began slowly for both teams. It wasn't until the third before Winter Haven put a number on the board. Les Jacobson drove a ball over the leftfield fence for a solo home run. Regis Finnegan and Freddy Gonzalez singled afterwards but were stranded on the base paths. A two out rally in the fourth sent two runs scampering home. Tom Hamilton and Chuck Duff had singles sandwiched between the first out. The very next batter grounded into a fielder's choice, but Regis Finnegan and Fred Dampier assured their team would score when each singled. The maximum five runs crossed the plate in the fifth and Haines City had enough. The final score was 8-0. Tom Hamilton went the distance on the mound for the shutout win. The benefit doubleheader brought home over $500 so it was all worth playing ball this chilly day. The temperature read in the low 50s at noon when the first game started and the high was predicted to reach only 61° F. After the games were over, the girls softball team personally autographed a softball and presented it to Fred Dampier, the Winter Haven coach. A signed ball by the Winter Haven squad was presented to Dean Barnett, the organizer of the event.
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