March 2nd - Riverside Bank Black pulled out a win with a combination of good defense & the opponents poor baserunning skills. With no outs in the 9th & trailing 10-9, the first two Brian's Tree Service Turquoise batters, Bill Ravo & Rick DeYoung, reached base on singles. After pinch runners were inserted on both bases, the next batter hit a hard grounder to Ron Augenstein. To Ron’s delight, the runner from 2nd base didn’t run on the hit, so an easy double play resulted from the blunder. The Blacks won 10-9, extending their winning streak to six games.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly pulled out a come-from-behind victory. They trailed 10-5 after two complete innings of play. Kelly pitcher Jerry Witter shut down Center State Bank Gray the final seven innings as his team won 15-10.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal sent out a message to the rest of the league with an easy 22-7 win over Play It Again Sports Red. The Reds have scored the most runs of any team, even after scoring only seven runs in the game today.
At the half way point in the game, the Royals lead 13-1. The scoresheets indicated the Reds played error-free ball as the Royals pounded out 30 hits over eight innings.
| Riverside Bank Black | 10 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 9 | |
| Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 15 | Center State Bank Gray | 10 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 22 | Play It Again Sports Red | 7 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Riverside Bank Black
Bill Evans - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4.
John Ormsby - 3 for 4.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Fred Dampier - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 homer.
Cal Leigh - 4 for 4.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Jerry Noble - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Bob Lundquest - 3 for 3.
Don LaMay - 2 for 2 with 2 walks.
Al Andrews - 3 for 4.
Ed Neumyer - 3 for 4.
Center State Bank Gray
George Summers - 3 for 3.
Jim Laffoon - 3 for 4.
Bill Ayer - 3 for 4.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Lloyd Hopper - 4 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 homer.
Jack Valliere - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Ron Thompson - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Hugh Lessard - 3 for 4.
Wayne Mundy - 3 for 4.
Cliff Hamilton - 3 for 4.
Ray Petrie - 3 for 4.
Ernie Lancto - 3 for 4.
Play It Again Sports Red
Denny Shaffer - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Alan Walters - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Frank Miller returned to the old ballfield after many months of recovery from shoulder surgery. He was the designated hitter for the Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal team today. Welcome back Frank.
March 6th - On Fred White Field, first place Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal had a comfortable lead in the early innings & lead most of the game against Center State Bank Gray. The Royals relinquished the lead in the 8th inning, when the Grays rallied for four runs on hits by Jim Laffoon, Jerry Remington, John Stewart, Bill Ayer, & John Smith.
Losing by one run going into the bottom of the 9th, Grays pitcher Rich Palmer walked the hot hitter of the day when he gave Hugh Lessard a free pass. The next batter, Cliff Hamilton, came through in the clutch. He drove in the tying run when Lloyd Hopper scored & the winning run as Ron Thompson crossed the plate. The Royals won 17-16 and the loss dropped the Grays to a 6-7 season record.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise brought their base hitting bats today as they topped Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold by the score of 20-10. The first three batters in the Trees lineup, Fred Dampier, Randy Lane, & Russ King, scored nine of the 20 runs as they collectively went 13 for 14 at the plate.
The Gold pitcher did his job today. Ted Granoski struck out four Trees batters in the game.
Riverside Bank Black held onto a narrow lead throughout their game against Play It Again Sports Red & won by the close score of 15-12. The Reds season record dropped one game below .500 as a result of their defeat today. The Blacks only pool player, Bob Lundquest, went a perfect 4 for 4 while batting at the very bottom of the lineup.
Reds player Denny Shaffer hit an inside-the-park homer & Doug McLellan blasted a homer over the leftfield fence. That was the third shot Doug has hit over the fence this season.
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 17 | Center State Bank Gray | 16 | |
| Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 20 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 10 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 15 | Play It Again Sports Red | 12 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Hugh Lessard - 4 for 4 with 3 doubles, 1 triple, & 1 walk.
Cliff Hamilton - 4 for 5 with 1 triple.
Wayne Mundy - 4 for 5.
Ed Schmiedeke - 3 for 4.
Center State Bank Gray
Bill Ayer - 3 for 4 with 1 homer.
John Smith - 3 for 4 with 1 homer.
Ray DePalma - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Jim Laffoon - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Bob Martin - 3 for 4.
Rich Palmer - 3 for 4.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Randy Lane - 5 for 5.
Russ King - 4 for 4 with 1 double & 1 walk.
Fred Dampier - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Cal Leigh - 4 for 5.
Rusty Landahl - 4 for 5.
Bill Ravo - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Doug Chamlee - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Mike Stepp - 3 for 4.
Elmer Wilcox - 3 for 4.
Ted Granoski - 3 for 4.
Riverside Bank Black
Bob Lundquest - 4 for 4.
Bill Evans - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4.
Play It Again Sports Red
Doug McLellan - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Alan Walters - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Dick Wilhelm - 3 for 4.
The Winter Haven vs Lakeland competition will begin tomorrow with the first of two games in Winter Haven. The game on March 14th will take place in Lakeland.
A new ballplayer joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club today. Edward Lupiani hails from Churchville, New York & spends the winter months here in Winter Haven. Welcome aboard Edward.
March 7th - The first half of the third annual Winter Haven vs Lakeland competition took place at the DiamondPlex fields in Winter Haven today. The second half of the competition will be played at the Southwest Complex in Lakeland next Wednesday on March 14th.
Click here to see the results of the three games and why there are photos of these three players.
March 9th - In a pitcher’s duel on Fred White Field, Beef O'Bradys Kelly extended their winning streak to three games with a tight 7-6 win over Brian's Tree Service Turquoise.
The pitcher for the Kellys, Jerry Witter, gave Trees batter Russ King the ultimate compliment by issuing an intentional walk with two on base and a three run lead in the 5th inning. The game could only have been tied if Russ hit a home run. Later in the game, Russ received another free pass.
The lead off hitter for the Kellys, Al Andrews, began the game with an inside-the-park homer & logged a triple later in the game. Also, Don LaMay was perfect at the plate with a 4 for 4 performance.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold took care of Play It Again Sports Red with a 26-17 win. The Gold spread the runs throughout the lineup as every player scored at least one run. Cecil Vasquez & Fred Ducham lead the onslaught as each player came through with five hits.
Two Reds batters banged inside-the-park homers. Ken King homered to lead off the game. Don Witmer, the shortstop turned starting pitcher today in the absence of Dick Wilhelm, also hit a dinger.
Ray DePalma put on a hitting show at Field "E" this morning. Ray found the gaps in the outfield as he connected for four inside-the-park homers. That was a great display of hitting, Ray.
Riverside Bank Black took an early lead & held on until Center State Bank Gray fought back & tied the game at 11-11 after five innings of play. After neither team could manage a run in the 6 th inning, the Grays came alive in the last three frames, scoring 5, 1, & 9 runs to win handily 26-13. Third baseman Bill Ayer stepped up & pitched for the first time this season for the Grays. The regular pitcher, Rich Palmer is battling pneumonia at this time. We all wish a speedy recovery for Rich & hope to see him at the old ballpark soon.
| Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 7 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 6 | |
| Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 26 | Play It Again Sports Red | 17 | |
| Center State Bank Gray | 26 | Riverside Bank Black | 13 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Don LaMay - 4 for 4.
Jerry Witter - 3 for 3.
Al Andrews - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 homer.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Russ King - 2 for 2 with 2 walks.
Fred Dampier - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Randy Lane - 3 for 4.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Cecil Vasquez - 5 for 5.
Elmer Wilcox - 4 for 4 with 1 walk.
Fred Ducham - 5 for 6.
Shannon Steinmetz - 4 for 5.
Ted Gransoki - 4 for 5.
Play It Again Sports Red
Ken King - 5 for 6 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Center State Bank Gray
Ray DePalma - 5 for 6 with 4 homers.
Jim Laffoon - 5 for 6 & hit for the cycle.
John Stewart - 5 for 6.
Riverside Bank Black
Ed Kline - 5 for 5.
Art Zakrowski - 4 for 5 with 1 homer.
Ron Augenstein - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Elmer Black - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 sacrifice fly.
Joel Freedman - 3 for 4 with 1 walk.
March 13th - Riverside Bank Black got back on the winning track as they cooled down Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold, who was coming off a big win in their last game. Dick Sessink, the pitcher for the Blacks, surrendered only five runs throughout the game & handled most of the Gold lineup with relative ease, allowing multiple hits to only three players in the batting order.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise attempted a comeback against the home team Play It Again Sports Red in the final frame, scoring five, but came up two runs short. Russ King & Cal Leigh both hit well for the Trees, as well as pool player Frank Miller.
For the Reds, almost every player in the order was tattooing the ball against backup pitcher Cal Leigh. Doug McLellan had a banner day as he hit for the cycle in four at bats. Reds manager Don Witmer contributed with two doubles to the opposite field that had to be retrieved by rightfielder Richard Moots. Another Reds player, Rich Kralik, came through with a 3 for 4 performance.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal just keeps finding ways to win to remain on the top of the heap. The Royals were four down to Beef O'Bradys Kelly going into the bottom of the 9th inning today. They responded with five runs on seven hits. Ron Carrothers banged out a double to score the winning run. That was a great comeback Royals.
For the losing Kellys, leadoff hitter Al Andrews hit for the cycle as he went 5 for 5 with a pair of homers.
| Riverside Bank Black | 11 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 5 | |
| Play It Again Sports Red | 20 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 18 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 21 | Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 20 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Riverside Bank Black
Bill McDonough - 4 for 4.
John Ormsby - 4 for 5.
Bernie Peterson - 3 for 4.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Cecil Vasquez - 4 for 4.
Gene Morey - 2 for 2 with 1 walk.
Play It Again Sports Red
Doug McLellan - 4 for 4 and hit for cycle.
Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Alan Walters - 3 for 4.
Rich Kralik - 3 for 4.
Ken King - 3 for 4.
Dick Wilhelm - 3 for 4.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Cal Leigh - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Russ King - 3 for 4 with 1 double, 1 triple, & 1 walk.
Frank Miller - 3 for 4.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Hugh Lessard - 5 for 5 with 1 double & 2 triples.
Harvey Rennie - 3 for 4.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Al Andrews - 5 for 5 and hit for cycle with 2 homers.
Keith Linton - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Don LaMay - 4 for 5.
Bill Ayer - 3 for 4.
There was a gathering after the ballgames to honor Ed Schmiedeke. Ed has sold his home & will return to St. Louis, Missouri after playing his farewell game on Friday, March 16th. He joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club in 1990 &
managed a team during the season for over 10 years. Ed will be greatly missed & we wish him the best. Thank you, Ed, for your association with the organization & all that you have done for us.
The second half of the Winter Haven vs Lakeland challenge will be held at the Southwest Complex in Lakeland tomorrow morning. The ballplayers should be sure to arrive at the complex by 9:00 AM & the games will begin one hour later. The Winter Haven Senior Softball Club has done well so far, winning all three games last Wednesday, March 7th. Please come out & support the players.
The Hall of Fame banquet will take place today at the Sea Flame Restaurant at 5:00 PM. Floyd Welton, Wayne Mundy, & Bud Leshan will be inducted this year. Congratulations Floyd, Wayne, & Bud.
Every team member of Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold showed up today for the team photo. All team photos will be given to the managers on the last day of the season to pass out to the players who were in attendance when the team photos were taken. Each player in the team pictures will be awarded a 4x6 photo, compliments of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. If any player leaves the area before the season ends, please see Fred Dampier for your copy of the team picture.
There will be a team picture taken of the pool players on Friday, March 16th. Whether or not they want to play Friday, pool players are encouraged to appear at the park for a team picture. Pool players need to wear pool team shirts & caps for the picture. The pool sponsors and colors this season are Broke & Poor Purple and Merrill Lynch Orange.
March 14th - The second half of the Winter Haven vs Lakeland challenge was played today. Winter Haven won the first three games last Wednesday at the DiamondPlex. The final three games for the 2007 challenge were played at the Southwest Complex in Lakeland. Click here to see the results.
March 16th - The top three teams in the standings played against the bottom three teams & the team directly in the middle of the standings had a bye. Although there were some tense moments, all three top teams persevered today.
The number one team, Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal, pulled out a 20-17 victory but Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold made it close by scoring four runs in the last inning.
The Royals had to play ketchup up ball for a portion of the game. With the exception of having a 7-5 lead going into the 3rd inning, they were behind until a five spot was logged in the 6th frame. Ever player in the Royals lineup scored at least one run, with lead off batter Harvey Rennie & second batter, manager Floyd Welton, scoring three runs.
Three players on the Gold team were perfect at the plate in the losing effort. Doug Graham, Mike Stepp, & a bye player from Play It Again Sports Red, Denny Shaffer, did not make an out in the game.
Riverside Bank Black remained a close second place in the standings for the season with a 16-9 win over Beef O'Bradys Kelly. The Blacks began hot with four runs in the first inning on five consecutive hits by Ron Augenstein, Bernie Peterson, Ed Kline, Bob Lewis, & manager Elmer Black. Five runs in the sixth inning, capped off with a homer from Play It Again Sports Red player Don Witmer, sent the game out of reach for the Kellys.
Center State Bank Gray came from behind to secure a 12-11 victory over Brian's Tree Service Turquoise. Trees player Russ King & Grays player John Stewart each cranked two inside-the-park homers in the game.
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 20 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 17 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 16 | Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 9 | |
| Center State Bank Gray | 12 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 11 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Harvey Rennie - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Floyd Welton - 4 for 5.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Doug Graham - 5 for 5 with 1 double.
Mike Stepp - 4 for 4 with 1 walk.
Denny Shaffer - 4 for 4.
Riverside Bank Black
Elmer Black - 4 for 4 with 1 triple.
Ron Augenstein - 4 for 4.
Bill McDonough - 2 for 2 with 2 walks.
Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Keith Linton - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Bill Cook - 3 for 3.
Al Andrews - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 homer.
Jerry Noble - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Center State Bank Gray
Freddy Gonzalez - 4 for 4.
John Stewart - 3 for 3 with 2 homers & 1 walk.
Jim Laffoon - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 triple.
Jerry Remington - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
John Fulton - 4 for 4.
Russ King - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 2 homers.
One roster change was made today. Harvey Rennie joined Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal from the pool after it was determined that Cliff Hamilton is out for the rest of the season due to injury.
The regular season games will be played at the DiamondPlex next Tuesday, March 20th & next Friday, March 23rd. The SSUSA National Tournament schedule that was to allocate the DiamondPlex fields has been cancelled.
March 20th - As a last minute notification this past Friday, March 16th, the games were played today with the understanding that, if any team didn’t have 11 players in the lineup, the game wouldn’t count as an official game. This was decided by the Board of Directors. As it turned out, only two teams couldn’t field 11 players & they both played on the same field. Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal & Riverside Bank Black each had nine players so that game didn’t count as an official game for the purpose of keeping standings for the season. The other two games will count in the standings.
On Fred White Field, Play It Again Sports Red took advantange of three 5 run innings to knock off Center State Bank Gray 21-14. This game was important for each team as far as the won-lost record is concerned. The Reds brought their record back to .500 with the win, which put them in a tie with the Grays, who were one game above .500 at the start of the game. Each team is now deadlocked in 3rd place with an 8-8 record.
Jim McPartlan was perfect at the plate for the Reds. He drove in the 5th run in the 4th as every Red player in the lineup batted that inning. In both the 6th and 8th innings, Hank Gomez came through in the clutch & drove in the 5th run each time. Way to go Hank.
Freddy Gonzalez & Jim Laffoon held the hot bats for the Grays. A total of six doubles were produced by the teammates.
The only game that wasn’t counted in the standings took place between the 1st & 2nd place teams on Field "D". Riverside Bank Black manager Elmer Black chose to quit playing after 7 innings against Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal since it wouldn’t count in the standings. Once again, a commentary needs to be noted here. We all come out to the old ballpark to play the game & should play a complete one regardless of the circumstances. This topic has been covered before on February 24th, 2006. Come on guys – let’s have fun.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold really pounded the ball well today as they beat up on Beef O'Bradys Kelly. The final score was 19-8. The two teams now own the same record of 6-10 as a result of the game this morning.
Gold relief pitcher Elmer Wilcox pitched the second complete game in-a-row in the absence of manager & pitcher Ted Granoski. Elmer did a fine job as he held the opposition to under 10 runs to record his first win of the season. He also hit well to help his cause as he went 5 for 5 with three extra base hits.
The Kellys did have one good inning. The team scored 5 runs in the 4th inning. Pool player Larry Powell connected for an inside-the-park homer to scrore three runs. Another key hit in the inning was a no out double by Sam Harrell.
| Play It Again Sports Red | 21 | Center State Bank Gray | 14 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 13 | Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 10 | |
| Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 19 | Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 8 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Play It Again Sports Red
Jim McPartlan - 5 for 5.
Denny Shaffer - 4 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 walk.
Doug McLellan - 3 for 3 with 1 triple, 1 walk, & 1 sacrifice fly.
Ron Cerotzke - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Center State Bank Gray
Freddy Gonzalez - 5 for 5 with 2 doubles.
Jim Laffoon - 4 for 5 with 4 doubles.
Riverside Bank Black
Elmer Black - 4 for 5 with 1 triple.
Dick Sessink - 4 for 5.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Ron Carrothers - 4 for 5 with 1 homer.
Fred Dampier - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Larry Williamson - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Elmer Wilcox - 5 for 5 with 2 doubles & 1 triple.
Ken Wilson - 4 for 4 with 1 walk.
Doug McLellan - 3 for 4 with 1 walk.
Mike Stepp - 3 for 4 with 1 sacrifice fly.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Larry Powell - 3 for 4 with 1 homer
March 23rd - Play It Again Sports Red had to work hard to pull out a victory over Beef O'Bradys Kelly. Going into the 9th inning, the Reds held a narrow 9-8 lead. Ron Cerotzke & Jim McPartlan collected RBIs in the frame to run the lead, & subsequently the final score, to 11-8.
The Kellys couldn’t group enough hits together to have a big inning but managed to score three runs in the 8th to put a scare into their opponent. A two out double by pool player Bobby Ayers brought the Kellys within one run of a tie.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold played like champions against Center State Bank Gray. The Gold put together three 5 run innings with their explosive offense today. Two big hits in the 3rd accounted for some runs as Cecil Vasquez slammed a double & Elmer Wilcox blasted a triple. The Gold played small ball in their other two 5 run innings by putting together a string of singles.
The Grays scored in only three of the nine innings & John Stewart and Jim Laffoon were key players in two of the three scoring frames. Jim drove in John in the 1st with a double & then scored on a hit by Ray DePalma. In the 8th, Jim connected for another double, scoring John again.
A slugfest took place on Field "E" when the last place team hosted the division leaders. After the hitting spree was over, Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal defeated Brian's Tree Service Turquoise 28-24. The homers started to fly late in the game. In the 7th, Fred Dampier drove a ball deep over rightfielder Floyd Welton for a solo shot. The 9th featured back-to-back homers by Royals players Hugh Lessard & Lloyd Hopper. Reg Barnes also hit a homer in the 9th for the Trees.
| Play It Again Sports Red | 11 | Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 8 | |
| Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 18 | Center State Bank Gray | 7 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 28 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 24 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Play It Again Sports Red
Ron Cerotzke - 4 for 5.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Bobby Ayers - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Ed Neumyer - 3 for 4.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Cecil Vasquez - 4 for 4 with 1 double.
Elmer Wilcox - 3 for 4 with 1 triple.
Doug Graham - 3 for 4.
Bob Lundquest - 3 for 4.
Larry Powell - 3 for 4.
Center State Bank Gray
Jim Laffoon - 3 for 3 with 2 doubles & 1 walk.
Ed Kline - 3 for 3.
John Stewart - 3 for 4.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Joel Freedman - 5 for 5.
Bob Christiansen - 4 for 4 with 1 walk.
Hugh Lessard - 5 for 6 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Ron Carrothers - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 walk. .
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Richard Moots - 6 for 6 with 2 doubles.
Bill Walker - 5 for 5.
Rusty Landahl - 5 for 6.
Fred Dampier - 4 for 5 with 3 doubles, 1 homer, & 1 sacrifice fly.
March 27th - With one game left to play on the schedule of games for the season, Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal wrapped up first place in fashion today with a huge win over a tough opponent, Play It Again Sports Red. Congratulations to the Royals on a very successful season and also to manager Floyd Welton for guiding his team along the way.
The impressive score for the game, 24-5, vaulted the Royals five runs over 300 for the season.
Practically every player in the lineup for the Royals had a banner day at the plate. The maximum five runs were scored in four innings. Jack Valliere was moved up to the two slot in the lineup and responded with a 4 for 5 day.
With the exception of his first at bat, Doug McLellan was the one shining star for the Reds. Doug had a single, double, & a triple in four trips to the plate.
Riverside Bank Black did what they needed to do to stay in the race for first place as they won 14-5 over last place Brian's Tree Service Turquoise. With only two games left in the season, the Blacks had to win both games while the Royals must have had to lose two games to force a tie for 1st and a one game playoff to determine a champion. The Blacks did their part. Manager Elmer Black should be exceptionally proud of his team & their fine ballplaying abliities. After a paltry 3-3 start for the season, the Black team bonded & put a tremendous seven game win streak together.
The pitcher for the Blacks, Dick Sessink, did an admirable job by holding the opposition to only five runs in the game today. Two of the runs came in the 9th and final frame.
The Trees batters couldn’t hardly muster a charge after scoring two in the first inning. They were shutout in six of the nine innings. In the final frame, Randy Lane connected for a two run homer over the head of defending left centerfielder Bob Lewis.
Center State Bank Gray evened their season record at 9-9 with a victory over Beef O'Bradys Kelly. Bill Ayer pitched his second game for the team and recorded his second win. John Stewart hit a two run homer in the 5th inning to score Jim Laffoon ahead of him. Jim was busy at the plate this morning as he went 5 for 5 with three doubles.
Pool player Bobby Ayers gave Kelly starting pitcher Jerry Witter a rest for the game by pitching for the team. Bobby also went 3 for 4 at the plate.
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 24 | Play It Again Sports Red | 5 | |
| Riverside Bank Black | 14 | Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 5 | |
| Center State Bank Gray | 22 | Beef O'Bradys Kelly | 11 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Floyd Welton - 5 for 5 with 1 double & 1 homer.
Ray Petrie - 4 for 5 with 1 triple.
Wayne Mundy - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Cecil Vasquez - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Jack Valliere - 4 for 5.
Ernie Lancto - 3 for 4 with 1 walk.
Dick Erickson - 3 for 4 with 1 walk.
Play It Again Sports Red
Doug McLellan - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 triple.
Riverside Bank Black
Ron Augenstein - 4 for 4 with 1 sacrifice fly.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Reg Barnes - 4 for 4.
Bill Ravo - 4 for 5.
Bob Christiansen - 3 for 4.
Center State Bank Gray
Jim Laffoon - 5 for 5 with 3 doubles.
Jerry Remington - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 sacrifice fly.
John Smith - 3 for 4.
Bob Lundquest - 3 for 4.
Beef O'Bradys Kelly
Sam Harrell - 3 for 4.
Ed Neumyer - 3 for 4.
Bobby Ayers - 3 for 4.
Joe DeForge dropped by the old ballpark
to watch the games. Joe bowed out of his team, Beef O'Bradys Kelly, because of some medical problems that needed immediate attention followed by rest & recovery. John Zimny also came by to watch some of the action. Circumstances beyond his control has caused John to forfeit playing in the league this season. It was good to see you two guys.
Today marked the last day for a couple of players until the fall.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold 1st baseman & backup pitcher Elmer Wilcox will be heading back to Beals, Maine & pool player Bob Lundquest is returning to Marion, Ohio for the summer. Take care Elmer & Bob.
March 30th - The season ended today & I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to everyone involved in the league this year. I think we all had a great time playing the old ballgame.
For those heading back north after today, please drive safely. Also, try to stay healthy & return this fall or winter to try it again.
The final three games were played with 1st place already captured by Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal & 2nd place wrapped up by Riverside Bank Black. Two teams were tied for 3rd going into the last game. Both Play It Again Sports Red & Center State Bank Gray sported records of 9-9.
Riverside Bank Black finished a successful season with a victory over Play It Again Sports Red. The loss dropped the Reds to a 9-10 record.
Art Zakrowski & Bill McDonough couldn’t be stopped at the plate today for the Blacks. Each player went 4 for 4 in the contest. The manager for the Reds, Don Witmer, also went 4 for 4. Don collected two doubles in his four hits.
The Blacks assured the win early because they had already scored 10 runs after the completion of only three innings of play. As it turned out, those 10 runs were all that were needed to win.
The team mired in last place all season finished league play on a positive note. Brian's Tree Service Turquoise pulled off their fourth win of the season by beating Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold by the score of 13-5. Of the four total wins for the Trees, three came at the expense of the Gold.
On Field “D”, Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal won a close game against Center State Bank Gray. This dropped the Grays to a final season record of 9-10 and put them back in a third place tie with the Reds.
The Royals have had many close games and this one was no exception. The game was tied going into the 8th inning. Ron Carrothers drove in Ron Thompson in the top half of the 8th while the Grays were held scoreless in the bottom half. With only a one run lead going into the 9th inning, the Royals scored one more run after Jack Valliere hit a triple & scored on a line out by Wayne Mundy. The final score ended up being 13-11 in favor of the Royals.
Grays player John Stewart cranked an inside-the-park homer to win that title by one over Fred Dampier of the Trees. John ended the season with eight dingers.
The batting leader also played for the Grays. Jim Laffoon was the hot hitter all season long and he went 2 for 3 today to lower his league leading average to .833. Way to go John & Jim.
| Riverside Bank Black | 20 | Play It Again Sports Red | 8 | |
| Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal | 13 | Center State Bank Gray | 11 | |
| Brian's Tree Service Turquoise | 13 | Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold | 5 |
LEADING HITTERS:
Riverside Bank Black
Art Zakrowski - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Bill McDonough - 4 for 4 with 1 triple.
Bill Evans - 4 for 5 with 4 doubles.
John Ormsby - 4 for 5 with 2 doubles & 1 triple.
Ed Kline - 4 for 5.
Play It Again Sports Red
Don Witmer - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Doug McLellan - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Ted Taylor - 3 for 4.
Jarrett-Gordon Ford Royal
Wayne Mundy - 4 for 5 with 1 sacrifice fly.
Ron Thompson - 4 for 5.
Center State Bank Gray
John Stewart - 3 for 4 with 1 homer.
Jerry Remington - 3 for 4.
Brian's Tree Service Turquoise
Russ King - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 triple.
Fred Dampier - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Reg Barnes - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
John Fulton - 3 for 4.
Richard Moots - 3 for 4.
Kentucky Fried Chicken Gold
Ted Granoski - 3 for 4.
