May 2007 News Archive
 May 1st -
As the new month rolled in, many players are still coming to the old ballpark for a game of softball. The weather is warming up, but it is still comfortable, with the temperature having been predicted to reach a mild 86° F today. One player who hasn't pitched lately took the mound for Team Three. Jaime Rivera recorded the win. 
The team allowed five runs while on defense. Dick Sessink pitched for the team that scored five and gave up 13 runs. Rich Palmer pitched for the team that came in 2nd place. That team scored 13 and allowed 18 runs.
Two inside-the-park homers were hit in the three-team game and both went to the opposite field. Fred Dampier blasted a solo shot in the gap and over 
the heads of defending leftfielder Gary Reed & left centerfielder Ron Thompson. Ed Lupiani connected for a three run homer over the head of right centerfielder Bill Walker.
With the bases loaded, Ron Thompson hit a triple in front of rightfielder Jack Donnolly. The ball slipped to the left of Jack as Ron's hit cleared the bases. A couple of players were perfect at the plate. Rich Kralik and John Fulton each went 4 for 4 with four singles. Every hit by Rich was in the direction of right centerfielder Richard Moots. Great hitting Rich and John. Other players who hit well this morning were Ed Neumyer, Jack Valliere, & Dean Schapeler. In the field on defense, third baseman Jack Valliere caught a hard low line drive from the bat of Rusty Landahl. Jack didn't have much time to react but displayed quick reflexes to made a nice catch. Rusty Landahl, playing 1st base, had an unassisted putout when he fielded a grounder by Hank Gomez. Rusty scooped the ball up and tagged 1st for the out. Rover Bob Lewis made a spectacular catch on a ball hit by Jack Valliere. It appeared that Jack had a clean hit on a soft liner up the middle but Bob ran into the outfield & reached high to his right to make a great catch. Dick Sessink had a super hit but it was the defense that made the play worth mentioning. With the bases loaded, Dick hit an opposite field shot that curved away from leftfielder Gary Reed. While everyone was rounding the bases, Gary retrieved the ball and relayed it to shortstop John Fulton, who had gone into the outfield for the cutoff throw. John relayed the ball to 3rd baseman Jack Valliere, who threw to catcher Rich Kralik in time to get Dick out at home. Ted Taylor bid farewell to all & will return in the winter. Take care, Ted. Two prospective players joined in on the game today. Carl Leubking played for the winning team and got a hit that sailed over the head of defending left centerfielder Fred Dampier for a double. Don Colley played rightfield for the second place team this morning. Welcome aboard, Carl and Don. May 4th -
There are still enough players to merit a game with three teams. The team for which Ron Thompson pitched won the match & gave up 11 runs while on defense. Pitcher Dick Sessink also won in a matter of speaking as that team scored 11 while surrendering six runs. Pitcher Rich Palmer wasn't so lucky. That team scored six while allowing 15 runs. On offense, Russ King stepped into an inside pitch and drove it over the head of leftfielder Bob Lewis. That hit resulted in a double for Russ. Jim Laffoon also produced a double 
with a long hit. Jim drove a ball way over the head of defending right centerfielder Richard Moots.
As a Rusty Landahl hit split the outfield, leftfielder Bob Lewis retrieved the ball while left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez looked on and Rusty circled the bases. Rusty wound up with a triple as the throw from shortstop Wayne Mundy arrived late at third. Other players who did well at the plate today were Carl Luebking, Reg Barnes, & Ed Neumyer. Some nice plays were made in the field this morning. Hank Gomez, playing 1st base, recorded an unassisted putout on a hard grounder by Rusty Landahl. Although Hank turned his head away from the short hop grounder, the ball stuck in his glove. Rusty Landahl was on the defensive end of a good play made by a first baseman. He fielded a grounder hit by Ron Thompson & threw to shortstop Don Witmer for the out at second base. Reg Barnes, playing 2nd base today, snared a line shot from the bat of Jack Valliere, robbing him of a hit. In the outfield, two strong armed players racked up assists. Both Freddy Gonzalez and Sam Harrell picked up what seemed to be base hits only to throw the runner out at first base. Freddy played left centerfield & Sam patrolled right centerfield. Bill Walker got a clean single in the direction of left centerfielder Fred Dampier. Fred scooped the ball & threw to relay man, shortstop Wayne Mundy. Wayne threw to catcher Shannon Steinmetz in time to get the runner trying to score from second base out at home. Rightfielder Jack Valliere made a fantastic shoe string catch on a batted ball by Don Witmer. The base runner from first had to hurridly retreat back to the base. Nice catch, Jack. A player who missed the 2007 season because of rotator cuff problems resumed play today. Chris Constantine last took the field during the 2006 season. Welcome back, Chris. May 8th -
It was unusually cool this morning for this time of year. The temperature was a brisk 59° F when the DiamonPlex was unlocked. It did warm up in the 70s during the game but long pants and shirts were recommended to begin the morning. Team Three, with Don Witmer pitching, rallied for six runs in the 4th inning to tie the game with Team One 8-8 and then scored two more runs the next inning to assure a victory. While in the field, Team Three allowed eight runs. Rich Palmer pitched for Team One. That team began hot but cooled off in the second half of the 
seven inning contest. Although the team came in second in runs scored, they allowed the least amount of runs, only two, while on defense.
Team Two sent Dick Sessink to the mound. The big hitters were as cool as the weather because only two runs crossed the plate. A total of 10 runs were scored against the team. Offensively, Jose Agosto was only a double shy of hitting for the cycle as he went 3 for 4. His first hit was a solo homer, followed by a triple past leftfielder Doug Chamlee. Doug retrieved the ball, threw a strike to cutoff man, shortstop Wayne Mundy, & Wayne threw home to catcher Bill McDonough to cut down Jose at the plate. Jose had plans of back-to-back homers in his first two at bats, but fine defensive playing changed the circumstances. Cecil Vasquez drove a pitch over right centerfielder Ed Neumyer for a triple & later hit a solo home run past defending leftfielder Doug Chamlee. Bill Spring stepped into an outside pitch and drove the ball past rightfielder Richard Moots. Bill ran for himself as he prefers to do & ended up with a stand up double. Nice hit Bill. Other players who hit well today 
were Joel Freedman, Bill McDonough, & Sam Harrell.
In the field on defense, third baseman Bob Lewis made a nice play. With runners on 2nd & 3rd, he reached across his body and caught a liner near the the third base line. It slipped the mind of the runner from third that there was only one out instead of two & he broke for the plate. Bob stepped on 3rd for the unassisted double play to end the inning. Wayne Mundy drove a fly ball to the opposite field & planned on an extra base hit. However, rightfielder Jim McPartlan ran back to make a nice catch. An infield double play was turned when a grounder was hit to 3rd baseman Doug McLellan with a runner on 1st and one out in the books. Doug threw to rover Sam Harrell covering 2nd and Sam fired to 1st baseman Hank Gomez to complete the play. The member count of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club thinned out some more as three snowbirds are headed back north for the summer. Bob Lewis is headed back to Massachusetts & Doug McLellan is returning to Canada. Also, Russ King is leaving for Michigan. Russ took the day off to prepare for his trip & his last playing day was this past Friday. Take care & stay healthy, Bob, Doug, & Russ. See you guys in the winter. May 11th -
It was a close contest for all teams in the three team game today. For awhile, each team had the lead or was tied for the lead after the third out was made. The group that had pitcher Rich Palmer on the mound outscored the others. While on defense, that team allowed one less than they scored. Dick Sessink pitched for Team One and gave up 15 runs on defense while the team scored 10. Jaime Rivera was called into pitching duties and he did an adequate job. He surrendered 10 runs and the team scored 14. Three inside-the-park homers were hit this morning. Cecil Vasquez, who prefers to hit to rightfield or right centerfield, drove a ball way over the head of leftfielder Randy Lane. Don Witmer connected for a three run home run when he hit one down the opposite field line. Rightfielder Rich Kralik had to give chase to the ball. Freddy Gonzalez also hit a 
rightfield homer. The hit by Freddy got by outfielder Bill McDonough.
Other players who hit well today were Rich Kralik, Richard Moots, & Dick Sessink, a left handed batter who had a nice hit down the leftfield line. In the field on defense, third baseman Sam Harrell reached high to catch a line shot by John Fulton. A similar catch was made by first baseman Hank Gomez, who caught a drive by Rusty Landahl. Shortstop Wayne Mundy recorded two notable catches while patrolling his position. He had to reach across his body to nab a liner from the bat of Ed Neumyer and later raced into left centerfield to track down a "Texas Leaguer" hit by Richard Moots. Two double plays were made during the game. Shortstop Don Witmer began one double play when he fielded a grounder. He threw to fill-in rover Chuck Duff, who was covering 2nd base. Chuck threw to 1st baseman Joel Freedman for the second out. Doug Chamlee had a putout and assist on a double play. While playing the rover position, he fielded a grounder, stepped on 2nd base, then threw to 1st baseman Hank Gomez. Catcher Bill Spring had a bit of action behind the plate. He caught a foul ball that was hit by Randy Lane. A nice catch in the outfield was made by right centerfielder Fred Dampier. He had to run back and make an over-the-head grab on a ball hit by Doug Chamlee. Ted Granoski dropped by the ballpark for a visit. He is having back problems and is unable to play softball. Get well soon, Ted. May 15th -
Although the team that Rich Palmer pitched for won the game, the pitching headlines went to Don Witmer this morning. In the seven inning game, Don allowed only five hits, which is the amount of hits collected by Bill McDonough in the last game. Jack Valliere, Jaime Rivera, & Dick Sessink each got one 
hit while batting against Don & Rusty Landahl went 2 for 2. All hits were singles.
Freddy Gonzalez connected for a three run gapper homer between leftfielder Jaime Rivera & left centerfielder Fred Dampier. Later in the game, Freddy hit a triple to the opposite field. Don Witmer also hit well. He split leftfielder Randy Lane & left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. By the time the ball was returned to the infield, Don had a standup triple. Others who hit well today were Wayne Mundy, Doug Chamlee, & Gary Reed. One double play was executed during the three team game. A grounder was hit to shortstop Wayne Mundy, who relayed the ball to rover Doug Chamlee covering second base. Doug fired to 1st baseman Joel Freedman to complete the play. Chuck Duff covered the shortstop position and made one nice catch on a ball hit by Freddy Gonzalez. Chuck drifted into the leftfield area & caught a "Texas Leaguer" fly ball. A new player joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Walt Leggett is retired and resides full time in Winter Haven. Welcome aboard, Walt. May 18th -
The maintenance personnel for the DiamondPlex were obligated to reshape the infield on Fred White Field today. A line needed to be cut to create a distinction between the infield dirt and the outfield grass. For this reason, the game was played on Field "A" today. This particular field is usually reserved for the Polk Community College women's fast pitch softball team. The fence around the field is 225 feet from home plate. The specific Winter Haven Senior Softball Club rules that are used when playing on this field restricts the batter to a double for every ball hit over the short fence, except on April 20th of this year. Jack Valliere, who normally plays 2nd or 3rd base, took the call to the mound and did an admirable job. The team scored seven runs and gave up 10 runs while on defense. Rich Palmer pitched for Team Two. He surrendered 17 runs while the team scored 10. For the second consecutive game, Don Witmer allowed the least amount of runs on defense. That team scored 17 and gave up seven. Three balls were hit over the short fences this morning. Fred Dampier blasted two for ground rule doubles. In another at bat, he legged out a double gapper that stayed in the confines of the field. Freddy Gonzalez cranked the other ball over the fence. He also 
legged out a double.
One ball slammed into the upper half of the left centerfield fence. Randy Lane connected for the hit that sailed over the head of Freddy Gonzalez. Cecil Vasquez drove a ball to the opposite field. The line shot sailed to the left of right centerfielder Richard Moots as Cecil raced around the bases for a triple. With the bases loaded, Bill Spring threaded the leftfield foul line with a shot past 3rd base. By the time the ball had been relayed back into the infield, all three base runners had crossed the plate & Bill was on 2nd base with a stand up double. Other players who hit 
well today were Tim Gallagher, Don Witmer, Jose Agosto, Ken Duell, & Joel Freedman.
In the field on defense, left centerfielder John Fulton made a sparkling catch on a sinking line drive from the bat of Tim Gallagher. John also threw a runner out on the basepaths from his outfield position. Left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez fielded a base hit by Hank Gomez and threw home to catcher Shannon Steinmetz in time to get the runner out, who was trying to score from second base. Pitcher Jack Valliere made a great stop on a hard grounder by Ron Butler. He threw to 1st baseman Rusty Landahl for the out. A nice double play was recorded in the game this morning. With runners on first and second, shortstop Cecil Vasquez stopped a grounder & fired to fill in 3rd baseman Don Witmer for the first out. Don tagged third & threw across the diamond to 1st baseman Hank Gomez to complete the twin killing. A former long time member of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club vacationed in Florida and dropped by the old ballpark for a game. Tony Ciaccio singled to rightfield in his first at bat. It was nice to see you, Tony. Please come back on your next visit to Florida. May 22nd -
In the three team contest, one team dominated the offense, scoring more runs than the other two teams combined. Dick Sessink pitched for the winning team. Dick gave up six runs while that team was on defense. The team that had Rich Palmer pitching scored six runs while allowing four, so that team did well under the circumstances. Don Witmer was on the mound for the team that scored four runs while surrendering 15 runs. There were some big hits during the game this morning. Dick Sessink blasted a triple. The direction of the ball was positioned just out of reach of rightfielder Bill McDonough. Sam Harrell 
is beginning to display his power. He hit a gapper double over the heads of leftfielder Dean Schapeler and left centerfielder Fred Dampier.
Wayne Mundy was able to burn right centerfielder Richard Moots for a stand up triple. That ball was hit to the opposite field. Dean Schapeler got in on the power hitting when he slammed a double over the head of right centerfielder Chuck Duff, scoring both base runners. Chuck made a valiant effort to catch the ball but it kept curving away from him. Other players who hit well were Chuck Duff, Ron Thompson, Bill McDonough, Ed Neumyer, Larry Powell, and Jack Valliere. A slew of double plays were recorded in the field during the game this morning. Two DPs were racked up with the combination of fill in shortstop Don Witmer to rover Larry Powell to 1st 
baseman Joel Freedman. Another double play began with a grounder to shortstop Jim Laffoon. Jim threw to fill in rover Larry Powell and Larry made the relay to 1st baseman Hank Gomez for the second out.
One double play involved only two defensive players. Rover Larry Powell stopped a grounder, stepped on 2nd and threw to Hank for a twin killing. The game ending defensive play was made on a hard line drive from the bat of Freddy Gonzalez that went directly to 2nd baseman Bill Spring. Bill didn't have to take a step either way to make the catch. In the outfield on defense, fill in leftfielder Fred Dampier almost made a great running back catch on a long fly ball by Larry Powell. As Fred reached above his head with his back to the infield, the ball landed in the end of the glove's pocket but wouldn't stick. The American Legion Post Eight is a 70s tournament team that plays on the first weekend of every month in the Florida Half Century tournaments. The team is comprised almost exclusively of members of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Jose Agosto has taken over the reins of manager & is searching for a few dedicated ballplayers to join the team. The Winter Haven American Legion Post Eight pays the tournament entry fees each month. If interested, please talk to Jose Agosto. May 25th -
What a beautiful day at the old ballpark! The temperature was floating around the 69° F marker as the guys began arriving at the complex. The wind was somewhat of a factor in the outfield, since it was gusting about 10 MPH and changing directions every time an outfielder threw some grass up in the air in hopes of judging the direction of the wind. Team One, headed by pitcher Don Witmer, tried to run away with the 
game early and did win. But team Two put up a seven spot in the third frame to tie for the lead, at least for one inning. One of the main hits of that inning was a bases loaded double by pitcher Rich Palmer that split right centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez & rightfielder Ed Neumyer. Three runs scored on that gapper hit.
In the first inning, Team One scored 
the limit of five runs. The hit that brought in the final run came from the last batter in the lineup. Bill Spring singled to the opposite field with two outs already in the books.
Randy Lane cranked a long triple that burned left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. The ball was hit high and deep over his head. Ed Neumyer placed a shot to right field & raced all the way around the bases after the outfielder misplayed the ball. Ed showed some nice speed on the base paths. Freddy Gonzalez blasted a solo homer over the head of defending left centerfielder Ron Thompson. Freddy has been on a tear lately and has accumulated several inside-the-park home runs in the last couple of weeks. Other players who hit well this morning were Ron Butler, Carl Luebking, Fred Dampier, & Shannon Steinmetz. In the field on defense, shortstop Jim Laffoon made a nice catch on a line drive hit by Cecil Vasquez. Jim caught the sinking liner about six inches above the ground. While filling in at 3rd base, Jim made a great stop on a grounder by Ron Butler. Jim stepped on third for the force out and then threw home to catcher Elvis Abney for the second out. Shortstop Wayne Mundy caught a liner hit by Randy Lane and made a quick and accurate release to first baseman Hank Gomez in time 
to double the runner off first. Wayne also threw a runner out at home. Catcher Jack Valliere was waiting at home for the relay and got the runner by about four or five steps.
Rover Larry Powell covered some ground and stopped a grounder up the middle. He touched 2nd to get the force then threw to first baseman Chris Constantine to complete the double play. Fill-in right centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez made a sparkling catch on a potential gapper hit by Doug Chamlee. One of our players has been playing defense for two of the three teams and not taking his turn at bat. Elvis Abney is on the mend from shoulder surgery and has been advised not to swing the bat for some time, so he has been filling in at different positions in the infield. Today he played catcher for one team and 2nd base for another. In the last game, he played 3rd base for two teams. Thank you for helping the teams out in the field, Elvis. It is greatly appreciated. Today was the last day at the old ballpark for Chris Constantine. He is going to revisit the doctor concerning the repair done on his shoulder. Take care, Chris, & be sure to rest that shoulder until it is fully recovered. May 29th -
The Winter Haven Senior Softball Club is still holding strong with enough attendance for three teams. A total of 30 ballplayers showed up for the contest this morning. Team Three, with Don Witmer pitching, took a comfortable lead into the 5th inning. At the end of four, the score was 11-4-4. However, that lead didn't hold, as Team One rallied for five runs in the 6th and six runs in the 7th to win by four. Rich Palmer pitched for the winning team and that group of players gave up only five runs while on defense. Don Witmer gave up 16 runs while that team scored 12. Team Two, lead by pitcher Dick Sessink, scored five while allowing 12 runs. One inside-the-park homer was logged today and it was a solo home run. Walt Leggett stepped into an outside pitch & sent it to the opposite field. The line shot, which probably didn't get over 25-30 feet in the air at its apex, sailed 
over the outstretched glove to rightfielder Dean Schapeler.
Right centerfielder Ed Neumyer must have begun to think that he had a target for the long ball placed just out of his reach. Chuck Duff drove in two runs when his deep hit in that direction allowed him to cruise to 3rd for a stand up triple. Later in the game, Elvis Abney sent one towards right centerfield for a bases loaded, bases clearing double. Nice hits Chuck & Elvis. Other players who hit well today were Jim Laffoon, Don Witmer, Joel Freedman, & Larry Powell. There were quite a few outstanding plays in the field during the game this morning. In the infield, 2nd baseman Jim McPartlan played Ron Thompson just right and snared the two hard line drives Ron hit. Rover Sam Harrell recorded a putout and an assist on a double play grounder hit to him. He stepped on 2nd & fired to 1st baseman Joel Freedman to complete the play. Larry Powell pulled off an unassisted double play. He caught a line drive from the bat of Carl Luebking & stepped on 2nd base for the second out after the runner broke for 3rd at the crack of the bat. Rich Palmer punched a weak blooper to the opposite field that landed just before the edge of the outfield grass. Hank Gomez, playing 1st base, retrieved the ball and threw to pitcher Don Witmer, who tossed home to catcher Shannon Steinmetz for the out. Another unfortunate hit by Rich was also turned into a nice defensive play. Rich hit an opposite field single to right centerfield but the hit quickly became a fielder's choice when the ball was relayed to 2nd baseman Jim McPartlan for the force out. Jack Valliere, playing 2nd base today, charged a slow infield 
hit by Jim McPartlan and alertly threw home to catcher Elvis Abney for the out to end the inning.
In the outfield, left centerfielder Ron Thompson made a great running back catch on a deep fly ball by Fred Dampier. The ball appeared to have found the gap between leftfield and left centerfielder, but instead it found the glove of Ron as he reached back and to his right to make the grab. A third Rich Palmer hit made the highlight reel for defensive plays. Rightfielder Jose Agosto ran in and made a nice catch on a potential opposite field single. Right centerfielder Richard Moots logged an outfield assist when he threw to rover Larry Powell covering 2nd base on a hit by Hank Gomez. Elvis Abney played for one team today as he came back from the disbaled list. He batted for the first time in quite a while in a game situation. Fred Dampier officially stepped down from his post as Field Maintenance Director and resigned from the Board of Directors following a dispute concerning a Lakeland rule that was enforced in Winter Haven during the game today. |
April 2007