July 2007 News Archive

July 3rd - Well, it was back to the field with the 225 foot fences, which is Field "A". Every ball hit over the fence was ruled a double during the game today. The three team game pitted pitchers Jack Valliere, Dick Sessink, & Ron Thompson against each other. Since Jack isn't a regular pitcher, no balls were called against the batter's count. The final score was 25-17-6, with Jack hurling for the team that scored 25 runs. While on defense, that team allowed 17 runs to cross the plate. The team that Dick Sessink pitched for scored 17 while giving up six. Team Three, with Ron Thompson on the mound, scored six and surrendered 25 runs. Many balls were hit over the fence for ground rule doubles. Wayne Mundy, Jim Laffoon, Fred Dampier, Dean Schapeler, & Chuck Duff each hit two over and Dick Sessink, Sam Harrell, & Walt Leggett each hit one over the fence. Of those just mentioned, Jim Lafoon, Fred Dampier, & Dick Sessink hit back-to-back-to-back ground rule doubles. Also, Chuck Duff hit a ball over over the back fence that was 300 feet from home plate but it was still ruled a double. Jack Valliere stepped into a pitch and sent it to the opposite field. Rightfielder Bill Walker recovered the ball but Jack had a triple by the time the ball was relayed back into 2nd baseman Bill Spring. Others who hit well today were John Fulton, Ron Thompson, Elvis Abney, & Tim Gallagher. Only one double play was turned in the three team game this morning. Rover John Fulton scooped up a grounder, stepped on 2nd base for an unassisted putout, then threw the pill to 1st baseman Joel Freedman for the second out. Fill in left centerfielder Tim Gallagher made a super catch on a hard hit ball by Randy Lane. Speedy Tim raced back towards the fence & reached high to make a full speed running grab. Great catch Tim. A base runner was gunned down at home on a single by Rusty Landahl. Leftfielder Fred Dampier picked up a line drive that hit in front of him and threw to relay man, shortstop Jim Laffoon. Jim fired a perfect strike to catcher Shannon Steinmetz to get the runner who was trying to score from second base on the hit. A new player joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club today. Gale Doty retired to Florida several years ago and spent his working years in Lincoln, Illinois. Welcome aboard, Gale. July 6th - It was steaming hot this morning and warmed up as the game progressed through the innings. By the time the contest was complete, it is estimated that every player's shirt weighed a couple of pounds more due to being soaked with sweat. A total of 26 guys signed in to play, so three teams were chosen for the competition. Don Witmer pitched for the winning team, which scored 15 runs while the defense surrendered 11. Bob Swartz was on the mound for the team that scored 11 runs. That team gave up eight runs so it was a victory of sorts for Bob. Ron Thompson was the pitcher of record for the team that scored 8 runs while allowing 15. A number of triples were hit in the game on "Fred White Field" today. Doug Chamlee connected for an opposite field hit that had to be chased down by rightfielder Bill Walker. Ron Butler pulled up at third after a deep hit over the head of right centerfielder Richard Moots. That hit was possibly the longest drive of the day. Jose Agosto hit a shot over the head and just out of reach of leftfielder Fred Dampier for a triple. Wayne Mundy also hit a triple in the game. Wayne hit a screaming liner past third baseman Elvis Abney that rolled all the way to the fence. Leftfielder Fred Dampier retrieved the ball & returned it to the infield. In another at bat, Jose Agosto hit a sinking line drive to right centerfield. The fielder charged in to make the grab but couldn't quite catch up to the ball. As a result, the hit by Jose wound up to become a three run homer. Fred Dampier blasted a solo homer over the head and to the left of left centerfielder Ron Thompson. Since Fred hit a grounder triple toward rightfielder Shannon Steinmetz and a double towards right centerfielder Richard Moots, he missed hitting for the cycle because he didn't get a single. Jose Agosto also was one hit short of the cycle. Jose had a single, triple, & a homer this morning. Other players who hit well today were Bob Swartz, Carl Luebking, Ron Thompson. In the field on defense, one double play was recorded. The ball was hit back to pitcher Don Witmer, who immediately threw to rover Wayne Mundy covering second on the play. Wayne fired to first baseman Hank Gomez to get the batter out by half a step. Nice play guys. Two outfield catches were impressive today. Right centerfielder Ed Neumyer ran back and reached over his head to grab a long drive from the bat of Carl Luebking. Sam Harrell blasted a pitch to deep leftfield for a potential extra base hit, but outfielder Fred Dampier caught up to the ball and reached high to make the catch. July 10th - The dog days of summer are definitely here now. However, the heat hasn't stopped the guys from coming to the old ballpark because there were enough players for a three team game. Ron Thompson pitched for the winning team as the score was 17-7-10. While on defense, the winning team gave up the least runs. Bob Swartz, a new member and regular player from Nalcrest, hurled for the team that scored seven runs and gave up 10. On the mound for Team Three was Dick Sessink. That team scored 10 runs and surrendered 17. Cecil Vasquez had a fantastic day at the plate as he had a multi homer game this morning. In his second trip to the plate, he pounded out an opposite field, three run homer. Rightfielder Jose Agosto had to give chase to the ball as Cecil circled the bases. In a later at bat, Cecil hit a solo homer over the head of defending leftfielder Tim Gallagher. Way to go, Cecil. One homer to rightfield and one to leftfield. Fred Dampier got in on the long ball game when he hit a solo homer to the opposite field that sailed way over the head of left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. Leftfielder Chuck Duff tried valiantly to catch up to a deep drive by Jose Agosto but the ball flew just over his head. Chuck returned the ball to the infield quickly to hold Jose to a double. Other players who had a good day at the plate were Ron Thompson, Dean Schapeler, Dick Sessink, & Walt Leggett. In the infield on defense, shortstop Ron Butler made a spectacular stop on a hard grounder. Ron had to stretch it out as he dived to make the stop. He recovered in time to throw to rover Reg Barnes for the force out at second base. Jack Donnelly hit a hard liner towards third base. Chris Constantine leaped high to make the catch. Chris has just about completely recovered from shoulder surgery and he tested it on that hit. In the outfield, left centerfielder Richard Moots made a shoestring catch on a sinking drive that was hit by Joel Freedman. Richard made another great play while filling in at the rightfield position. Reg Barnes hit a ball in the direction of Richard, who had to run in hard to make the grab. Alertly, Richard threw to 1st baseman Joel Freedman to double the runner off first. Ed Neumyer attempted to stretch a single into a double when he hit a ball to the left of defending leftfielder Fred Dampier. Fred threw to rover Jack Valliere, who tagged the surprised Ed out before he got to second. A new player joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club today. John McClure is retired and lives in the Nalcrest community. He also plays in the Nacrest morning league. Welcome aboard, John. July 17th - This was supposed to be the week that a national girls softball tournament invaded Polk county & the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club games were to be cancelled. However, tournament plans changed due to lack of team participation so our games are scheduled again. Three teams were chosen for the contest this morning. The final score was 7-3-6. Fred Dampier pitched for the team that scored seven and gave up three runs. Dick Sessink was on the mound for the team that scored three and allowed six runs. Bob Swartz threw for the team that scored six and surrendered seven runs. Two homers were logged into the score sheets and both were solo shots. Fred Dampier hit a gapper homer between leftfielder Cecil Vasquez & left centerfielder John Fulton. The ball rolled to the fence as Cecil gave chase. Cecil was on the hitting end of the other solo home run. His hit was a line drive down the leftfield line that Chuck Duff had to track down. Cecil beat the throw home from shortstop Wayne Mundy by about a step and a half. Jack Valliere had a great day at the plate. He rapped three doubles in the game. Fill in rightfielder Doug Chamlee had to retrieve two of the doubles. The big inning for Team Three occurred when they scored five of their six total runs in one inning. The big hit of that frame was a bases loaded triple by Jim Laffoon. His hit was a hard grounder down the third base line just out of reach of Doug Chamlee. Chuck Duff produced a nice hit, too. He drove a ball way over the head of right centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. Chuck was standing on third base by the time the ball made it back into the infield. Third baseman Doug Chamlee was busy at the hot corner today. Bill Spring hit a hot shot down the line for a single. Two double plays were turned in the game this morning. Shortstop Jim Laffoon started both plays. He was the fill in shortstop on the first one. Jim scooped a grounder up the middle, stepped on 2nd base, and then fired to first baseman Hank Gomez for the second out. The second double play occurred when Jim pulled a wise & sneaky defensive move. He could have caught a line drive in the air but elected to allow the ball to bounce in front of him. Jim threw to rover Jack Valliere & Jack finished the play with a toss to first baseman Sam Harrell. Fred Dampier hit a long fly ball that continued to sail high into leftfield. Cecil Vasquez made a spectacular catch when he nabbed the ball on a dead run with his back facing the infield. Nice catch, Cecil. Joe DeForge began playing again Friday, so today marked his second day back onto the playing field. Joe is feeling well and has stated that he needs to strengthen his throwing arm. Welcome back, Joe. July 20th - A lot of ball players stayed away from the old ballpark today as there were barely enough guys for a two team game. Twenty one signed in to play this morning under the overcast skies. The temperature was hovering right at the 90° F marker with no wind in sight. The final score was 18-16 but it seemed that the visiting team was going to coast to an easy victory. The score through seven innings stood at 14-7. The home team rallied for seven runs in the 8th frame, triggered with a multitude of hits to go along with some walks. Cecil Vasquez had the key hit in the inning. He came to bat with the bases loaded and produced a line single directly up the middle that scored two runs. Cecil finished the day with a perfect 5 for 5. With the score knotted at 14 going into the 9th inning, the visiting team charged ahead with four runs to take an 18-14 lead going into the last of the ninth. Reg Barnes drove in the last three runs with an opposite field homer in the direction of Shannon Steinmetz. As it turned out, the hit by Reg scored the deciding runs in the game. The home team scored two runs in the bottom of the ninth but fell two short in the close game. Doug Chamlee had the clutch hit for his team in the comeback attempt. The winning pitcher was Fred Dampier and his opponent was Dick Sessink. Early in the game, Wayne Mundy drove a ball over the head of defending left centerfielder Richard Moots for a solo home run. Wayne, batting in the lead off position for the visiting team, went 6 for 6 today. Rich Kralik had a fantastic day at the plate. All of his hits were solid line shot singles. Those kinds of hits are commonly known as "frozen ropes". Rich ended the day with a 5 for 5 performance. Great hitting, Rich. Three double plays were turned in the game today and all completed by the visiting team defense. Chris Constantine, playing the third base position, began all three plays. Two DPs went around the horn. Chris fielded the grounders, threw to rover Reg Barnes covering second base, and Reg fired to first baseman Hank Gomez to finish the twin killings. The third double play occurred when Chris Constantine scooped a grounder directly beside third base. He stepped on third and fired over to first baseman Joel Freedman for the second out. Joel and Hank Gomez rotated between the first and second base positions today. Joel was out of position when he covered 2nd base but he did an admirable job. Reg Barnes dug out an errant throw to 2nd base to force the runner out. He looked like a seasoned 1st baseman with the stretch and scoop. In the outfield on defense, Richard Moots caught a potential extra base hit as he charged in to catch a low liner from the bat of Chris Constantine. That catch ended the inning and stopped a rally for the visiting team. Shannon Steinmetz covered the rightfield position and did very well there. He caught three fly balls during the course of the game. A new player joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club today. Eddie Diaz resides in Nalcrest and is a member of that softball club. He was born in Puerto Rico and spent his working years in Chicago, Illinois. Welcome aboard, Eddie. July 31st - The game today had it all - good pitching, plenty of hitting, & a solid enough defense so that no team had a final score into the double digits. The score ended 7-7-4 but it took an onslaught of timely hitting for one team to end up with seven runs. With the game 7-5-4 going into the last frame, two outs were immediately recorded before the hitting barrage began. Wayne Mundy stroked a single, then scored on a triple by Chuck Duff, who hit the warning track over the head of defending left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. Pitcher Dick Sessink followed with a single that drove in the tying run. The third out was recorded before Dick could score the winning run. The two pitchers whose team scored seven runs were Dick Sessink & Fred Dampier. Sam Harrell took the mound for the third team in his pitching debut. Sam had thrown some batting practice but was never used in a game situation until today. No balls were called for the "rookie" pitcher. Sam was the lead off hitter of the game in the very top of the first inning. He jacked a ball between leftfielder Randy Lane & fill in left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez for a homer. The leadoff hitter for the second team also connected for a solo homer. Randy Lane drove the ball way over the head of leftfielder Dean Schapeler. Fred Dampier stepped into an inside pitch for a solo homer over the head of defending rightfielder Jim McPartlan. Wayne Mundy got in on the collection of solo homer hitters today too. He hit a ball in the direction of left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. By the time Freddy had gotten the handle on the ball, Wayne was almost to third base. The throw to home plate catcher Shannon Steinmetz was late by about a step and a half. One player missed the cycle by only a single. Doug Chamlee pounded the ball today. He hit a double over the head of left centerfielder Richard Moots, along with a homer down the rightfield line that had to be collected by Jim McPartlan. Doug's triple to the opposite field rounded out his massive hitting attack today. Chuck Duff was a double short of the hitting cycle. As reported earlier, the triple Chuck hit help account for his team eventually tying the score. Chuck absolutely crushed an inside pitch for a two run homer over the leftfield fence. Leftfielder Randy Lane was helpless as he watched the ball sail over the fence. It is estimated the ball traveled 330 feet. Great hit Chuck. In the latter part of the game, Jim Laffoon hit a deep triple over the head of fill in right centerfielder Chuck Duff and Dean Schapeler hit a triple over the head of left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. In the field on defense, first baseman Joel Freedman made a nice catch on a blooper pop up from the bat of Jim McPartlan. Many times, those dinkers drop in for seeing eye hits. Shortstop Jim Laffoon leaped up to nab a hard line drive that was hit by Freddy Gonzalez. That catch ended the inning for the offensive team. Only one double play was turned in the game this morning. Shortstop Wayne Mundy stopped a grounder and flipped the ball to rover Frank Acevedo for the first out at second base. Frank relayed the ball to fill in first baseman Joel Freedman to complete the play. The outfielders were active but the best fly ball catch of the day was made by rightfielder Jim McPartlan. Jim charged in and reached low to haul in a ball hit by Reg Barnes.

June 2007