September 2007 News Archive


September 4th - This game marked the beginning of a new month. It seems like this year is just flying by and, before we know it, it will be time to begin the season play. It is only four short months away.

For the game today, three teams of nine players per team were pitted against each other. Two subs from the sitting team rounded out the 11 man defense in the field.

The game began as a runaway event for Team Three, as they had scored 12 runs by the fourth inning. Team Two trailed by as many as nine runs at one time, but they rallied in the sixth for five runs and finally took the lead, and incidentally won the game, with five runs in the final frame. What a fantastic comeback for the team that was basically counted out as late as the fifth inning.

With Team Two trailing by one run going into the final inning, Jim Laffoon hit a triple down the line that rightfielder Ed Neumyer had to relay back into the infield. That hit by Jim turned out to be the game winning hit, as he drove in the second and third runs of the frame. As it turned out, the final score was 16-12-12.

Don Witmer was the winning pitcher. Fred Dampier got the call to pitch for Team Three. That team scored 12 runs and allowed 12 while on defense. Ron Thompson threw for Team One, which scored 12 and gave up 16 runs.

During the game, Larry Powell connected for a triple that was out of the reach of right centerfielder Richard Moots. Larry hit well today in his other at bats, too. Chuck Duff hit a deep double over left centerfielder Larry Powell and collected two runs batted in with that hit. That ball may have sailed over the fence if not for the wind blowing in from the outfield.

Fred Dampier hit the ball deep. He blasted a triple over and between left centerfielder Larry Powell and right centerfielder Walt Leggett.

The throwing arms of the outfielders were on display this morning. Two runners were thrown out at home with accurate throws. Left centerfielder Jim Laffoon threw to catcher Rich Kralik to nail down a runner following a single by Jack Valliere. That throw ended the inning.

In the very next part of the inning, John Fulton, filling in at the leftfield position, caught a fly ball hit by Bill Walker. The runner from third tagged up so Bill could get an RBI sacrifice fly but John had other plans. The throw to catcher Shannon Steinmetz was in time for a double play and ended the inning.

A third runner was throw out at home but this time the ball was first relayed to the infield. On an opposite field double by Elvis Abney, rightfielder Ed Neumyer threw to the cut off man, fill in first baseman Ron Thompson. Ron threw to catcher Shannon Steinmetz for the out. Therefore, Shannon caught two runners out at home today.

Ed Neumyer hit a low line drive in the direction of leftfielder Cecil Vasquez. Cecil charged in and caught the sinking liner before it touched the ground.

Jim Laffoon, who hit very well today, drove a high fly to deep rightfield. Ed Neumyer ran back and hauled in the potential extra base hit.
Second baseman Jack Valliere had to charge in to catch up to a popup from the bat of Hank Gomez.

One snowbird returned today. Mike Kerentoff, who has umpired for several years, arrived and took charge of the umping duties at third base. Mike lives in Syracuse, New York during the summer months. Welcome back, Mike.

It is now time to start planning for the upcoming season in the softball program. The first game of the season will take place on January 8th, 2008.
The main need at this time is to secure sponsors for each of the teams. The cost is $250.00 and anyone who can find a sponsor will not have to pay the annual dues this year.

The league is looking for several players to manage teams this coming season. If interested, please contact one of the board members as soon as possible. The board members are commissioner Ron Thompson and treasurer Joel Freedman, as well as board directors Ed Neumyer, Jack Valliere, Sam Harrell, Wayne Mundy, and Chuck Duff.
Important dates to remember are the team draft for the season will occur on December 12th and the league play will begin on January 8th.

The enjoyment books will go on sale around October 1st and the proceeds will fund the Winter Haven/Lakeland competition on March 5th and March 12th.

September 7th - Today marked the lowest player turnout of the year, probably because quite a few will be playing in the Florida Half Century tournament in Tampa this weekend. There were enough guys for two teams, though. A total of 20 ballplayers signed in for the game at the old ballpark.

Bob Swartz recorded the win for his team against fellow pitcher Dick Sessink. The final score was 17-8.

Freddy Gonzalez came to play today and he shined on offense and defense. He cranked two triples in the game. One ball sailed over the head of left centerfielder John Fulton. Later in the game, Freddy hit his second triple when he split the left centerfielder and right centerfielder.

John Fulton was busy in the outfield this morning. He had to chase down a triple hit by Bill Walker. The ball that Bill hit went went deep over John's head.

Gary Reed played his first game after a summer break and he hit like he was in midseason form. Leftfielder Doug Chamlee had to retrieve a double that was hit down the line by Gary.

On the defensive end, left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez threw two runners out at second base. Jack Valliere hit sharp singles to the outfield both times and was sure the hits were good enough for singles but Freddy turned both shots into fielder's choices when he threw to the bag. Shortstop Cecil Vasquez covered second base on both throws.
Leftfielder Doug Chamlee made a great catch on a deep hit by Cecil Vasquez. Doug had to run back and reach high to haul in the ball.
Sam Harrell covered right centerfield this morning and he made a super grab on a potential deep gapper hit by Fred Dampier. Sam ran hard toward centerfield and extended his arm full length to make the catch.
Freddy Gonzalez displayed his speed when he caught up to a ball hit by Frank Acevedo. Freddy sped back and to his left and gloved a ball that no one in the park thought he had a chance to catch.

Gary Reed returned from his summer travels to play today. He has been in the northern and western United States and spent much of his time in Wisconsin. Welcome back, Gary.

Bill Cook dropped by to watch the game. He is down from Kentucky for the week. Ted Granoski also came by and watched some of the ball game. Ted is recovering from back surgery and the healing process is coming slower than he expected. Hang in there Ted. It was good to see you, Bill.

September 11th - The game was played today under cloudy skies. The area has been experiencing rain showers almost every afternoon or evening in recent times. The sun did peek out before the final out was recorded but the weather was very comfortable for the guys. At game time, the estimated temperature was around 85° F.

A total of 27 ball players showed up to play so three teams of nine were set up by Joel Freedman. Since 11 players had to be in the field, two subs from the sitting team helped out.

The final score was 12-5-4. Don Witmer pitched for the team that was tops in the scoring department. That team scored 12 runs and gave up five. Dick Sessink hurled for the team that scored five and allowed four, so that was a win for Dick, too. Fred Dampier was on the mound for the team that scored four and gave up 12 runs.

Walt Leggett hit well today as he blasted two triples. The first one was hit over the head of defending rightfielder Jim McPartlan and the second triple was a gapper between left centerfielder John Fulton and right centerfielder Richard Moots.

One inside-the-park homer was hit in the game. Wayne Mundy surprised the right side of the outfield, who were playing shallow in order to catch a possible base hit. He hit the ball way over the heads of right centerfielder Walt Leggett and fill in left centerfielder John Fulton. The ball rolled all the way to the warning track as Wayne circled the bases.

Sam Harrell has been working very hard to hit the ball to all fields. He began playing in the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club as a strict pull hitter. His diligence paid off today when he got a nice hit up the middle of the field. Good work, Sam.

On defense, first baseman Hank Gomez made a nice stop on a grounder down the line by Ron Thompson. Hank got credit for an unassisted putout when he scooped the ball and beat Ron to the bag.
Leftfielder Cecil Vasquez made a tremendous catch on a deep opposite field fly ball hit by Fred Dampier. Cecil ran back at full speed and reached high over his head to haul in the ball.
John Fulton filled in at left centerfield this morning and caught a gapper hit by Walt Leggett. The shot appeared to be a sure extra base hit for Walt but John almost made it look easy as he made a beeline to the ball and reached out to make the catch.
Late in the game leftfielder Randy Lane raced all out to make a fantastic catch on a ball hit by Jack Valliere. The runner from first was sure the ball would drop in for a hit. He was almost to second base when Randy hauled it in so he had to scamper back to first base after the catch.

September 14th - Another low turnout at the old ballpark resulted in a two team game today. There were nine batters for each team. Elvis Abney helped out by playing third base but didn't want to be inserted into the batting lineup, so only one sub from the batting team had to play in the field.

The visiting team, with pitcher Don Witmer on the mound, was victorious over fellow pitcher Dick Sessink in the 9-8 contest.

The tying run was on third base when the final out was recorded, but the home team did attempt a 9th inning come-from-behind win. Going into the bottom of the ninth, the visiting team was ahead by the score of 9-6. Five hits accounted for the two runs. Wayne Mundy lead off with a single, followed by singles by Dick Sessink, Rusty Landahl, & Cecil Vasquez. Ed Neumyer collected a base hit to drive in the last run before the final out was made, leaving Cecil stranded at third.

The lead-off batter for the visiting team, Freddy Gonzalez, was perfect at the plate. He went 5 for 5 with three doubles and one triple. In his first at bat, he drove a ball to the opposite field over the head of rightfielder Ed Neumyer for a triple.

The other long ball of the day was hit by Bill Walker. He stepped into a pitch and cranked the ball way over the head of left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez. Bill ended up with a double on that hit.

Don Witmer and Joel Freedman were also perfect today. Don went 5 for 5 with five singles and Joel went 3 for 3 with one walk. Ed Neumyer went 3 for 4 on the day and Ron Thompson was 3 for 4 with a walk.

A very rare occurrence occurred in the ballgame this morning - a triple play was turned by the home team. Joel Freedman began the fifth inning with a single. Carl Luebking ran from the plate for Joel. Speedy Freddy Gonzalez followed with a single. The table was now set for a three up, three down inning. The next batter hit a grounder directly down the line to the awaiting glove of third baseman Elvis Abney. Elvis stepped on third, threw to rover Ron Thompson covering 2nd base, and Ron completed the triple play with a relay to 1st baseman Rusty Landahl. Great heads up play, guys.
A nice double play was executed in the game. With a runner on first base, Hank Gomez hit a line shot right back to pitcher Dick Sessink. Dick gloved the ball and fired to first baseman Rusty Landahl to double off the runner, who had only ventured about three or four strides from the bag.
In the outfield on defense, Cecil Vasquez made a terrific catch on a ball hit by Carl Luebking. Cecil had to run quickly to his right and then extend his glove arm completely out to nab the potential extra base hit. Nice catch Cecil. Carl was robbed of another hit when leftfielder Randy Lane raced in to make a low catch on a line drive. Prior to those two fantastic catches, Carl Luebking had gone 3 for 3 at the plate.
Leftfielder Freddy Gonzalez showed off his speed in the outfield today. Cecil Vasquez hit a long liner that appeared to be impossible to catch but Freddy ran a direct route to the ball and grabbed it just in time for the out.
One runner was thrown out on the bases following a clean base hit. Rusty Landahl guided a ball to the opposite field for a single towards rightfielder Chuck Duff. Chuck picked up the ball and made a perfect throw to rover Carl Luebking. Carl noticed that the runner from first had decided to take an extra base on the hit by Rusty and was heading for third. Carl threw a strike to Elvis Abney as the runner couldn't stop his forward momentum after reaching third base. Elvis applied the tag for the out.

One of the players who has taken the warm summer off from playing softball at the old ballpark showed up to watch the game. Jack Donnelly dropped by in the third inning and was the one of two fans for the contest. Ted Granoski is recovering from back surgery and he also was at the game. Ted hopes to be back in action by January. The weather is getting more bearable, Jack. Come on back and play.

September 18th - The three team game wasn't decided until the bottom of the 7th inning. With Team Two leading by two runs, the third team exploded for three runs to turn defeat into victory.

The final score was 11-10-8 as pitcher Bob Swartz picked up the win. Dick Sessink pitched for the team that scored eight runs and gave up 10 while on defense and Fred Dampier was on the mound for the team that scored 10 and allowed 11 runs.

The hitter of the game was Doug Chamlee, who went 4 for 4. Going into his last at bat, he needed a homer to achieve the hitting cycle. He banged out a triple to the opposite field that rightfielder Jim McPartlan had to give chase. Since it was wise for the third base coach to hold up the runner, Doug stopped at third for this second triple of the game and missed the cycle by one base. Great hitting Doug.

Two other players who hit well were Jose Agosto, who went 4 for 5 in the game and Sam Harrell had a 3 for 4 game.

The defensive play that stood out among the rest was a tremendous catch made by shortstop Frank Acevedo. He broke for the middle of the infield when Ed Neumyer hit a liner. Frank reached out and made the grab in full stride to rob Ed on a hit. Nice play Frank.
Pitcher Fred Dampier caught a rocket hit directly back at him by fellow pitcher Bob Swartz. A lob to first baseman Joel Freedman doubled the runner off first.

There are some players who seldom get mentioned in the recap although they participate in most of the contests. These players usually get on base with singles and they admirably field their positions. Reg Barnes plays the rover position, Jim McPartlan and Ed Neumyer are outfielders, as well as Richard Moots, Gale Doty is a catcher, Joel Freedman is a 1st baseman, & Bill Spring is a catcher and 2nd baseman. They all played today, performed their defensive duties adequately, and did fine jobs in the hitting category. Thank you to each one of you everyday players.

Down for a ten day stay in the Winter Haven area is Russ King. Russ is from Kalamazoo, Michigan. He played the rover position today.

Wayne Mundy will be accepting nominations for the Polk County Senior Softball Hall of Fame begining October 1st. All nominations must be submitted by November 15th. Click HERE for Hall of Fame requirements.





September 21st - What a wild finish to the last game of the week. Team Three had a 11-3-3 lead going into the sixth inning of the seven inning contest.

The second team rallied for five runs in the sixth as the third team was held scoreless for only the second time in the game. Team Two scored three more runs in the seventh while Team Three was again held scoreless.

The final score was 11-11-3. Dick Sessink pitched for Team Three. That team gave up three runs while on defense. Fred Dampier was on the mound for Team Two, which scored 11 and surrendered 11 runs. Bobby Ayers pitched for the team that scored three and allowed 11 runs.

Ron Thompson hit a three run inside-the-park homer that curved away from right centerfielder Gary Reed. The ball rolled all the way to the fence as Gary gave chase.

Elvis Abney and Wayne Mundy each blasted two long balls in the game this morning. Both of the shots that Elvis hit were gappers that allowed him to trot into second base for doubles. Wayne hit one ball over leftfielder Randy Lane and left centerfielder Cecil Vasquez for a triple. Wayne has been hitting the ball hard lately and has routinely been burning the outfielders in both the Winter Haven and the Lakeland morning leagues. Watch out guys - Wayne is on a tear!

Jim Laffoon drove a ball over leftfielder Doug Chamlee and left centerfielder John Fulton. Jim ended up with a triple on that well placed hit.

Reg Barnes hit well today. His favorite hit is a line drive up the middle but he fooled the outfielders twice today with hits to leftfield. Nice hitting Reg.

A neat double play was turned during the game. With runners on the corners, a hard shot was hit on the ground to third baseman Elvis Abney. He fielded the ball and threw over to shortstop Wayne Mundy, covering second base. Wayne noticed the runner from third had broken for home so he threw to the catcher just in time to get the runner out.
Ed Neumyer singled to right centerfielder Gary Reed. Gary relayed the ball to shortstop Jim Laffoon and Jim threw home to catcher Gale Doty to get the runner out at home. Sorry Ed, no RBI on that hit.
As mentioned earlier, Team Three was held scoreless in the last inning. The game ended with a double play to leave the winning run stranded at third. Rusty Landahl hit a hard line shot right back at pitcher Fred Dampier, who was unable to glove the ball. He picked the ball up, turned and threw to shortstop Jim Laffoon to get the runner at second and then Jim threw to first baseman Joel Freedman to end the game.

September 28th - The final game for the month of September was played with record speed. The ballgame ended at 9:45 AM with the visiting team winning by the score of 12-4. Bobby Ayers logged the victory against fellow pitcher Dick Sessink.

The visiting team broke out with five runs in one of the middle innings but, other than that, it basically was a pitchers duel.

Two batters produced the four most notable hits. Jim Laffoon cranked a ball to the lower portion of the left centerfield fence for a triple. In a later at bat, Jim connected for a long double over leftfielder Cecil Vasquez.

Freddy Gonzalez raced around the bases when a line shot got past right centerfielder Richard Moots. The hit turned into a two run homer. Freddy also hit a long triple over the head of defending left centerfielder Ron Thompson.

In the field on defense, second baseman Rich Kralik made a nice stop on a grounder hit by Ron Thompson. Since the first baseman also attempted to field the ball, Ron was safe at first.
Chris Constantine patrolled the third base area today and made a catch on a hard line drive hit by Dick Sessink. The ball was hit towards the line and Chris reacted quickly when he reached across his body and above his head to make a stab at the ball. Great catch, Chris.

One local player joined the group for the game today. Marshall Bloom doesn't play during the hot summer months. On Tuesday, Al Andrews returned to Winter Haven to begin playing again. Al resides in West Port Island, Maine. Welcome back, Marshall and Al.



August 2007