August 2008 News Archive
 August 1st - The new month brought in a close game in the three team contest. Rich Palmer recorded the win and the pitcher for Team One, Dick Sessink, also defeated the team which he hurled against. Team One scored seven runs and gave up five while on defense. Eddie Diaz pitched for the team that scored five and
allowed nine runs.
If the first inning was an indication of things to come, the game would have been a high scoring affair. But it wasn't and it wasn't. Team One set the tone with three runs in the first. Dick Sessink walked and scored the first run after Roger Edwards singled and Jim Laffoon hit his 20th double of the off season. Roger scored on a base hit by Sam Harrell, followed by a two-out RBI single by Les Wolff. The same batters in the lineup as the first team scored for Team Two. With one out, Bill Walker and Wayne Mundy each singled. Bob Zelazny doubled in the first run and a Bob DiPietro single proved to be a run scoring hit. The third run scored when Ed Neumyer singled to the opposite field. Ed wasn't able 
to score but he was moved to third when Joel reedman connected for a base hit. Joel ended the day going 2 for 3.
Heading into the bottom of the first, the score was 3-3. Following in the footsteps of the first two teams, the rally didn't begin until the lead off batter made the first out. Rusty Landahl got a hit and the next batter reached fist on an error. Both baserunners scored on a gapper triple by Chris Constantine. Chris and Rusty ended the day batting 2 for 3. At the end of one inning of play, the score was knotted at 3-3-3. The second frame wasn't anywhere near as exciting as the beginning of 
the game. Of the three teams, there was only one batter over the minimum. Bill Spring managed the only hit of the second inning.
The out streak expanded to six when Team One went three up and three down in the third. The middle team fared just a little better. Bob DiPietro doubled and scored on a two-out fielding error. The third team duplicated the one run production with only four batters. Frank Acevedo banged out a double, then scored on two groundouts. With three innings logged in the books, the score was 3-4-4. Team Two finished off their day of scoring in the fourth. Joel Freedman singled but was out at second on a fielder's choice from the bat of Joltin' Joe DeForge. The last batter of the lineup came through when Lee Baker got a hit. The next batter knocked a grounder but reached base when the throw to first slipped out of the glove. As a result, an unearned run scored. The fifth began with singles from Frank Acevedo and Rusty Landahl, followed by an opposite field Don Witmer double. Chris Constantine singled Don home and Gale Doty walked. The final two runs scored on a bloop single by pitcher Rich Palmer. Those two runs turned out to be the difference in the ballgame so, not only did Rich get the pitching win, but he also logged the game winning hit. Way to go Rich. Six runs were needed by the first team to tie the score with the leaders but they came up two short as four scored in the seventh frame. Jim Laffoon tripled with one out. The next two batters, Sam Harrell and Reg Barnes, walked to load the bases. Les Wolff produced a two run single and new member Larry Wells also got a hit. John Merritt drove in the fourth and final run of the last inning. When Team Two went down quietly with only a single hit by Bob Zelazny, the third team packed up their equipment, shook hands with everyone, and recorded the victory. LEADING HITTERS: Jim Laffoon - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 double. Bob DiPietro - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Hats off to Joel Freedman. Joel sends the scoresheets via FAX to Fred Dampier for the compiling of the game recaps. Fred has been vacationing in his home state of Texas since July 12th and won't return to the Sunshine State until August 12th. Thank you Joel. August 5th - One of the players noted: "Today's Play - A Comedy of Errors". And rightly so. A total of 10 errors were logged onto the scoresheets in the three team contest this morning. There could have been more since some scorekeepers are rather generous when deciding between a hit and an error.
At any rate, everyone tried their best and had a good time in the game.
A mediocre defense may have been the deciding point in a few innings in the game, but one team displayed a rather solid game while in the field. That team, however, was the lowest scoring team of the three. That was the third team and the group of guys who took the field first. They set a good example by shutting down Team One in the first. Team Two jumped on the scoreboard with two in their part of the first. Chuck Duff banged a two out double and then scored when 
the next batter got aboard on the second baseman's fielding error for the first unearned run. Sam Harrell singled and the second and last run of the inning scored on another infield error.
Larry Wells started the home part of the first inning with a single and advanced to third when the third baseman muffed a grounder hit by the next batter. Jim Laffoon singled Larry home and made it all the way to third on his hit when it was mishandled in the outfield. The next batter hit his first of two sacrifice flies in the game. Doug Chamlee lifted a ball to right centerfield for the first out and drove in Jim. At the end one inning of play, two teams were tied and the score was 0-2-2. Team Two opened up some more in the second. The bottom three in the lineup got on base and scored. Big innings usually occur when the bottom of lineups come through. That allows the big hitters to come to the plate and drive them in for a few runs. John Merritt singled, followed by an error on the third baseman, and then a base hit by Gene Baker. Reg Barnes, batting first today, hit the second of six consecutive singles. The other four came from the bats of Rusty Landahl, Chuck Duff, Don Witmer, and Sam Harrell. Sam drove in the fifth and final run of the frame. The first team was six down from the leader when they began the third inning. No outs were logged in the books as it took only seven batters to score the six runs needed to tie the score. Speedy Freddy Gonzalez began with a double. 
Dick Sessink was issued a free pass to set up force outs at any base. New prospective player Wally Granger made them pay as he smashed a double of his own. Then Jack Valliere got in on the fun with an opposite field double. Once again, the next batter was walked. Les Wolff strolled to first and moved Jack to second so Gale Doty could single and get the guys to running again. The sixth and tying run touched home when the third baseman made an error on a ball hit by Bill Spring.
The second and third teams were held scoreless and the score after three frames was 7-7-2. Two errors in the middle of the fourth allowed Team Three to score two unearned runs. John Fulton doubled, followed by a dropped ball in the outfield and a misplayed ball in the infield. A double play started by shortstop Don Witmer helped snuff the rally. Joel Freedman connected for a two out base hit but was stranded at first when the next hitter grounded out to end the inning. Team Two decided to take charge of the game after watching their lead dissipate. Gene Baker got his second straight hit and scored another run. The huge hits of the inning were back-to-back doubles by Chuck Duff and Don Witmer. That was Chuck's second double of the game. Frank Acevedo and Jim Laffoon scored runs for Team Three in the fifth. Doug Chamlee flied out for his second sac fly of the game. John Fulton and Marvin Taylor singled after that but failed to score. The remainder of the game belonged to Team Two. They tacked onto the lead in the fifth, sixth, and seventh innings. Only one batter in the lineup was held hitless and that name will remain a mystery to the readers. LEADING HITTERS: Jim Laffoon - 3 for 3 with 1 double & 1 walk. Chuck Duff - 4 for 5 with 2 doubles. Sam Harrell - 4 for 5. Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Wally Granger - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. John Merritt - 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Wally Granger played today. He lives in Auburndale and may join the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club since he recently retired. Please come back and join Wally. August 8th - If the contest this morning would have been named after a Hollywood movie, the title that best described the game is Slaughterhouse Five. One team scored five runs in three of the seven innings and completely annihilated the competition. Eddie Diaz started the game for the winning team but left early. Larry Wells changed teams since there wasn't a backup pitcher on the squad. Larry received his first Winter Haven Senior Softball Club win and sports an off season record of 1-0. Rich Palmer, on the mound for Team Three, also received a win, since that team scored six and gave up two runs. Dick Sessink hurled for Team One. That team scored two runs and surrendered 25 while on defense. Rich's record goes to 11-6 and Dick's record is now 10-8 during the off season, which began on April 1st.
Since most of the game's offense was generated by Team Two, it is probably best to first report on Teams One and Three. The two runs for Team One came singularly in the first and fourth frames. In the first, the lead off batter reached on an error and was pushed 
across with "small ball". He advanced to second on a fly out and to third on a ground out. Chuck Duff got the only hit of the inning when he singled in the runner from third.
In the fourth for Team Two, Chuck Duff lead off with a deep triple and scored on a base hit by Dick Sessink. The next batter reached on a fieling error and was forced at second on a fielder's choice. A six-four-three double play ended the inning for Team Two. 
Team Three fared better but still finished the game in single figures. The first inning began well as lead off hitter Jaime Rivera singled. After Ed Neumyer walked, Don Witmer singled Jaime home. A one out base hit by Wally Granger sent Don off and running to third and he scored on a hit by Rich Palmer. Two runs were counted in the opening inning for Team Three. Two more crossed the plate in the second. Jaime Rivera singled and scored for the second time. A base hit by Bob Zelazny scored the runner who reached on a fielder's choice. That runner had taken the place of Joe DeForge on the base paths. Joe had drawn a walk to open the inning. Wally Granger let his presence be known with a towering shot over the centerfield fence for a solo home run in the third for Team Three. Wally has pop in his bat and he displayed a little preview of his future hitting prowess in the league. Ed Neumyer scored the sixth and last run for the third team in the fourth. He singled and eventually scored on a Bob Zelazny single. Team Two lead throughout the whole game but didn't begin running up the score until the fifth inning. After four innings of play, they lead 2-11-6. The other two teams wouldn't score a single 
run in the final three frames while Team Two would add 14 more to their total.
Wayne Mundy and Freddy Gonzalez opened the fifth with singles, followed by a double from the bat of Bob DiPietro. Bob ended the day with quite a few RBIs for the game. Sam Harrell drove Bob home and Sam scored the fourth and final run on a Rich Moots single directly before Vassurl Bess was cut down at third trying to advance two bases on the hit. Vassurl had singled prior to that hit by Rich. The sixth inning started off with singles by Bill Spring and Reg Barnes. Wayne Mundy and Bob DiPietro slammed doubles and scored during the onslaught. A Vassurl Bess hit drove in the fifth run of the sixth frame. At the end of six innings of play, the lead for Team Two extended to 2-20-6. They continued their offense in the seventh. Once again Bill Spring singled to start the rally. After Reg Barnes walked and the next batter reached base on a fielding error by the second baseman, Freddy Gonzalez, Bob DiPietro, and Sam Harrell each connected for base hits. Bob was the last to score and he walked home after a bases loaded free pass to eagle eyed Vassurl Bess. In all, the second team had 25 runs and 27 hits. Team Two ended up playing like an upper class Florida Half Century tournament team. Hitting was contagious as everyone in the lineup reached base at least twice. Reg Barnes, the lead off batter, scored all five times he was aboard and the number two hitter, Wayne Mundy, scored all six times he batted. Bob DiPietro was in the groove this morning. He knocked four doubles on his way to a 6 for 6 game. Sly old Bill Spring got into the act, too. The elderly statesman finished the day going 3 for 4 day and he touched home three times. Vassurl Bess was on base four of the six times he came to bat. Vassurl walked two times and had two hits. Of all the batters in the order, only one player didn't score a run. Rich Moots only got as far as second base although he had a respectable two hits during the game. LEADING HITTERS: Bob DiPietro - 6 for 6 with 4 doubles. Eddie Diaz - 1 for 1 with 1 walk. Wayne Mundy - 5 for 6 with 2 doubles. Reg Barnes - 3 for 4 with 2 walks. Bill Spring - 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Jaime Rivera - 3 for 4. Wally Granger made it official and joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club this morning. Welcome aboard, Wally. August 12th - Each of the three teams had a respectable showing for the game this morning as they all scored in double figures. George Radlein, on the mound for Team Two, racked up a win. That team scored the most runs among three teams. Rich Palmer pitched for Team One, which scored 16 and gave up 19 runs. Marvin Taylor was the pitcher of record for Team Three. They scored 12 runs and allowed 16 while on defense.
All three teams scored in the first to set the tone for the game. Teams One and Two each had the maximum five runs. The first five batters scored for the first team on a mixture of walks, hits, and fielder's choices. The big hit of the inning was a two run double by Eddie Diaz. Team Two answered with a five spot. 
Three hits in-a-row began the middle of the first. John Fulton, Gale Doty, and Jim Laffoon each connected for singles. Gale was moved up in the order and came through with a 4 for 4 day. John Merritt, George Radlein, and Jim McPartlan finished off the hitting with singles and the line drive by Jim knocked in the fifth run.
The offensive output for the third team wasn't as potent as two runs crossed the plate. Vassurl Bess, Sam Harrell, and Bob Christiansen punched singles to score the two runs. The second frame was uneventful for all three teams but the third saw the guys gear up again. Team Two took the lead with four runs. Sam Lopez hit his first of two consecutive doubles to drive two base runners home. At the end of three innings of play, the score was 7-9-4. The fourth frame belonged to the third team. Jack Valliere started with a single and advanced to third when pitcher Marvin Taylor helped his cause with a hit. Marvin eventually scored from hits by Larry Wells and Hank Gomez. It was nice to see Hank back at the old ballpark. He has been battling an illness and hasn't had much energy for the past couple of months, but he is the most positive person on this Earth. It was good to see you Hank. 
The middle team added to their lead in the fifth. Bob Zelazny and Sam Lopez each hit doubles, while big Bill Walker, John Merritt, and George Radlein each had base hits. George drove in the final run of the frame. At the end of five innings, the score stood at 11-14-10. The first team wanted the win as they pushed across five runs and had two outs to spare. Ed Neumyer singled, Chuck Duff doubled, Doug Chamlee batted 1.000 today and had a single, and Reg Barnes also batted 1.000 this morning. His double drove in the final two runs of the sixth. Going into the middle of the sixth, the score was 16-14-10. Team Two continued their hitting barrage with time running out in the game. Jim McPartlan and Terry Feehan started the inning with singles. After Gale Doty singled in a run, Jim Laffoon drove a gapper triple between the rightfielder and right centerfielder for two RBIs. Bob Zelazny came to bat next and hit a deep triple. Big Bill Walker drove Bob in to cap off the inning. That was all the runs needed for the win as all three teams were held scoreless in the final frame. LEADING HITTERS: Reg Barnes - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles. Doug Chamlee - 4 for 4 with 1 double. Gale Doty - 4 for 4. Sam Lopez - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 2 doubles. Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 3 doubles. Vassurl Bess - 3 for 4. Rich Palmer - 3 for 4. Marvin Taylor - 3 for 4. Bill Walker - 3 for 4. Sam Lopez has had chronic knee problems over the years and he reinjured himself during the game this morning. In his last at bat, Sam was running the bases for a possible inside-the-park homer. After approaching third, his knee gave out and he had to be helped off the field. The EMS was called and they took Sam to the hospital. Depending on the severity of the injury, he may be out of service for an indefinite amount of time. Take care of yourself, Sam, and please return after a complete and thorough recovery period. Terry Feehan returned from Deshler, Ohio. He holds the distinction this year as being the first arriving snowbird. Welcome back, Terry. August 15th - The guys played on the Polk Community College women's field this morning. The fences are 225 feet from home plate. A few bombs were dropped but were ruled doubles because of the short fences.
Rich Palmer pitched for the winning team of the three team contest. Marvin Taylor was on the mound for the team that scored four but defended the team that scored 10 runs. George Radlein threw for the team that scored 10 and surrendered 12 runs while on defense.
A total of four balls were blasted over the short fence in the top of the first. Fred Dampier returned from his vacation in Texas and slammed the first pitch over the fence for a ground rule double. After the first out was recorded, three consecutive balls took the ride to the other side. Roger Edwards, Bill Walker, and Sam Harrell all hit ground rule doubles, too. Team One finished the first inning with four runs. After the second team was shut down in the middle of the first, Team Three began with a walk to Vassurl Bess. A lead off walk almost always scores and this was no exception. Ed Neumyer singled Vassurl to second and Don Witmer cranked a double over the fence. In all, Don would end up with a 5 for 5 day with five doubles, with two of them sailing over the fence. Doug Chamlee singled Ed and Don home and pitcher George Radlein had the last hit but was stranded at first. The second inning was rather uneventful. Only one run scored. 
Fred Dampier popped a ball up in the infield for a single because each of the infielders thought another infielder was going to get the ball. No one made an attempt and the ball dropped untouched between the Bermuda Triangle area of the pitcher, first baseman, and second baseman part of the field. Fred trotted to third when Roger Edwards hit his second ball over the fence. A fielding error by the third baseman allowed Fred to score the lone run of the second.
Team Two took the lead in the third as Don Witmer began the frame with a ground rule double. Doug Chamlee singled him home. Doug would later score from singles by George Radlein and Larry Wells. At the end of three innings of play, the score was 5-6-0. The fourth witnessed two more runs for the first team. After being down one run, Team One took a one run lead going into the middle of the fourth. 
Fred Dampier hit one over for a double and scored on a Roger Edwards single. Roger crossed the plate on a Rich Palmer single after Sam Harrell singled. The score stood at 7-6-0 after the first team was finished batting in the frame.
Pitcher Rich Palmer lost his bid for a shutout in the fourth and Freddy Gonzalez was the culprit. He smashed a ground rule double and he scored when Dick Sessink got a base hit. Singles by Gale Doty and Hank Gomez accounted for the second run. Freddy, Dick, and Hank each finished the day going 2 for 3. Team Three took back the lead in the see-saw battle after being down one run going into the bottom of the fourth. Don Witmer hit a gapper double and scored on a Doug Chamlee single after advancing to third on an errant throw from the outfield. Doug scored by way of singles from the bats of George Radlein and Larry Wells. At the end of four innings, Team Three lead in the contest. The score was 7-2-8. Team One batted around in the fifth and put the maximum five runs on the scoreboard. With one out in the books, Gene Baker, Fred Dampier, Rich Moots, Roger Edwards, and big Bill Walker banged out consecutive singles. All five players scored, with Fred scoring for the fourth time in the game. A Reg Barnes opposite field gapper double drove in the fifth and final run when big Bill crossed the plate. Team One headed into the field and had a feeling of confidence as they held a 12-2-8 lead going into the middle of the fifth. Team Two was way down in the scoring so they rattled the bats in the rack and ended with two more runs. Jaime Rivera and Freddy Gonzalez both scored in the frame from a gapper hit by Freddy that was misplayed in the outfield. Freddy made it all the way home on the hit. All the teams put up goose eggs on the scoreboard in the sixth and two-thirds of the seventh. Team One was leading 12-4-8 so the third team needed four runs to say in the game and five to walk away with the victory. The very top of the lineup was due to bat so the outlook was positive for Team Three. The leadoff batter reached base on a fielding error at second base. After the next batter popped up to the rover position, Don Witmer hit another gapper double. A single by Rusty Landahl scored two runs but that was it for the seventh. The defensive play of the day occurred in the infield. Doug Chamlee was positioned in the rover area when big Bill Walker stepped to the plate. A screaming line drive was hit directly in the direction of Doug, except that Doug had to sky high in the air to make the grab. And they say white men can't jump. Nice catch, Doug. 
Overall, the game was close for two of the three teams and it was fun to watch. LEADING HITTERS: Don Witmer - 5 for 5 with 5 doubles. Roger Edwards - 5 for 5 with 2 doubles. Fred Dampier - 4 for 5 with 2 doubles. David Whann, grandson of ball player Lee Baker has been keeping score for the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club practically all summer. Today was his last day as he will be heading back to school next week. We will all miss David. He is a fine young man and was very helpful. David plays baseball and football and is an all-star in baseball. He maintains an "A" average in school. We all know that Grandpa Lee Baker is proud of David and so is everyone associated with the league here in Winter Haven. Take care and a big "THANK YOU" is extended from all the players in the league. Rich Palmer brought a Crankshaft cartoon to the old ballpark to share with the guys. Thank you to creator Tom Botiuk & artist Chuck Ayers and to North America Syndicate for the distribution of the cartoon.   August 19th - With the impending threat of Tropical Storm Fay, the softball game scheduled this morning has been cancelled.
Rain is forecasted throughout the remainder of the week, so the game on Friday is in jeopardy of receiving the same fate. Time will tell. August 22nd - The stormy weather kept a majority of the ball players in the comfort of their own homes. Only 17 guys signed in for the game this morning. Bob DiPietro, Chuck Duff, and Don Witmer elected to play defense for both teams and not bat, so each line up consisted of seven batters. Don pitched for one team and played shortstop for the other one. His team came up on the short end of the stick while he was pitching. Marvin Taylor recorded the win in the 15-5 game.
At first glance, it appeared the game would end up being a high scoring affair. The visiting team jumped on the board with two runs in the first by way of five straight singles from the bats of Freddy Gonzalez,Wayne Mundy, Jack Valliere, Sam Harrell, and Rich Moots. The inning began with a ground out to shortstop Don Witmer and ended with a 5-3 double play when third baseman Jaime Rivera fielded a grounder, stepped on third, and fired to first baseman Doug Chamlee for the twin killing. The first five batters for the home team scored as 10 batters came to the plate. 
Doug Chamlee produced a two run single and drove in the fifth run in his second trip to the plate in the first frame.
Both teams cooled off in the second but the home team got fired up again in the third. Bill Spring had a two out single that drove in a run. In all, Roger Edwards, Doug Chamlee, and Jaime Rivera each touched home plate in the third inning. The visitors fought back in the fifth. Down 8-2, Rich Moots got his second base hit of the game and a two out inside-the-park homer by Freddy Gonzalez accounted for two runs. That closed the gap in the score, so, going into the bottom of the fifth, the home team held an 8-4 lead. In the home fifth, Roger Edwards blasted a deep double to drive in a run and scored when Jaime Rivera stepped into a ball and hit it waaaaaay over defending leftfielder Chuck Duff. Chuck chased the ball down and held Jaime to a triple. A super catch by Rich Moots in rightfield robbed Doug Chamlee of extra bases. Rich ran back and reached high to grab the ball. No one in the park thought that ball was going to be caught and that Rich was burned on that one. Great grab Rich. After that super catch, Jaime River scored on a Marvin Taylor single. At that point in the game, Marvin was 4 for 5 at the plate and would end up with a fantastic 6 for 7 for the day. At the end of five innings of play, the home team held an 11-4 lead. The only highlight of the sixth was a defensive play by catcher Joe DeForge. He caught a pop up behind the plate for the second out when the lead 
off batter came to the plate. As a result, the visitors went three up and three down in the sixth inning.
The last hurrah for the visitors came in the seventh inning. Speedy Freddy Gonzalez hit a Texas Leaguer beyond second base and wound up with a stand up double. He scored on a Wayne Mundy single. Sam Harrell and Jack Valliere each had base hits afterwards. The bases remained loaded when the final out of the inning was made on a grounder hit back to pitcher Marvin Taylor. The home seventh displayed good hitting and excellent defense. Lead off batter Doug Chamlee got aboard on 
a misplayed ball in the outfield to begin the frame. Jaime Rivera then lined out to leftfielder Chuck Duff. Chuck had to run back and towards the leftfield foul line and completely extend his glove arm to make the catch. Marvin Taylor followed that great catch with a single to advance Doug to third. Larry Wells drove Doug home on a base hit while Marvin moved to second. The last batter in the order lined to third baseman Jack Valliere before the lead off batter singled. Leftfielder
Chuck Duff fielded the ball and threw a strike to relay man and shortstop Wayne Mundy. Wayne fired to catcher Joe DeForge for the force out at home.
The final three runs scored in the home eighth. Lead off batter Roger Edwards singled and tagged up to second on a deep fly out by Doug Chamlee. Left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez covers a tremendous amount of ground and he ran back to get that one. After Jaime Rivera singled and Marvin Taylor had an RBI base hit, Larry Wells smashed a deep double over defending leftfielder Chuck Duff to drive in the second run. That was the deepest ball Larry has hit in the league up to this point. He has power in his swing as he proved with that blast. Catcher Joe DeForge caught his second foul behind the plate when Bill Spring batted. The last out of the frame took place when leftfielder Chuck Duff threw out the base runner at third on a single. The runner from second wasn't forced to third so it was ill advised for him to run and a surprise to Chuck that he took off to third. The visiting ninth saw only four batters step to the plate. Sam Harrell doubled for the only hit. Sam ended the day batting 4 for 6 with a double as did Wayne Mundy. Freddy Gonzalez also went 4 for 6 and had a homer and a double. LEADING HITTER: Marvin Taylor - 6 for 7. Fred Dampier will be out of commission for six weeks due to an injury in Lakeland on Monday morning. Fred was on second base when a ball was hit up the middle. He headed for third with plans to round the base and look back to see where the ball was in play. About seven or eight feet from third and running full speed, Fred noticed the third baseman was positioning himself at third for the throw and crouching down with his glove low to make the catch. Fred was already too close to third to slide so he tried to stop quickly by putting on his brakes while running fully upright. As a result, the left ankle was twisted. After viewing the x-rays, the doctor at Bond Clinic diagnosed partial tears with three ligaments. Fred is wearing a boot and he will be out for six weeks. There was never a throw to third. Whether intentional or not, fielders should be aware of a threat of injury to base runners when fielders try to slow down the runner. The third baseman in the game this morning "deeked" the runner coming to third when another base runner was directly behind him and also headed to third. Please, infielders, don't practice this deceiving play. It isn't legal in Florida Half Century ball and it isn't legal in morning ball. August 26th - Although there has been stormy weather and plenty of rain within Polk County, one field was playable enough for a game. Everyone assembled on Field "A" for the game this morning, and only one ball sailed over the short 225' fence for a ground rule double.
It took an extra inning for the home team to win in this nail biter. Rich Palmer recorded the win against opposing pitcher Marvin Taylor.
The contest today was an exciting to watch. It contained some timely hitting, a few notable fielding plays, and it went down to the wire to determine a winner. It took 10 innings for the home team to reign and be declared the victor. Reg Barnes, holding one of the hot 
bats in the game, began with a lead off gapper triple in the short park. He scored when the following batter drove a sacrifice fly to left centerfielder Ron Thompson. Don Witmer singled and advanced to second on an errant throw to the infield. Bob Zelazny then collected an RBI base hit and would later score. Jack Valliere singled after the second out was made on another fly out to Ron Thompson. Eddie Diaz drove Bob home when he actually had an opposite field hit. He doesn't hit many to the other side of the field. Way to go Eddie.
Ron fielded the ball hit by Eddie and relayed it to rover Doug Chamlee, who threw out the astonished Jack Valliere at home. Catcher Lee Baker took the perfect throw from Doug. That was the third out in the inning, so the visiting team scored three runs in their half. The home team banged out seven hits in the bottom of the first to take a 5-3 lead after one inning of play was in the books. After the first batter flew out to right centerfielder Eddie Diaz, Ron Thompson pounded a ball down the line. By the time rightfielder Les Wolff was able to track down the ball and relay it to the infield, Ron was pulling in at third with a triple. He scored when Wayne Mundy hit a rope to the opposite field for a double, and then Wayne scored on a Bob Christiansen base hit. Both Wayne and Bob were a potent duo today as they hit a combined 8 for 8 with 3 doubles. The inning continued when pitcher Rich Palmer 
contributed an RBI single, Doug Chamlee doubled, and both Larry Powell and Sam Harrell had RBI singles.
The top of the second went rather quickly due to a nice double play, but not before Dick Sessink doubled and scored on a Les Wolff base hit. With Les at second base because of a fielding error and Larry Wells at first from the gift, Bill Spring lined out to shortstop Wayne Mundy for the second out. Wayne fired to rover Doug Chamlee at second to catch the retreating Les for the double play. Nice play and quick thinking, Wayne. The same five batters who scored in the home first also crossed the plate in the third inning. Wayne Mundy, Bob Christiansen, and Larry Powell all had two RBIs, since they all drove in one run apiece in each of their two at bats. The RBI by Larry came from a sacrifice fly in the third. Doug Chamlee cranked the only ball over the short fence this morning when he doubled to centerfield. Reg Barnes began the visiting fifth with his second triple of the game and scored his third run in three at bats. Pitcher Marvin Taylor drove in two runs with a double and he touched home when Eddie Diaz singled. Going into the bottom of the fifth, the visiting team took the lead with a 12-10 score. The home fifth was short but two runs crossed the plate to tie the score at 12-12. With one out, Wayne Mundy was on first after a two RBI single. Bob Christiansen slammed a line drive to left centerfield and Wayne received some ill-gotten information to advance to third on the hit. Eddie Diaz fielded the ball and threw to shortstop Don Witmer. Don threw a strike to third baseman Jack Valliere, who applied the tag for the second out. 
Rich Palmer followed with a single but the base runner was hit before the ball scooted to the outfield. What could have been a huge inning was cut short on the base paths.
Three scored in the visitor's seventh frame. Bill Spring got aboard when the third baseman booted a 
grounder. The runner for Bill made it to third on another hit by Reg Barnes. Both runners scored but the inning ended when speedy Jack Valliere grounded into a double play. Although very close, the call by volunteer umpire Chuck Duff was right on the money. Jack hit a grounder up the middle that was fielded by rover Doug Chamlee. Doug flipped the ball to shortstop Wayne Mundy, and Wayne put a little extra on the throw to first baseman Ed Neymyer to nip Jack by a hair.
The home eighth could have been much more productive had it not been for an super over-the-head catch by left centerfielder Bob Zelazny. After one run had already scored, there were runners at first and third when Doug Chamlee cranked a ball over Bob's head. Bob ran back and reached up at just the right time to make the grab for the third out. Nice catch Bob. Going into the ninth and final inning of regulation play, the score stood at 15-13 in favor of the visiting team. Home team pitcher Rich Palmer quickly struck out the last two batters in the visiting line up for the first two outs. The next batter flew out to right centerfielder Rich Moots for the three up, three down inning. Needing two to tie and three to win, the home team began with a single from the bat of Larry Powell. Frank Acevedo doubled and Sam Harrell collected a base hit to drive in Larry. Now it was one run in and one to go for the tie. The next batter chalked up a K in the scorebook for the first out of the frame while Frank was still standing at third and hungry to score the tying run. Rich Moots batted next and forced Sam Harrell at second for the second out but Frank did score on the play. Now the game was tied 15-15 with Rich at first with the potential winning run. However, it was not going to happen. The next batter also struck out. Four guys stepped in the batter's box in the visiting tenth inning and one run scored. Don Witmer hit a gapper triple and he reached third only because of his smart base running skills. He saw that he could take third because a weaker arm took the relay throw from the outfield. Don scored when Bob Zelazny hit a sacrifice fly to leftfielder Vassurl Bess. Going into the bottom on the extra inning, the visitors clung to a 16-15 lead. The bottom of the tenth started out with a Joe DeForge single. After Joe tipped his cap and took a pinch runner at first, the next batter flew out to right centerfielder Eddie Diaz. Rich Moots, running for Joe, wasn't able to advance on the short fly ball. Left handed hitter Ron Thompson then hit a ball down the rightfield line for at least a double. Les Wolff chased the ball down and threw it in as Ron was heading to third. Ron rounded third and watched the throw to home plate as Rich was trying to score. Rich did score the tying run because the catcher couldn't hold onto the ball. As the ball trickled back to the fence behind home, Ron rushed in for the winning run. What a finish to an exciting game! The home team won 17-16. LEADING HITTERS: Wayne Mundy - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles. Bob Christiansen - 4 for 4 with 1 double. Reg Barnes - 4 for 5 with 2 triples. Eddie Diaz - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Dick Sessink - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Sam Harrell - 3 for 4. Rich Palmer - 3 for 4. Ron Thompson returned to the old ball field after spending some time in Michigan with his son, who was injured in an accident. Ron expressed his thanks for all who prayed for his family during this ordeal. His son is expected to have a full recovery. Welcome back, Ron. Quote of the day: "I'm not there!!!" In the fourth inning of the game today, Ed Neumyer singled and lefty Rich Moots stepped to the plate. Dick Sessink fielded a grounder from the bat of Rich and threw the ball to shortstop Don Witmer, who was covering second, for the force out on Ed. Then Dick shouted his quote while shortstop Don was taking the throw and intending to toss it back to first for the double play. Everyone in the park heard Dick's warning and he endured some friendly kidding for about an inning after the play. August 29th - A few more players showed up for the game today but the regulation sized fields are still too wet for play. The guys hit on the short field for the second consecutive game and several ground rule doubles flew over the 225' fence.
Dick Sessink was on the mound for the winning team of the three squads. That team scored 13 and allowed seven runs while on defense. The win by Dick improves his record to 11-8 as a pitcher since the off season began on April 1st. Rich Palmer, pitching for Team One, gave up 12 runs and his team scored seven. Marvin Taylor hurled for the team that scored 12 and surrendered 13 runs.
Team Three looked to be the best offensive team going into the game but it took until the bottom of the seventh to prove they had enough hitters to win t he game. All three teams looked good in the first. The second batter for Team One, Roger Edwards, bashed the first ball over the fence for a double. By the end of the day, Roger had hit three out of the park. Jack Valliere drove Roger home after the opening frame double. Jack also scored before the inning was over. Not much offense was displayed for Team Two in the first but one run crossed the plate. Lead off hitter Reg Barnes reached base on an error and scored when Jaime Rivera pounded a double that stayed in the park. Jaime remained at second when the inning ended because first baseman Rusty Landahl made a nice scoop 
of a ball thrown in the dirt for the third out. Nice grab Rusty.
Jose Agosto started it off for Team Three with a gapper double. He ended the day getting on base four times. He went 4 for 5 as a lead off hitter. Jose scored on a double down the rightfield line from the bat of Ron Thompson. Chris Constantine drove Ron in with a line drive double over the leftfield fence. After the first three batters smashed doubles, it was time for the clean up batter to make his first appearance at the plate. A double it wasn't for Eddie Diaz but it was an RBI single. The first out of the inning was made when Dick Sessink hit a sinking liner towards centerfield. Right centerfielder fill in Roger Edwards charged in and made a diving catch. Way to go Roger. That catch deflated Team Three and the next two batters also recorded outs to end the frame. At the end of one inning of play, the score was 2-1-3. A super defensive play was accomplished in the middle of the third inning. Frank Acevedo had doubled in a run and was standing on second base with one out when Jaime Rivera stepped to the plate. Jaime hit a hard ground ball to rover Chris Constantine, who was playing on the third base side of second. Frank moved a few feet off second to attempt Chris to think about his throw so Jaime could make it safely to first. Chris faked a throw to first and spun around quickly for a tag on Frank before he could return to the bag. That was a sparkling play on Chris' behalf. Since the first three batters scored for the third team in the first, the remaining five hitters in the eight man lineup scored in the third. Six consecutive hits were pounded out for the five runs. Eddie Diaz doubled inside the park and Jose Agosto ended with a double to 
drive in two runs. In between, singles were hit by Dick Sessink, Gale Doty, Larry Wells, and Gene Baker.
At the end of three innings, Team Three had built up comfortable lead. The score was 2-2-8. The second team made a charge in the fifth as they scored three times. Speedy Freddy Gonzalez hit his first of three doubles when he legged it out to second. He has hit 43 doubles in the off season. The closest 
behind Freddy in doubles is Fred Dampier with 29. Of the three doubles hit by Freddy this morning, one of them was hit over the fence and two were the result of his speed.
Freddy scored on a Frank Acevedo single. A clutch hit by pitcher Marvin Taylor drove in two runs. Afterwards, Rich Moots singled but was stranded on first at the end of the inning. Heading into the bottom of the fifth, the score was 2-5-8. Team Two, the sleeping giant, was beginning to awaken. Team Three jumped on the boards with four runs in the bottom of the fifth to widen their lead on the competition. Two runs scored on a sacrifice fly to rightfield that was hit by Eddie Diaz. Gene Baker got his second hit of the day in the inning and he crossed home the two times he reached base. When the inning was complete, the score was 2-5-12 and Team Three had more runs than the other two teams combined. Team One had been completely quiet since the first inning as they strung together four zeroes on the scoreboard. The sixth was a bit different. Rusty Laldahl began with a base hit and scored a run when batter Joe DeForge hit into a seemingly routine double play. The throw was wide to second and the runner for Rusty ran all the way home after the misplay. With two outs in the books at that point and only one run on the board, Roger Edwards hit his third double over the fence to put runners on the corners. Jack Valliere came through with a single to drive in two runs. A base hit by pitcher Rich Palmer drove Jack home. A costly error allowed three more runs to cross home plate and Team One now had six runs in the game. A huge seventh inning by Team Two tied the score with the third squad. Five runs were needed to reach the 12 runs that were already accumulated by Team Three. The big hit of the inning, which tied the score, was a two out base knock by Frank Acevedo that drove in two runs. At the end of the day, Frank lead all hitters with five runs batted in and that was accomplished with three clutch hits. One more note about the middle of the sixth is worthy to be noted. Spry old Bill Spring collected a hit in the frame and ended the day going 2 for 3 with a walk. Going into the bottom of the seventh, the score was 6-7-12. The finish of the game was rather anticlimactic because the lone run needed to win the game crossed the plate as a result of two errors. The runner who scored had gotten aboard on an infield error and he went home on a dropped ball in the outfield. C'est la vie - such is life. Final score: 7-12-13. LEADING HITTERS: Roger Edwards - 4 for 5 with 3 doubles. Jose Agosto - 4 for 5 with 2 doubles. Marvin Taylor - 3 for 4. Fred Dampier passed out forms to all the ball players this morning. The one page form, covering the front and back of the page, is a questionnaire about the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club members work history, family names (wife and children), schooling, and military service dates and places. There is also a comment section to put accomplishments such as softball championships in the past before senior softball or during senior softball, as well as anything else worth mentioning for others to read. If necessary, the player can add another sheet of paper for additional comments. The form will be used for a possible book that will allow for the guys to get to know each other a little better. No questions on the form need to be answered if the member doesn't want to provide information. As players come back for the season, the form will be available to fill out and return to Fred Dampier. |
July 2008