September 2nd - The new month rolled in with sunny skies and a comfortable breeze. Florida was spared from the wrath of Hurricane Gustav, which went inland at Houma, Louisiana. Tropical Storm Hanna is waiting in the wings and slowly chugging its way here.
Rich Palmer pitched for the winning team in the three team contest this morning. His off season record is now 14-8. Dick Sessink and Eddie Diaz were the other two pitchers of record.
| Diaz | 4 0 1 | 0 3 0 | 4 = 12 | ||||||||
| Palmer | 0 1 4 | 4 2 2 | 0 = 13 | ||||||||
| Sessink | 1 0 2 | 0 4 0 | 1 = 8 |
The first team started the fireworks today. Bob Zelazny, the second batter in the lineup, smoked a hard liner towards right centerfielder Ed Neumyer. Ed chased the ball all the way to the fence as Bob circled the bases for an inside-the-park homer. John Fulton singled before the shot and easily scored. Don Witmer, Chuck Duff, and Bob Christiansen followed up the homer with back-to-back-to-back singles. Bob collected an RBI from his base hit. Gale Doty finished the offensive output with an RBI single. In all, four runs scored in the top of the first. Team One looked strong and appeared to be the team to beat.
Teams One and Three failed to score in the second.
Rover Jack Valliere showed off his fielding abilities when he snagged a line drive that was hit by Gene Baker. Jack had to run back and reach high to catch the potential hit over second base.
By the time the middle of the third rolled around, Team One had a lead of 5-1-1. The top of the line up began the middle of the inning for Team Two. Vassurl Bess hit a clean shot over the infield for a single and Elvis Abney also got a hit. Wayne Mundy got a ribbie when he banged out a hit with a runner in scoring position.
The big hit of the inning was a bases loaded double by Doug Chamlee. All three base runners scored when Doug went to the opposite field on his swing.
Going into the bottom of the third, the score stood at 5-5-1.
Team Three scored two runs in the third but the defense failed mounds man Rich Palmer. Two errors were made on one hit but the single by Dean Schapeler did drive in a run.
The first team didn't make much of an impact in the fourth. No runs scored but Lee Baker had his second consecutive hit in the game. Lee hit the ball well this morning and looked sharp at the plate. He ended the day with a 2 for 4 performance and one of the outs was a line drive that almost made it past the middle of the infield.
Team Two began to rise to the top when they put four more runs on the scoreboard in the fourth. Three players scored for the second time in two innings. Vassurl Bess and Wayne Mundy both had hits and runs, while Freddy Gonzalez reached base on a fielder's choice and scored two times in two frames. A two run single by Ron Thompson topped off the scoring opportunities for Team Two.
Heading into the bottom of the fourth, the score was 5-9-3.
Only three batters came to the plate in the last of the fourth. Now was the time for a defensive show. First baseman Rusty Landahl caught a liner from the bat of Ed Neumyer for the first out. Standing at a towering 6' 8" tall, Rusty can cover a lot of ground with his wing span. Every infielder is quite comfortable when they know Rusty is partolling first base for the team.
Left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez charged in hard to
make a low catch on a ball hit by Joel Freedman for the second out of the three up, three down inning. Freddy took a base hit right out of Joel's hands on that grab.
The first team came within one run of a tie after they finished batting in the fifth. A two run single by pitcher Eddie Diaz helped his cause. Chuck Duff had singled and Bob Christiansen had doubled before the hit by Eddie.
Going into the middle of the fifth, the score stood at 8-9-3.
Two more runs crossed the plate in the middle of the fifth. Team Two wanted the win after fighting back for a tie in the third and a lead in the fourth. Rusty Landahl and Rich Palmer both scored after getting aboard with base hits.
Team Three had been rather quiet and had only three runs until they batted in the fifth inning. Sam Harrell scored first after he reached base on a dropped ball in the outfield. Dean Schapeler hit a bases loaded single to score Sam and Chris Constantine. Chris and Jim Laffoon had singled earlier. Jim pulled in at third on the hit by Dean. Jack Valliere drove Jim home but was forced at third base for the last out of the inning.
Four runs came home in the bottom of the fifth and the score was 8-11-7 at that point.
Freddy Gonzalez pulled off another sparkling catch in the bottom of the sixth inning. Sam Harrell hit a sinking line drive to the outfield but speedy Freddy raced in to make a shoestring grab.
The first team needed five runs for a tie as they came to bat in the top of the last frame. Don Witmer began with a double and glided to third when Chuck Duff singled. Don scored on a Rich Moots single and Chuck went home when Gale Doty singled. Gene Baker drove in the fourth run with a base hit but they were one run shy of the tie.
The game was capped off in the bottom of the seventh when a runner was thrown out at home plate. Jack Valliere singled to score Jim Laffoon but the third base coach chanced it and sent Dean Schapeler scrambling home from second base. Right fielder Les Wolff fielded the base hit and threw to cut off man Wayne Mundy. Wayne fired a strike to
home plate catcher Joe DeForge to cut Dean down at the dish.
Dean was sent home with one out and the team down by five runs.
LEADING HITTERS:
Chuck Duff - 4 for 4 with 1 double.
Bob Christiansen - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Reg Barnes - 3 for 4.
Gale Doty - 3 for 4.
Dean Schapeler - 3 for 4.
Joe DeForge was the first to return the "Player Data" form that was passed out by Fred Dampier at the last game. Please return the form to Fred after filling it out. Remember to put the year joined after the player name. It was mentioned when the form was given to everyone. There is no hurry to turn in the form but please don't put it off until too much later.
Jack Donnelly returned from Northfield, Ohio. He didn't play today but did come out to observe the game. Welcome back Jack.
Morty Dermer also dropped by the old ballpark and watched most of the game. Morty used to play in the league and had umpired in recent years. It was nice to see you Morty.
A new prospective player joined in on the game. Bernie Mohan was introduced to the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club by member and neighbor Dean Schapeler. Bernie is a retired policeman from Brooklyn, New York.
September 5th - As Tropical Storm Hanna moves up the east coast of Florida, Winter Haven is feeling the effects of the storm. There was about a 10 MPH wind with cloudy skies. The game was delayed for 10 minutes when the showers hit the fields before the first player in the bottom of the sixth batted.
The game was called before the bottom of the seventh when the rains returned.
| Thompson | 5 2 3 | 0 0 5 | 0 = 15 | ||||||||
| Palmer | 3 0 3 | 1 1 0 | 0 = 10 | ||||||||
| Diaz | 1 0 0 | 1 2 0 | = 4 |
Although Ron Thompson was the overall winner of the three game contest, the pitcher for the second team also recorded a win. Rich Palmer had arguably the best pitching outing this morning. His team scored 10 runs for him while he allowed only four runs in the game. Good pitching performance Rich.
Everyone in the line up for Team One batted in the top of the first inning. Reg Barnes initiated the rally with a lead off triple out of the reach of right centerfielder Jaime Rivera. Jose Agosto drove in the first of his three RBIs when he singled in the same direction. After the first
out was made on a pop up to rover Sam Harrell, Don Witmer drew a walk and Doug Chamlee singled. Jack Valliere doubled and scored the fifth run when Gene Baker got a base hit.
The middle of the first went well, too. Vassurl Bess was patient at the plate as he walked. He was chased around the bases when Freddy Gonzalez doubled. Before the inning was over, Rusty Landahl banged out a base hit and Rich Palmer singled in the third run.
The only score in the home first inning was from a solo inside-the-park homer by Bob Zelazny. He hit a towering fly ball over defending leftfielder John Fulton. In between Bob's massive hit were outs because only four batters came to the plate in the bottom of the first.
Team One added to their lead in the second and third innings. Two runs scored on two hits, a walk, and a couple of fielding errors in the second frame. Doug Chamlee drove in both runs with a line drive single to right centerfield.
In the top of the third, three more runs came home. Two lead off walks scored. Both Joel Freedman and Gene Baker were eagle eyed and drew free passes. Ron Thompson drove in one of the walks with a bloop single just beyond second baseman Larry Wells. Don Witmer followed that hit with a gapper triple.
Heading into the middle of the third, the score was 10-3-1 as Team One displayed some hot bats up to that point.
Team Two had a good lineup and brought out their power in the middle of the third. After Rich Moots singled, Freddy Gonzalez smashed a low strike deep to straight centerfield for an inside-the-park homer. Roger Edwards followed up that drive with one of his own. He crushed a deep triple to left centerfield. Roger may have run out of steam by the time he reached third because he pulled in for more gas just as the ball was approaching the cut off man standing
in the grass behind second base. Roger scored on a shortstop to first groundout.
By the time the dust had settled in the middle of the third frame, the score stood at 10-6-1.
The home team played small ball in the fourth inning. Leadoff hitter Dick Sessink placed a line drive single into the outfield and advanced to second when Eddie Diaz singled. Dick ended the day batting 1.000 as he went 2 for 2 with a walk. He scored the lone run when Sam Harrell hit into a fielder's choice.
The first team was at it again in the sixth. They added five more to their lead. A two out single by Jose Agosto drove in two runs. In fact, all five runs crossed the plate after the second out had been recorded. Don Witmer singled in the fifth run.
The second team had the same sort of inning as the beginning frame for Team Three as four batters came to the plate in the middle of the fifth and one had a homer. The first two flew out. The first out was caught by right centerfielder Les Wolff and the second out was caught by fill in leftfielder Bob Zelazny on a super grab. Bob had to swiftly charge to his left and stretch out his glove hand to make the nab.
The next batter, Roger Edwards, drove a ball deep to left centerfield for an inside-the-park solo homer. The fourth batter popped up to third baseman Jack Valliere but the catch was far from routine. Jack ran towards the foul fence to the side of third base and reached up to make the grab. The catch was made near the fence so it did come into play.
Second baseman Reg Barnes made an super catch in the sixth inning. The batter who was robbed of a hit was Rich Palmer. Rich hit a line drive up the middle and Reg came out of nowhere to leap up to haul in the ball. Nice catch Reg.
The dark skies finally decided to water the field before Larry Wells could step to the plate in the bottom of the sixth inning. The players ducked for cover as the showers wetted down the field. After a 10 minute delay, play was resumed.
In the top of the seventh and last inning, two nice defensive plays were pulled off by the defense of Team Two. Doug Chamlee came to the plate and hit a frozen rope but shortstop Frank Acevedo got an excellent jump on the ball and reacted quickly to make the catch. Jack Valliere then came to bat. He hit a ball that no one in the park thought was going to be caught. Second baseman Larry Wells ran back to make an extraordinary back handed grab on the Texas Leaguer hit. Way to go Larry.
The rains came again before Bob Zelazny came to the plate to begin the bottom of the seventh. Everyone decided to call it a day - except probably Bob Zelazny. He gripped his bat in the dugout for a while but resigned to the fact the game wasn't going to continue when the angled rain began wetting down the first base dugout.
Quote of the day: Eddie Diaz was in the dugout and reliving a play that occurred earlier this year in Winter Haven. He said that someone hit a swinging bunt and four defensive players surrounded the ball and watched it roll down the line to see if it was going to go foul. After the ball came to a stop in fair territory while the four guys watched the ball, Eddie said "They looked like four elephants watching a peanut." Good one Eddie!
LEADING HITTERS:
Dick Sessink - 2 for 2 with 1 walk.
Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 4 with 1 homer & 2 doubles.
Roger Edwards - 3 for 4 with 1 homer & 1 triple.
Ted Granoski came out and umpired behind the plate this morning. He is still on the DL after having back surgery 15 months ago. Also, Chuck Duff bypassed playing in the game today and worked the bases as an umpire. Thank you Ted and Chuck.
One of the Winter Haven News Chief newspaper photographers, Paul Crate, came out to the old ballpark and took some shots of Joe DeForge in action. The photos will be a part of an Active Lifestyles article that will appear in the September 20th edition of the News Chief. Joe was interviewed on Wednesday afternoon for Active Lifestyles, which profiles active senior citizens over the age of 63.
News Chief correspondent Andrea Cruz contacted Fred Dampier via
email after performing a Google search on the Internet and finding the website for the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Andrea and Fred communicated with several emails as Andrea was told about the softball program and some of the senior members. Joe DeForge was suggested for an interview because he has been in the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club since 1989 and is the second oldest member who resides in Winter Haven year round.
Joe DeForge is still enthusiastic about the game after all those years and is well liked by all the senior softball members. He managed for several years during season play and the teams he piloted performed well during those years.
A huge thank you is extended to the News Chief, with special thanks to Andrea Cruz, for providing exposure to the community through the newspaper.
Be sure to look for the Active Lifestyles insert in the News Chief on Septermber 20th and read about Joe DeForge and senior softball in Winter Haven.
We are all proud of you Joe.
September 9th - There were almost enough players for two fields. Just a few more were needed. Twelve players made up one team in the three team game this morning.
Marvin Taylor pitched for the team that wiped out the competition. That team scored 19 runs. Joe Teach was on the mound for the team that allowed 19 runs and scored nine. Rich Palmer only allowed five runs but surrendered nine while on defense.
| Teach | 5 0 1 | 0 0 3 | 0 = 9 | ||||||||
| M.Taylor | 3 1 2 | 4 5 4 | 0 = 19 | ||||||||
| Palmer | 0 1 3 | 0 0 0 | 1 = 5 |
Although Team Two was the highest scoring team by far today, it was Team One who jumped out of the gates with an offensive explosion. Eddie Diaz was inserted into the lead off spot and came through with a 2 for 3 game. He started the rally with a single. Big Bill Walker, who also ended the day going 2 for 3, banged out a double. With two runners in scoring position, Jim Laffoon singled in the first run but Bill didn't quite
have the speed to score from second. The next batter drove in a run when the opposing shortstop muffed a ball. With one out, Reg Barnes singled in the fourth run and a base hit by Walt Leggett was the final blow of the frame as the fifth run touched home on that hit.
Team Two didn't push across five runs but did answer with three. Joe Teach is a new pitcher and had some problems finding the zone to begin the game. He walked Jack Valliere
and Wayne Mundy to begin the first for Team Two. Freddy Gonzalez doubled Jack home. The one-two punch of Jack and Wayne worked out well today. Each went 2 for 3 and five runs scored between them.
The final two runs scored on an infielder's error and a ground out.
The third team couldn't quite get uncorked for almost the entire game. Four batters came to the plate in the first and only John Fulton managed a hit.
Jim McPartlan walked and scored on a Gale Doty base hit for the only run for Team Two in the second. Gale ended the day with five RBIs as he drove in runs on every opportunity he had when he batted.
Team Three got on the board in the second frame. Chris Constantine singled and scored when Rich Palmer got a base hit. Rich Moots, who had singled, was cut down at the plate as he tried to score on the base hit. Three fielders recorded assists on the play. Left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez relayed the ball to shortstop Wayne Mundy. Wayne saw that he may have a play at third and threw to Jack Valliere but the throw was a bit late. In the meantime, Rich continued home. Jack fired the ball to catcher Bernie Mohan for the out. Whew! It took longer to explain it than it did for the play to develop and take place.
At the end of two innings, the score was 5-4-1.
All three teams put runs on the board in the third and all the teams were close in the scoring through three innings.
Team One got their sixth run of the game on a deep double from the bat of Bob Zelazny, his first of two doubles while going 2 for 3. Jim Laffoon scored the lone run and finished scoring three times in the game with his 2 for 3 performance.
Rightfielder Vassurl Bess made a sparkling catch for the first out in the top
of the third. He had to use all of his speed to run in and grab a large pop up by big Bill Walker.
The second team knotted the score at six when they managed two runs in the third. Jack Valliere produced his second consecutive single and second run when Dick Sessink knocked him in on a 4-6 fielder's choice. Dick got on base every time and drove in three runs this morning. Doug Chamlee singled in a run and he ended the game with four RBIs. Those two guys contributed in a big way this morning.
The third team had their best inning in the bottom of the third. The first batter
got aboard on an infield error and the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice. With one out, the lead off man hit a liner towards second. Second baseman Gale Doty reached as high as his arm could extend and his perfect timing took a base hit away from Vassurl Bess.
Now there were two outs and Team Three had yet to push a run across the plate in the frame. Ron Thompson came through in the clutch when he hit one of his patented doubles down the first base line. Ron finished the day going 2 for 3. The following batter reached on a fielding error and drove in the second run. Chris Constantine singled in the third and final run of the frame.
The game was tight at the end of three innings. The score stood at 6-6-4.
Team Two poured it on for the next three frames. Every batter except one scored at least one run as the team scored four in the fourth, five in the fifth, and four in the sixth inning. Doug Chamlee and Jim McPartlan scored two runs apiece.
One nice defensive play was made in the fifth inning. Eddie Diaz hit a hard grounder to the righfield side of second baseman Les Wolff. Les displayed quick reflexes as he scooped the ball like an veteran infielder and tossed to first baseman Rusty Landahl for the out. Good play Les.
The last hurrah for the first team came in the sixth. Bob Zelazny doubled in Bill Walker and Jim Laffoon. Bob then scored on a Reg Barnes hit. Even though three runs crossed the plate and Team One had nine runs, they were still 10 behind the leaders at the completion of the inning - and at the completion of the game.
It is appropriate to note that Joel Freedman and Rusty Landahl each went 2 for the during the game but weren't previously mentioned since neither player scored or drove in a run today.
LEADING HITTERS:
Reg Barnes - 3 for 3.
Chris Constantine - 3 for 4.
John Fulton - 3 for 4.
Walt Leggett returned to play after an absence from the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club for over a year. Walt had surgery on both knees and is able to play ball again. Welcome back Walt.
Ed Neumyer was kind enough to supply the players with sodas this morning. He pulled his vehicle in the complex and unloaded a big cooler for the guys. Thank you for the refreshments Ed.
The 70s division of the Florida Half Century tournament played in Lakeland this past weekend. Jose Agosto manages and plays on the American Legion Post 8 team. They won their division with a 4-0 record. In all, the team scored 63 runs in 22 innings. Wow!
Post 8 run ruled two teams during the four games. One final score was 15-3 and that game was played on Saturday. On Sunday, Post 8 came back and run ruled a team 30-15. The final out of that game occured when the opposition hit a single to rightfielder Sam Harrell. Needing two runs to continue the game, one run scored but Sam cut the runner down at home when he threw the ball to catcher Marvin Taylor to end the game.
Here is a photo of Post 8 after the fourth game. Jose Agosto is shown displaying the plaque for winning the division.
Members of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club who are teammates on the the American Legion Post 8 tournament team are Jose Agosto, Doug Chamlee, John Fulton, Sam Harrell, Wayne Mundy, Dick Sessink, Marvin Taylor, and Ron Thompson.
Congratulations guys.
September 12th - The temperature gauge registered at 85° F towards the end of the game this morning and the sky was overcast throughout the morning.
Rich Palmer pitched for the team that scored the most runs in the three team contest. Marvin Taylor was on the mound as that team outscored the opposition while on defense. Dick Sessink drew the starting job for the team whose offense couldn't quite get uncorked today.
| Palmer | 3 2 1 | 1 0 7 | 7 = 21 | ||||||||
| M.Taylor | 3 2 0 | 5 4 0 | 1 = 15 | ||||||||
| Sessink | 0 0 0 | 2 1 0 | 1 = 4 |
Three teams were scheduled to play but it seemed that only two teams brought their bats. The third team managed only four runs for the entire game. The team batting average for the game was .353 as the team went a paltry 12 for 34. Two of the guys in the lineup got exactly one half of the hits for the team. Freddy Gonzalez went 4 for 4 and Reg Barnes finished with a 2 for 2 day.
Teams One and Two battled back and forth right up to the last inning. Team One began with three runs in the first. Big Bill Walker and Jim Laffoon each singled before Bob DiPietro doubled in one run. A base hit by Doug Chamlee brought in the other two runs. Doug ended the day with five RBIs as he drove in every runner who was in scoring position when he batted.
Team Two matched the first team when they pushed across three runs. Pitcher Marvin Taylor began with a hot bat
as he singled. Powerful Chuck Duff banged out his first of four extra base hits when he doubled. Roger Edwards was the RBI man for Team Two. He emulated Doug Chamlee and drove in runners in scoring position on every opportunity. Roger ended with five RBIs too. With two runs in and two outs in the books, Chris Constantine doubled and then scored on a Rusty Landahl base hit.
Both Team One and Team Two scored two more in the second frame. Larry Wells hit well today as he went 4 for 5. He singled in the second and Lee Baker drew a walk A single by Eddie Diaz knocked in the two runs. Eddie hit the ball solid all game long and he finished with four RBIs.
Team Two again matched the first team. This time, both teams each produced two runs. Jack Valliere batted first and
connected for an opposite field double and scored when Larry Powell doubled. Larry advanced to third on a Marvin Taylor base hit and scored when Roger Edwards singled.
Shortstop Jim Laffoon made a super catch when Gene Baker came to bat with no outs in the scorebook. Gene hit a "Texas Leaguer" that looked to be out of reach to all fielders. Jim thought otherwise. He made an acrobatic catch as he ran back and reached over his shoulder to make the grab.
At the end of two innings of play, the score stood at 5-5-0.
The first team scored their lone run on three hits. Larry Wells hit a line drive single down the third base line and drove Doug Chamlee home on that hit. After Team Two was shutdown in the third, the score after three frames was 6-5-0.
A nice catch highlighted the top of the fourth inning. Left handed batter Bob DiPietro came to bat and smashed a screaming line drive down the rightfield line. Joel Freedman alertly had a bead on the hit and he snagged the hard hit ball. A loud pop in Joel's first baseman mitt confirmed the catch.
The second team finally surged into the lead with five runs in the fourth. Hit after hit after hit accounted for the runs. All were line drive frozen ropes. Chuck Duff doubled and scored on a Roger Edwards hit. Chris Constantine doubled Roger in, Rusty Landahl singled Chris in, but it took two hits to drive in the pinch runner for Rusty. Ed Neumyer and Jack Valliere produced base hits. After Gene Baker walked, Larry Powell hit what seemed to be a line drive single to left centerfield. That wasn't the case, though. Left centerfielder Bob DiPietro scooped the ball and fired a strike to third baseman Bill Walker for the force out at third. That was the second out of the inning and the fifth and
final run of the frame scored on that fielder's choice.
At the end of four innings, Team Two lead 7-10-2.
The three run lead wasn't enough for Team Two so they scored four more in the fifth. Chuck Duff, Roger Edwards, and Chris Constantine each scored one run in the fourth and fifth innings.
The lead for Team Two increased to 7-14-3 after five innings were in the books and they were looking very strong. But, read on.
Every batter stepped into the box in the top of the sixth and the lead off hitter, Eddie Diaz, got to bat twice. He went 2 for 2 in that inning. Seven players in the 10 man lineup touched home plate. Besides the two singles by Eddie Diaz, big Bill Walker, Doug Chamlee, Sam Harrell, Rich Palmer, and Larry Wells each singled while Jim Laffoon and Bob DiPietro each doubled.
What a comeback for Team One! At the end of six innings of play, the score was 15-15-3.
Team One had turned the tides in the sixth inning and took that momentum into the seventh and last frame. Seven more runs scored. Four players crossed home in both the sixth and seventh innings. Jim Laffoon, Bob DiPietro, Doug Chamlee, and Sam Harrell each accomplished that feat.
The third out for Team One was recorded when Eddie Diaz crushed a ball and began racing around the bases. He approached third and was given the green light to charge home for an inside-the-park homer. But Eddie was running out of steam. He was cut down at home when elderly catcher Bill Spring caught the throw home from rover Ron Thompson. Right centerfielder Jerry Noble earned an assist on the play when he relayed the ball in to cut off man Ron.
The only run in the middle of the seventh came from a deep inside-the-park homer by Chuck Duff. The second out was recorded when Lee Baker made a fine defensive play. Lee was patrolling the second base area when Rusty Landahl hit a grounder in his direction. Lee vacuumed the ball and threw around the runner heading to second and into the glove of shortstop Jim Laffoon for the force out. Nice play Lee.
LEADING HITTERS:
Doug Chamlee - 5 for 5.
Freddy Gonzalez - 4 for 4 with 2 triples & 2 doubles.
Reg Barnes - 2 for 2 with 1 walk.
Eddie Diaz - 5 for 6 with 1 triple.
Chuck Duff - 4 for 5 with 1 homer & 3 doubles.
Jim Laffoon - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Roger Edwards - 4 for 5.
Larry Wells - 4 for 5.
Bob DiPietro was designated as one of the pinch runners this morning. He ran twice an inning for three innings. No sooner had he crossed home and sat down in the dugout, Bob was called back out to run for someone. The players should thank him for his endeavors.
Every person who can run for himself should put forth the effort and not request a pinch runner. If the eldest member of the senior softball program still wants to run for himself, maybe the guys who want runners should think twice before asking for help. On the other hand, medical conditions in a player or two does require a pinch runner so there are exceptions.
Jerry Noble returned from Sullivan, Maine. He was told the weather was nice and comfortable here in Winter Haven but he said the temperature in Maine was in the 60s with low humidity. Now THAT'S comfortable weather. Welcome back, Jerry.
September 16th - One of the teams ran away with the game from the beginning to the end. And what an ending they had! Dick Sessink was the appreciative pitcher on the mound for the winning team. Rich Palmer also recorded a win since that team scored 11 runs while allowing just six while on defense. Larry Powell pitched for the third team.
| Sessink | 4 3 5 | 2 5 3 |
 = 36 |
||||||||
| Palmer | 0 1 4 | 3 0 2 | 1 = 11 | ||||||||
| Powell | 3 3 0 | 0 0 0 | 0 = 6 |
Team One stomped the competition this morning and treated the other teams like red headed stepchildren. The three-four punch of Freddy Gonzalez and Dean Schapeler scored more runs combined than either of the opponents in the contest this morning. Freddy scored six runs and Dean crossed the plate seven times for a total of 13 runs to go along with their 11 hits. Freddy ended the day with two inside-the-park homers and two triples.
Eddie Diaz batted in the five hole and it first appeared there was a chink in the armor of the indestructible team. Eddie hit a sacrifice fly in his first trip to the plate and popped up to
third baseman Frank Acevedo in his second at bat. The scorekeeper was looking around for Cielo Diaz to take his place because she can probably hit the ball very well and who wouldn't want her on the team? To our dismay, she was nowhere to be found. Darnit! But Eddie did come around like a seasoned veteran in his last five at bats. After the sacrifice and pop up, he went five for five. One of his hits was an inning ending triple to drive in the fourth and fifth runs. If needed, he probably could have scored and accomplished an inside-the-park home run. Way to go Eddie.
Lead off hitter Wayne Mundy did his job, too. He batted eight times and had six hits. One of those six hits was an opposite field double.
Bill Spring came to the plate seven times for the winning team and was so patient at the plate that he
drew five walks. The runner for Bill scored four times.
Team Three started well with three in the first and three in the second. After that, opposing pitcher Rich Palmer strung up five goose eggs in-a-row against the hapless the home team.
In the first, Frank Acevedo, the second batter in the lineup for Team Three, connected for a base hit. Jim Laffoon batted next and crushed an inside-the-park homer between rightfielder Doug Chamlee and right centerfielder Vassurl Bess. The third run scored on back-to-back doubles by Bob Zelazny and John Fulton.
Three more runs crossed the plate in the bottom of the second. Two of the runs were scored by two players who also touched home in the first inning. Joe Teach singled but was forced when the next batter grounded out to shortstop Chris Constantine. Chris threw to fill in rover Wayne Mundy for the force out at second. Frank Acevedo walked after the second out was recorded in the books. Jim Laffoon, Bob Zelazny, John Fulton, and Gale Doty all singled as Frank and Jim each scored for the second time in two innings. Bob and John were stranded on the bases when the third out was made. The batter hit a fielder's choice grounder to second baseman Larry Wells to erase Gale from the base paths.
Team Two mounted their first big rally in the third frame when they pushed across four runs. At that point in the game, they were as close to Team One as they would get from that point forward. Team One had 12 runs by the third inning and Team Two had five.
Lead off hitter Jose Agosto started
the third with a single but was forced at second when second baseman Reg Barnes fielded a grounder and flipped to shortstop Wayne Mundy for the first out. Afterwards, Chris Constantine singled. Powerful Chuck Duff then hit a liner to the rover so hard that the fielder almost fell down. The chest high liner hit the glove but the rover was knocked backwards by the force of the line drive. Chuck hits the ball with authority. The next batter drove a sacrifice fly to right centerfielder Eddie Diaz to score the second run of the inning. Jack Valliere followed with an RBI single as did Rich Palmer. That concluded the scoring for Team Three in the third frame.
One of the most devastating final innings in recent history was recorded when Team One exploded for 14 runs in the seventh frame. Dean Schapeler, Eddie
Diaz, and Dick Sessink each went two for two with two singles while each scored two runs in the seventh. Rusty Landahl went two for two, scored twice, and had a double and a single. The double by Rusty was a deep fly that sailed way over the head of defending right centerfielder Vassurl Bess. He really pounded the ball that time! Great hit Rusty.
Freddy Gonzalez came to the plate three times in the last inning. The first time, he swung at a rather high pitch and smashed a triple. He had the same type of swing on the same kind of pitch in his second trip to the plate in the seventh. This time Freddy hit a two run inside-the-park homer. He chased Reg Barnes around the bases and caught him on the way home. High pitches are apparently in Freddy's wheel house.
Although the contest could be labeled as an offensive eruption, the game wasn't without some fine defensive plays as well. In the first inning, second baseman Reg Barnes reached high to nab a very hard line drive that was hit by Doug Chamlee. If that ball had been hit just a few inches further to one side, there wouldn't have been enough time to react and catch the ball.
In the fourth frame, first baseman Joe Teach got into the highlight reel when he made a very nice catch. Guess who the batter was on this defensive play? That's right - Reg Barnes! What comes around, goes around so Joe backed up and reached high to nab a ball hit by Reg.
In the bottom of the fourth, Larry Powell stepped to the plate and hit a line drive to the outfield that would have been a hit any other time. But not this time. Left centerfielder Chuck Duff sped in and reached knee high to grab the hard hit ball.
A nifty double play was pulled off in the sixth frame. Eddie Diaz had moved in from right centerfield because his ankle was giving him some problems. It was lucky for his team that move was made. With a runner on first base, Jack Valliere hit a grounder up the middle. Eddie cut it off, tagged second, and fired to first baseman Rusty Landahl for the DP on speedy Jack.
LEADING HITTERS:
Dean Schapeler - 6 for 6 with 1 walk.
Jim Laffoon - 4 for 4 with 1 homer.
Chuck Duff - 3 for 3 with 1 homer & 1 walk.
Rich Palmer - 3 for 3 with 1 walk.
Eddie Diaz - 5 for 6 with 1 triple (for the second consecutive game).
Wayne Mundy - 6 for 8 with 1 double.
One of our ballplayers has a birthday today. Rich Palmer celebrated his 79th birthday with a pitching win and a 3 for 3 batting performance this morning.
He was born in Burlington, Vermont on this date in 1929.
Happy birthday Rich, and many happy returns.
September 17th - With one day under the belt after the 36-11-6 slaughter, there has been enough time to reflect on the game and why one team was so dominate.
Everyone contributed in a big way but two players rose to the occasion and one player reached base more than expected. The two players who gave it 110% were Rusty Landahl and Eddie Diaz. Rusty ended the day batting 5 for 7 with one double deep into the outfield. He finished with seven RBIs. Eddie went 5 for 6 with one triple for the second consecutive game. He drove in four runs.
The player who was on base more than his average game was Bill Spring. He went 1 for 2, but more importantly, he walked five times. Therefore, he was on base six out of seven times. Bill scored four runs in the game and three were from walks. Way to step up Rusty, Eddie, & Bill.
September 19th - The hot weather escaped us this morning. The temperature was hovering around the 78° - 80° F mark and there was a comfortable breeze blowing in from the outfield. We couldn't have asked for a more pleasant day to play a game of softball.
With the Florida Half Century tournament just on the heels of the game today, there were only enough players for a two team contest. The 50s division of the Florida Half Century tournament will play in Lakeland and Winter Haven tomorrow and Sunday. Some of the players in the morning league hang up the spikes a day before tournaments so they can give themselves a rest before the heat of the battle.
| Radlein | 0 0 5 | 1 3 0 | 0 3 3 = 15 | ||||||||
| Sessink | 3 1 1 | 0 2 0 | 0 1 0 = 8 |
The visiting team went three up and three down in the first inning and went scoreless in the second. That gave a chance for the home team to jump out in front and keep the pressure on their opponents. In the home first, Bob Zelazny banged a two out double and scored when the next batter reached on an error. Since the potential third out wasn't recorded, new life was given to the home team. Chris Constantine doubled in a run and scored on a Dick Sessink single. Dick had a 3 for 4 day this morning by simply base hitting the defense into submission.
The visiting second produced the second straight zero on the scoreboard and a note worthy defensive play helped the cause. Second baseman Lee Baker fielded a hard grounder
from the bat of Bob Christiansen but the ball wouldn't stick in the glove. Lee quickly picked up the ball in time to throw to first baseman Rusty Landahl for the out.
The home team scored another run in the second from the hitting of the bottom portion of their lineup. Jack Valliere hit a seeing eye single that didn't even get beyond the infield dirt and was advanced to third with a single by Gale Doty. Jack ended the day hitting 3 for 4 while never hitting the ball into the outfield grass. He admitted his timing is a bit off now but the results were good. Jack scored on this particular hit from a fielder's choice groundout to rover Reg Barnes. Vassurl Bess had a two out single but was stranded at first when the batter in the two hole flew out to left centerfielder Jerry Noble.
After the completion of two innings of play, the home team lead 4-0.
The visitors shook up their bats on the rack and added some hits to them in the third frame. Joel Freedman lead off with a base hit and the next batter reached on an infield error. Reg Barnes hit a single to drive in a run. With two runners on base, Jerry Noble stepped up to the plate and connected for a line drive hit that was misplayed in the outfield. The fielder figured he could charge in and make a low catch
but he miscalculated the speed of the ball. The ball dropped and the outfielder couldn't glove the short hop. The results - a three run inside-the-park homer because there simply wasn't enough time for another fielder to back up the play. Four runs had crossed the plate at that point. The home team needed one more run to tie the score since the visitors put up another run in the third. Three successive singles did the job. Roger Edwards singled and ended up going 4 for 5 on the day. A base hit by Bob Christiansen moved Roger to third and a single by Bob DiPietro drove Roger homeward bound. No outs were logged in the score sheets by the time the inning was finished.
The game was turning out to be a close duel as the score was tied 5-5 after three frames.
Although the visitors scored a run in the fourth by way of a George Radlein double and a Joel Freedman single, the first out was the most memorable play of the frame. John Fulton hit a "Texas Leaguer" that surely looked to be falling in no man's land, but rover Vassurl Bess ran back and made a super catch, much to John's dismay.
The visitors put up a few runs in the fifth. A two run single from the bat of Bob Christiansen scored Jerry Noble, who had reached base on an infield error and Roger Edwards, who had singled in Reg Barnes. Reg had lead off the inning with a free pass. He has a sharp eye at the plate and the pitcher had best throw strikes to him. Reg has walked 20 times this off season, which began on April 1st. Only one other player has more walks.
Heading into the bottom of the fifth, the score was 9-5 in favor of the visitors.
The home team had finally seen their lead slip away after the first half of the game was in the books. Only six batters came to the plate in the home fifth but two scored. Vassurl Bess doubled and scored on a Bob Zelazny single. Freddy Gonzalez doubled Bob to third and Chris Constantine hit a sacrifice fly to right centerfielder Bob DiPietro for the run. The strong throw by Bob couldn't be handled by the catcher and that allowed the run to score.
At the end of five innings of play, the visitors lead 9-7.
There were plenty of chances for the visitors to tie the game or possibly take the lead in the next couple of innings but they couldn't muster up enough timely hits to score anyone. Jack Valliere got as far as third base when the second out was made in the sixth but remained there.
Second baseman Lee Baker was at it again in the seventh. The victim again was Bob Christiansen. Bob hit another medium hard grounder to Lee and the ball again popped out of his glove. But Lee stuck with it and threw
to first baseman Rusty Landahl for the out. In the meantime, base runner Roger Edwards was taking advantage of the initial miscue and taking extra bases. Roger had been stationed at first when the ball was hit and was heading for third by the time Lee had thrown out the batter. But the play doesn't end there. Roger decided to test the arm of Rusty so he headed for home. Rusty wasn't about to put up with that at all. He hurled a strike to catcher Gale Doty for the out at home. That was one strange double play.
Since the home team wasn't making a bid for the win, the game was up to the visitors to build the lead. And build the lead they did.
The bottom of the line up scored in the eighth inning. George Radlein singled but was forced at second on a shortstop to rover fielder's choice. With two outs, Larry Wells, Gene Baker, and Reg Barnes each produced singles. An infield error kept the inning going in between the hits. Had that ball not been misplayed, the visitors would have racked up a zero instead of three runs. However, errors are part of the game and no one is perfect here on Earth.
The visitors added some more nails in the coffin with three more runs in the ninth. After Roger Edwards and Chris Constantine singled, Bob DiPietro hit the longest ball of the day. He drove a ball over the head of defending rightfielder Rich Moots for an inside-the-park homer. The hit was huge because of the wind direction in the outfield. All balls to the outfield that were hit hard were dying in the wind.
The batters in the home ninth couldn't hit any thing out of the infield. The first out was made on a nifty catch by shortstop Roger Edwards. Gale Doty hit a floater line drive in Roger's direction. Roger back peddled and reached as high as his arm could extend to make the grab.
LEADING HITTERS:
Bob DiPietro - 4 for 5 with 1 homer.
Roger Edwards - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
George Radlein - 4 for 5 with 1 double.
Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles.
Dick Sessink - 3 for 4.
Jack Valliere - 3 for 4.
September 23rd - Once again, the weather was absolutely beautiful. The sun was shining brightly but the temperature gauge was dipping down into the low 80s and there was a soothing wind. In fact, balls that were hit in the direction of leftfield were not going to travel very far.
| Witmer | 3 5 1 | 0 4 0 | 1 = 14 | ||||||||
| Diaz | 4 0 0 | 1 0 2 | 0 = 7 | ||||||||
| Radlein | 5 1 1 | 0 0 5 | 1 = 13 |
All three teams got off to a roaring start and each squad topped the score of the prior team. The first three batters in the lineup for Team One scored to open the game. Vassurl Bess, Reg Barnes, and Dick Mahon all singled and were followed by a one run double by Don Witmer. The single by Dick drove in the first two runs. After that, the middle of the lineup went down in order.
Team Two fared one better than Team One. Lead off hitters Jose Agosto, Rich Moots, and Chris Constantine each singled and Ron Thompson doubled to duplicate the first team's offense.
Jose and Ron each went 2 for 3 in the game this morning. Rich was out at the plate on the double by Ron. Right centerfielder Vassurl Bess chased the ball down and relayed it into cutoff man Joe Teach. Joe fired a perfect throw to catcher Lee Baker to nail the surprised Rich at home.
After the double by Ron, Jim Laffoon and Rusty Landahl each got base hits. The hit by Jim drove in the fourth and final run of the frame.
Team Three fared one better than Team Two. Sam Harrell watched ball four fall short of the strike zone so he drew a walk to begin the bottom of the first. He was forced at second when the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice. Shortstop Jim Laffoon fielded the grounder and flipped to Don Scarbrough, who was covering second base, to force Sam out. Chuck Duff eyeballed ball four and took his base. The pitcher may have been pitching around the powerful Chuck since he never saw a strike in that sequence of pitches. Bob Zelazny then singled to load the bases for Frank Acevedo. Frank came through with an RBI single and the bases remained loaded. Up stepped Dean Schapeler to pound out a bases clearing double. With two outs in the books, Sam Lopez drove in the fifth run with a base hit. He ended the day with a 2 for 3 performance, although he is still running very slow because of a knee injury. This was Sam's first game
back since he hurt his knee on the base paths in an August 12th game here in Winter Haven.
After the completion of one inning of play, the score was 3-4-5.
Team One packed on five more runs in the second frame to take the lead. Joe Teach started it off with a single and the next three guys also collected base hits. Joel Freedman, who finished with a 2 for 3 game, Jim McPartlan, and Lee Baker each singled. Lee tried batting left handed since he is a southpaw and he got a hit. Reg Barnes then singled with one out but was forced at second before Don Witmer drove in the fifth run with a base knock.
The first team was at it again in the top of the fifth inning. Four runs crossed the plate on four well timed hits. Dick Mahon began with a lead off single and Don Witmer followed up with a base hit of his own. He was forced at second when the next batter grounded out to shortstop Wayne Mundy. Wayne threw to rover Frank Acevedo at second for the first out. The next batter reached on a fielding error before Jack Valliere doubled with the help of second base. The ground ball crashed into the bag and bounced high in the air, ricocheting out to left centerfield. Speedy Jack made it into second
standing up by the time the ball had made its way back into the infield. A two out single by Joel Freedman drove in the third and fourth runs of the inning.
At the end of five innings of play, the score stood at 13-5-7. Team One was looking mighty strong at this point of the game.
The middle team put two runs on the board in the sixth frame but had to do that after the first two batters made outs. Dick Mahon made a great catch on a low line drive hit by Chris Constantine into leftfield. Dick charged in and reached low to make the grab.
Ron Thompson and Jim Laffoon connected for two out singles and Ron scored on a fielding error in the infield. Jim crossed the plate when pitcher Eddie Diaz helped his cause with an RBI base hit.
The third team made their charge in the sixth. Down by six runs, they mounted a rally that would draw them within one run of a tie game. The first three batters of the frame reached base and scored. Bob Zelazny singled, Frank Acevedo walked, and Dean Schapeler singled. The hit by Dean drove Bob home. Dean finished with four RBIs. Pitcher George Radlein drove Frank home with a base hit but was forced at second base for an out. After the eighth batter in the lineup struck out, Larry Wells got a hit. He ended batting 2 for 3 and has been hitting the ball on a line for the past few games. Max Meinel walked and Gene Baker got his 2 for 3 day with a single. The final out was made when Sam Harrell hit a screaming liner that was caught by third baseman Chris Constantine. Sam ended up going 2 for 3 today.
At the end of six innings of play, the home team severely threatened the lead held by Team One. The score was 13-7-12.
Team One tacked on an insurance run in the final frame. Dick Mahon doubled and moved to third on a John Fulton hit. Dick scored when the next batter forced John out at second base. Larry Wells, patrolling the second base position, fielded a grounder and threw to shortstop Wayne Mundy for the force out. Jack Valliere singled before the inning was over but he was stranded on the base paths.
The third team needed two to tie and three to win the contest this morning. They got off to a good start when Wayne Mundy singled. He scored when Bob Zelazny hit a ball towards left centerfielder Ron Thompson. Ron fielded the ball and threw to rover Don Scarbrough. Don applied the tag to get Bob out by a step on the close play.
LEADING HITTERS:
Dean Schapeler - 3 for 3 with 1 double.
Dick Mahon - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Jack Valliere - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Bob Zelazny - 3 for 4.
Dick Mahon returned this morning. He joined in 2007 after playing in Lakeland and being told of the softball league here in Winter Haven. Welcome back Dick.
One ballplayer joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club today. Don Scarbrough moved to Florida from Georgia in 1947 and spent his working career in the Sunshine State. Welcome aboard Don.
September 26th - Most of the humidity was out of the air and the temperature at sign-in time was hovering around the 68° F mark. The high today is predicted to reach 87° F. Fall is in the air.
The three team contest pitted pitchers Rich Palmer, Dick Sessink, and George Radlein battling against each other. Two teams were tied after the seven inning game and one extra inning was played to determine the outcome.
| Palmer | 0 2 1 | 0 0 1 | 0 = 4 | ||||||||
| Sessink | 0 2 5 | 0 2 0 | 3 1 = 13 | ||||||||
| Radlein | 3 0 2 | 2 5 0 | 0 2 = 14 |
After the first two teams hatched goose eggs in the opening frame, Team Three was headed in the same direction. The lead off batter and second hitter both grounded out to third baseman Chris Constantine. The three hole batter, Fred Dampier, had a swinging bunt single and that opened the gates for three runs. Clean up man Jim Laffoon doubled to right centerfield and that put two on
base for Freddy Gonzalez. Freddy hit a sharp liner to the outfield that couldn't be handled and ended up being a three run inside-the-park homer.
In the second frame, the first two batters for Team One singled. With Doug Chamlee and Sam Harrell on base, Les Wolff drove Doug home with his first of two hits. Les ended the day with his best hitting day up to this point. He went 2 for 3 this morning. Sam scored when the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice to get Les out at second.
The second team got on the board with a pair of runs in the second inning. With one out in the books, Rusty Landahl and Ed Neumyer each singled and scored. Rusty came home on a sacrifice fly by Gale Doty and Ed scored on a sharply hit ball by Reg Barnes. Reg ended standing on third by the time the relay throw had made it to the infield.
The home team went down quietly in the second as only four batters came to the plate. The highlight came when speedy Jack Valliere hit a hard grounder to shortstop Chris Constantine. Chris fielded the ball cleanly and threw quickly to first baseman Rusty Landahl. Rusty made that play by stretching and catching the ball after the short hop. Jack is a fast runner and Chris had to somewhat rush his throw but Rusty really made a big league grab on the throw.
Although Team One put one mark on the scoreboard in the third, it was a defensive play that was best remembered. With no outs in the books and a runner on first and second, left handed hitter Eddie Diaz connected for a single. The runner from second was waved home on the play. Rightfielder John Merritt fielded the base hit and relayed the ball to cutoff man Jim Laffoon. Jim threw an accurate one hopper into the waist high glove of catcher Joe DeForge to get
the runner out by a step. Eddie advanced to second on the play and scored when Don Witmer singled.
Team Two rallied for the maximum five runs in the third frame. It began with a single from lead off batter Sam Lopez. Vassurl Bess and Chris Constantine each followed with singles before the next batter forced Chris out at second. Three more hits came directly afterwards. Bob Zelazny, Dick Sessink, and Rusty Landahl each had base hits. Gale Doty drove in the fifth run with a liner single to leftfield.
With the game heading into the bottom of the third, the score stood at 3-7-3.
Only four batters strode to the plate in the bottom of the third but two of the runners made it all the way around the bases. Roger Edwards started with a double and he scored on a Larry Powell base rap. Fred Dampier hit his second of three slow grounders in the infield for a hit. Fred finished going 3 for 4 but probably hit the ball a total of 120 feet today. Softball is a funny game at times.
With Fred on second, Jim Laffoon hit a very hard line drive directly up the middle. Rover Reg Barnes made a nice catch on the ball and threw to shortstop Chris Constantine to double Fred off second for the final out of the inning.
There were several nifty defensive plays in the game and third baseman Jack Valliere made one in the top of the fourth. Sam Harrell hit a hot grounder to third and Jack fielded the ball but it hopped out of his glove. Jack picked it from the dirt and threw a bullet to first baseman Joel Freedman for the out.
After Team Two put their second zero on the scoreboard in the fourth, the home team took advantage to try to take the outright lead. Freddy Gonzalez doubled and scored on a George Radlein hit. Jack Valliere followed with a walk. After the next batter popped up for an infield fly rule, Larry Wells hit a two out liner to leftfield for the RBI.
At the end of four innings of play, the score was 3-7-7. The game was turning into a nail biter between two of the three teams and the other team wasn't very far behind the leaders.
Team Two began the fifth by hitting into another fine defensive play. Lead off hitter and lefty Vassurl Bess tried to punch a ball over the left side of the infield but third baseman Doug Chamlee wasn't going to allow that to happen. Doug ran back and reached high over his head to haul in the potential double. Nice grab Doug.
The middle team got charged up after the catch by Doug and Chris Constantine singled before back-to-back doubles were banged out by Bob DiPietro and Bob Zelazny. The hit by Bob drove in both runs for the team.
The home team got hot and put a five spot on the score board in the bottom of the fifth. After the first batter
reached on an infield error, Larry Powell and Fred Dampier got base hits. Jim Laffoon came up next and singled Larry home. After that, Freddy Gonzalez hit a liner into the outfield and circled the bases but probably should have pulled in at third. When the throw in form the outfield got away from the infielder, Freddy trotted home.
After five innings were in the books, the home team lead 3-9-12.
When the third team began putting away their equipment in the seventh with a three run lead, that gave Team Two an incentive to want to make those bats have to be pulled back out of the bat bags. The top of the lineup was due in the middle of the seventh and they came through as they predicted. Sam Lopez and Vassurl Bess started the frame with singles before Chris Constantine hit a neat little double to the opposite field. Bob DiPietro singled Chris home and advanced to second on a Dick Sessink base hit but they both were stranded on the base paths.
Since Team Two tied the third team for the lead, only one run was needed for the walk off win in the bottom of the seventh frame. The fist batter, Larry Wells, came through again with a single. Larry compiled a 3 for 3 game and hit the ball with authority each time. The next batter grounded into a 6-11-3 double play to put a dampier on the chatter in the dugout. The third out immediately followed so the home team failed to get the winning run.
Team One packed it up and the one inning playoff commenced with Teams Two and Three. Team Three had fielded against the first team during regulation play so the second group was batting against a different defense. Gale Doty got a base knock to begin the eighth. He advanced to second when the next batter made the first out. After the second out was recorded, Sam Lopez singled in the runner for Gale.
One run scored for the middle team in the extra inning.
The bottom of the eighth started when the first batter reached base on an infielder's error. Larry Powell got a base hit and Fred Dampier singled home a run. After Fred tagged up and advanced to second while Larry tagged to third, hot hitter Freddy Gonzalez was given a free pass. Pitcher George Radlein stepped to the plate after the walk with one out in the books. He hit a clean single to score Larry for the winning run.
LEADING HITTERS:
Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 3 with 1 homer, 1 triple, 1 double, & 1 walk.
Larry Wells - 3 for 3.
Sam Lopez - 4 for 5.
Chris Constantine - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Bob DiPietro - 3 for 4 with 1 double.
Fred Dampier - 3 for 4.
Larry Powell - 3 for 4.
Fred Dampier returned to the field after sitting out six weeks with three partially torn ligaments in the left foot. The accident occurred on the base paths in
Lakeland. He ran fine but didn't have to try to run in high gear.
Marshall Bloom came by after the game started and sat in the dugout with the guys. Marshall lives in Winter Haven but doesn't play in the hottest months of the year. He will start back on the next scheduled game here in Winter Haven.
Former Winter Haven Senior Softball Club member Jim Rumbold dropped by the old ballpark and watched the action this morning. Jim retired from the softball field after the 2004 season came to a close. He played for the Orange team that was managed by Gene Morey. It was nice to see you Jim. Please come by again.
Angel Merced also was a spectator for some of the game. Angel endured heart surgery a few months ago and is looking as strong as ever. Hope to see you on the field soon Angel.
September 30th - The last day of the month went out with a bang for two of the three teams in the contest this morning. The highest scoring team racked up 19 runs as George Radlein recorded the win. Rich Palmer also pitched for a winning team. That squad scored 15 runs and surrendered only five. Larry Powell pitched for the team that scored five and gave up 19 runs while in the field.
| Palmer | 5 0 3 | 2 0 2 | 3 = 15 | ||||||||
| Powell | 0 3 0 | 0 0 1 | 1 = 5 | ||||||||
| Radlein | 2 1 2 | 4 5 5 | X = 19 |
The first five batters in the lineup for the first team scored and only one out was in the books when the inning was complete. Regis Finnegan, Dean Schapeler, & Chris Constantine began with base hits before Freddy Gonzalez employed his speed and doubled. Doug Chamlee banged out a single and scored the fifth run when Sam Lopez had a base knock.
After the second team batted only four players, with Frank Acevdeo hitting a single and being the lone base runner, the third team put up a bit of a fight and pushed across two runs. Ron Thompson singled but was forced at second on an unrehearsed play. A grounder was hit to Larry Wells, who threw to second with no one anywhere in the general vicinity of the bag. Shortstop Wayne Mundy came out of nowhere to receive the throw at almost the same time he swept the base with his right foot. There was no time for a double play since Don Witmer sped to first after hitting the grounder.
The next batter, Bob Zelazny, stepped to the plate, dug in for traction, and cranked an inside-the-park homer
just out of reach of leftfielder Ed Neumyer.
At the end of one inning of play, the score was 5-0-2. The first team looked strong.
The second frame belonged to the middle team. Three runs crossed the plate on three hits, a couple of fly outs that advanced a runner, and a costly error in the infield. Don Scarbrough and Larry Powell singled before Sam Harrell banged out a double. Sam drove Don and Larry home on the hit and ended up scoring before the inning finished.
Team One got back on the scoreboard in the third inning. Three of the main characters in the first frame were back at it again in the third. Dean Schapeler doubled and trotted to third on a Chris Constantine single. Freddy Gonzalez doubled in the two runs and continued on his way to score as the ball was being tossed around the infield.
The initial out of the frame occurred when leadoff batter Regis Finnegan drove a high fly ball to leftfield. It was foul but leftfielder Vassurl Bess kept the ball
in his sights and made a super catch up against the fence way beyond third base. Vassurl reached the fence at the same time the ball got there but he positioned his glove between the ball and chain link fence for the grab. Way to go Vassurl.
The home team answered in the third. Spry old Bill Spring walked but the runner for Bill was forced at second when the next player connected for hit - or so he thought. Right centerfielder Don Scarbrough scooped the ball and fired a strike to shortstop Wayne Mundy, who was covering second base, for the force out. That was an excellent throw Don. Ron Thompson batted afterwards and he connected for an inside-the-park homer. Two runs scored and that was the extent of the offense, but the third team did draw closer to the lead.
At the completion of three innings, Team One was still clinging to the lead. The score stood at 8-3-5.
Three big innings followed for the home team. One run short of the limit scored in those three frames as Team Three took the lead for good. Ron Thompson scored twice in the three frames after he singled and walked. George Radlein and Rusty Landahl also scored two times apiece. George had a single and a double and Rusty had two base hits.
John Merritt collected two hits and scored once in the three innings and he ended the day going 2 for 3. Walt Leggett scored a run and he finished having a 2 for 3 offensive day.
Rusty Landahl made a nice catch in the sixth inning. Rich Palmer reached for a short pitch and popped it up in foul territory between home and first. First baseman Rusty ran in and made the catch near the fence that protected the players in the first base dugout.
By the time the seventh and final frame was ready to begin, the third team lead 12-4-19. The first team tried to get the lead back when they rallied in the seventh. Sam Lopez hit his third straight single to begin the fame. The next batter reached base on an infield error. Two were on base when Rich Moots came to bat. He hit a gapper triple between rightfielder Jim McPartlan and right centerfielder John Merritt to drive in two runs. Rich scored on a Bernie Mohan single.
LEADING HITTERS:
Ron Thompson - 3 for 3 with 1 homer & 1 walk.
Dean Schapeler - 3 for 3 with 1 triple.
Chris Constantine - 3 for 3 with 1 double.
Sam Harrell - 3 for 3 with 1 double.
George Radlein - 3 for 3 with 1 double.
Sam Lopez - 3 for 3.
Don Scarbrough - 2 for 2 with 1 walk.
Bill Spring - 1 for 1 with 2 walks.
Don Witmer - 3 for 4.
Three new ballplayers joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club this morning. Tom Bonds is retired and was born in Melholly, New Jersey. Regis Finnegan recently joined the Lakeland Senior Softball program. He carpooled with Lakeland residents George Radlein and Frank Acevedo to Winter Haven this morning and joined the league here. Regis was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. Dave Osgood is a retired school teacher from the Auburndale area. He was born in Battle Creek, Michigan. Welcome aboard Tom, Regis, and Dave.
The Polk County Hall of Fame ceremony is approaching and now is the time to nominate a worthy candidate. The criteria for election into the Hall of Fame is located HERE.
The cut off date for nominations to be mailed to Floyd Welton is November 15th.
