June 2009 News Archive
 June 2nd - The new month rolled in with enough players to merit two fields. The weather was nice and breezy with the high expected to reach a comfortable 87° F.
The visiting team won the close contest on Fred White Field by a score of 15-10. The visiting pitcher, Walt Leggett, held the offense scoreless after the fourth inning. Carl Luebking, who hit well with a 5 for 6 performance, lead off the game with a single and advanced to third on a double by Fred Dampier. 
Both runners scored when Sam Lopez hit an opposite field single in the direction of right centerfielder Ken Ota. Eddie Diaz hit a one out base hit and Walt Leggett singled Sam home. A fielder's choice out scored Eddie for the fourth and final run of the visiting first.
The home team went quietly in the first but jumped on the boards with four runs in the second frame. Doug Chamlee banged out a single after the lead off batter grounded out to shortstop Brent Alumbaugh. The next batter fouled the third strike for the second out. After that, Richard Marino singled, Joe DeForge walked, and the lead off batter was safe on an infield error. Two runs scored on that play. Dean Schapeler doubled home two more runners after that miscue. After two innings of play, the visiting team lead 6-4. The home team managed one in the third to close the gap to 6-5 in favor of the visitors. Ron Thompson, George Radlein, and Doug Chamlee had consecutive base hits for the lone run. The home team had their last moment of glory in the fourth when they scored five runs to take the lead. Joe DeForge, Ken Ota, Ron Thompson, George Radlein, Doug Chamlee, and Joel Freedman each punched out singles and Jim Laffoon drew a walk. The hit by Joel drove home the fifth run to give the home team a 10-9 lead after four innings of play. But that was the last time the good guys scored in the game. Brent Alumbaugh and Eddie Diaz scored in the sixth after they each got aboard on singles. Hits by Walt Leggett and Rich Moots drove them home. The visitors were at it again in the seventh frame and they did it in fashion. The first four batters hit for the cycle in order. Carl Luebking singled up the center, Fred Dampier doubled up the middle, Sam Lopez tripled to rightfield, and Brent Alumbaugh hit an inside-the-park homer between the defending rightfielder and right centerfielder. As it was just mentioned, Brent Alumbaugh hit an inside-the-park homer on Fred White Field. LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier - 5 for 6 with 1 triple & 3 doubles. Carl Luebking - 5 for 6 with 2 doubles. Brent Alumbaugh - 4 for 5 with 1 homer & 2 doubles. The game on Field D had one team missing out on some scoring opportunities. They left several base runners in scoring position stranded after three outs were in the books. The final score was 16-9 in favor of the visiting team but it could have been much closer with a couple of key hits. The visitors scored in the second inning on four straight 
hits. Larry Wells singled to open the second, followed by base hits from the bats of Dick Sessink and Bill Walker. Bob Cooper smashed a double to score two base runners. Bob had a fine day at the plate as he went 4 for 5.
Three more visiting runs scored in the next frame. Bob Zelazny lead off with his seventh off season double. After the first out was made, Freddy Gonzalez hit his league leading 17th double. Larry Wells hit another single but was forced at second when the next batter hit back to the pitcher. The second run came home on a Bill Walker single. The top of the visiting lineup put it together with the long ball in the fourth. Vassurl Bess doubled, Bob Zelazny singled, rookie and newbie Ron Salyer doubled, Freddy Gonzalez hit an inside-the-park homer, Larry Wells doubled, and Dick Sessink tripled. The triple by Dick drove home the fifth and final run. After getting one run in the second and one in the third, the home team had a big rally in the fifth inning. Don Atkins and Gary Timbes began with singles before Don Witmer, Pat Accetta, and Larry Powell all got aboard. A single by Rusty Landahl drove in the fifth run. After five innings of play, the visitors were leading by a score of 10-7. Three more runs crossed the plate in the top of the eighth inning. Bob Zelazny singled and Ron Salyer got aboard before the next player reached on a fielding error. All three batters ended up scoring before the inning was complete. Freddy Gonzalez hit the only inside-the-park homer on Field D. LEADING HITTERS: Bob Cooper - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Larry Wells - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Chuck Duff volunteered to umpire behind the plate on Fred White Field. Thank you Chuck. Don Atkins, a resident of Plant City and a player in the Lakeland Senior Softball program, played today and may join the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Thank you for playing today, Don. June 5th - The league had a three-teamer today. Some players took the day off since the Florida Half Century tournament for the 60s, 65s, & 70s will be played tomorrow and Sunday.
Two of the three teams began their scoring opportunities in the very first frame. Team One pushed across two runs on a solo inside-the-park homer from the bat of Fred Dampier followed by back-to-back doubles by Elvis Abney and Bob Zelazny. Team Two answered with two runs in the middle of the first. Randy Lane and Roger Edwards punched out base hits before a fly out advanced the runners to second and third. Two out singles by Bill Walker and George Radlein were all that was needed to tie the score. The second team rallied for a five spot in the third. Ron Thompson began 
with a solo homer to leftfield and out of reach from Sam Harrell. As Sam chased the ball to the fence, Ron circled the bases. Bill Walker had a base hit after the solo shot and George Radlein got aboard. Before the inning was over, Rich Moots, Randy Lane, and Roger Edwards had singled. The hit by Roger drove in the fifth and final run.
The home team had dug themselves into a hole and needed six runs to draw even with the leading team. Freddy Gonzalez started the home third off with a double and Walt Leggett singled Freddy home. The bats were finally coming alive for the good guys. After the hit by Walt, Eddie Diaz, Joel Freedman, and Larry Powell each singled and Doug Chamlee drew a free pass. Freddy went to bat for the second time in the inning and came through again. He singled home a run. Afterwards, Walt Leggett had his second base hit in the frame. That hit drove home the sixth run. After three innings of play, the score was 5-7-7. The home team took the lead in the fifth. The bottom three batters in the lineup all had hits and scored. Eddie Diaz, Joel Freedman, and Gale Doty each singled. Of the 18 total runs for the team, those three players scored nine times. Carl Luebking, who was hitting the ball with authority this morning, singled and then scored on a triple down the leftfield line by Larry Powell. A single by Doug Chamlee drove Larry home with the fifth run. At the end of five innings, the score stood at 8-12-15. After never having had the lead any time in the game, Team One exploded for eight runs in the final frame to win their part of the game. 
They allowed 12 runs while on defense so Dick Sessink recorded a victory. His off season record improved to 4-1.
Rusty Landahl, who hit the ball hard every trip to the plate, started the top of the seventh with a gapper double. Rusty ended the day with three extra base hits as he had two doubles and one triple. After Rusty doubled, the next batter grounded out and the runner for Rusty advanced to third. Joltin' Joe DeForge stepped up and drew his third straight walk before Reg Barnes got on base. Fred Dampier singled in a run and so did Elvis Abney and Bob Zelazny. The biggest hit for the team in the inning was a inside-the-park homer by Larry Wells. He hit a ball that split rightfielder Walt Leggett and right centerfielder Eddie Diaz. Before the inning was in the books, Rusty Landahl doubled again and Sam Harrell singled. Team Two went down with a zero in the seventh. The only hit was a single by Pat Accetta and he was forced out at second when the next batter hit a grounder to shortstop Bob Zelazny. The home team needed two runs to tie their part of the game since the defense had allowed 18 runs. The win, loss, or tie was now on the shoulders of relief pitcher Larry Powell. Starting pitcher Eddie Diaz exited the mound after four innings. Eddie left the hill in line for a "W". That didn't happen. Team Three did get two runs so Larry Powell would not get the loss. Doug Chamlee and Walt Leggett had the only two hits of the frame but the hit by Walt drove home the two needed runs. Some nice defensive plays were made this morning. First baseman Rich Moots caught a sharp line drive that was hit by Walt Leggett. Second baseman Larry Wells had to charge toward the shallow part of the infield to make a catch. He tumbled to his knees after the grab but held tightly onto the ball. Leftfielder Randy Lane made a super running back catch on a deep fly. He reached over his head to make the nab. Nice plays, Rich, Larry, and Randy. Fred Dampier smashed two inside-the-park homers on Fred White Field and Ron Thompson and Larry Wells each hit one dinger. LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier - 4 for 4 with 2 homers, 1 triple, & 1 sacrifice fly. Rusty Landahl - 4 for 5 with 1 triple & 2 doubles. Joel Freedman - 4 for 5. Bill Walker - 4 for 5. Roger Edwards returned to the field after taking some time off after the season ended to rest some injured wheels. Welcome back, Roger. June 9th - Two teams of 11 players and one squad of 12 competed against each other on Fred White Field this morning. Lefty pitchers Eddie Diaz and Dick Sessink both recorded victories. George Radlein threw for the team that scored 10 runs but allowed 17 while on defense.
Team One scored two runs on three timely hits. After the first batter reached base on a booted ball in the infield, Bill Walker and Bob Zelazny each singled. The 
second run crossed home plate on a ground ball fielder's choice to second baseman Carl Luebking. George Radlein later singled but did not advance beyond first base.
The second team pushed one more run across home than Team One. The first three batters achieved hits and scored runs. Larry Powell and Larry Wells each had base hits before Dean Schapeler tripled between right centerfielder Fred Dampier and left centerfielder Bob Zelazny. Brent Alumbaugh drove a sacrifice fly ball deep enough to drive in the third run. In the inning of "one-up-mans-ship", the first four batters scored for the home team. Ken Ota lead off with a single and the next batter reached base on an infield error. Gary Timbes tripled to deep leftfield and then scored on a Don Witmer double. Don took third after the next batter grounded out to the pitcher and scored when Bob Cooper hit a sac fly to leftfielder Dean Schapeler. The score stood at 2-3-4 after one inning of play. Team One batted three men. The first batter reached base on an infield error but was doubled up when the next batter 
grounded to shortstop Don Witmer. Don threw to rover Doug Chamlee and Doug finished the twin killing with an accurate relay to first baseman Rusty Landahl.
The second team also batted only three players with one reaching base on a fielding error. Manager Bob Zelazny switched fielders and it paid dividends. Fred Dampier moved to second base, fielded a grounder, tagged the runner from first, and fired to first baseman Walt Leggett for an inning ending double play. Team Three increased their small lead by one run in the home second. Rusty Landahl and John Merritt each singled before Bill Spring walked. The run scored after the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice, with the out being processed at second base. An alert defensive play cut down a base runner on the bottom of the third inning. Lead off batter Gary Timbes drove a line drive ball to leftfielder Dean Schapeler and decided to continue to second. Dean relayed the ball routinely to shortstop Brent Alumbaugh and Brent turned and whipped the pill to rover Sam Harrell who applied the tag to Gary. It was a close call but the umpire got it right. After being shutout in the second and third frames, the second team got back on the boards with three runs in the fourth. Brent Alumbaugh began with a single and advanced to second when the next batter flew out to left centerfield. A base hit from the bat of Sam Harrell drove Brent home. Eddie Diaz followed with an opposite field line drive single. Eddie ended up scoring after a misplayed ball to the shortstop skipped into shallow outfield. Team Three went scoreless in the fourth but still held the lead. The score stood at 4-6-7 after the completion of four innings of play. The first team came alive in the sixth. Nine batters stepped to the plate and no outs were recorded as they scored six runs to tie the leading team. The top of the lineup began the onslaught. Lead off hitter Pat Accetta singled and Bill Walker, Bob Zelazny, and Chris Constantine followed Pat's lead with base hits. Fred Dampier doubled home two runs before George Radlein, Walt Leggett, and Rich Moots each had base knocks. The inning ended 
with a bases loaded walk to Gene Baker. Whew!
The home team needed five runs to regain the lead in the sixth. They did it. Clean up hitter Brent Alumbaugh lead off once more and tripled. He scored when Freddy Gonzalez shot a double to left centerfield. An alert defensive play followed. Sam Harrell grounded to shortstop Chris Constantine. Freddy wandered off second base to try to attract the shortstop's attention to allow Sam to make it to first. Chris noticed this decoy, faked a throw to first, causing Freddy to step toward third, then made the tag out before Freddy could retreat safely back to second. It was a smart play by both the fielder and base runner, but the runner just was one step short. After the first out was made on that play, the inning continued. Eddie Diaz singled but was forced out at second base. Two infield errors blew the inning open. A single by Lee Baker drove home the fifth run. Team Two mounted a come-from-behind win with a huge seventh inning. Larry Powell singled to start the last frame. The next batter go on base because of an infield error before Dean Schapeler punched a base hit to right centerfield. Brent Alumbaugh doubled home two runs. Before the inning was in the books, Sam Harrell, Eddie Diaz, and Joel Freedman all accumulated singles while Gale Doty drew a free pass. Six runs scored in the middle of the seventh and the final score was 10-17-13. There were no home runs in the game this morning. LEADING HITTERS: Gary Timbes - 4 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 double. Larry Powell - 4 for 4. Brent Alumbaugh - 3 for 3 with 1 triple, 1 double, & 1 sacrifice fly. Bob Zelazny - 3 for 3 with 1 double. Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Eddie Diaz - 3 for 4. Rusty Landahl - 3 for 4. Bill Walker - 3 for 4. Chuck Duff and Ron Salyer volunteered their services. Chuck umpired behind the plate and Ron umped between first and second bases. Thank you, Chuck and Ron. The fields at the DiamondPlex may not be available on Friday, June 12rh due to a weekend tournament that begins sometime Friday. Check your email by Thursday because a note will be posted to let everyone know if we play or not. June 12th - The Polk Community College women's softball field was used this morning because the other fields were being prepared for a softball tournament that will last throughout this weekend. Every ball that cleared the 225' fences on Field A was considered a ground rule double.
Team Three had their best inning in the very first frame. After the lead off batter lined out to first, Freddy Gonzalez singled and advanced to third on a ground rule double by Bob Zelazny. Fred Dampier singled in two runs and Walt Legggett walked before Dick Sessink doubled in a run. John Merritt connected for a two RBI single to cap off the inning. The second team captured the lead in the second with some timely hitting in key situations. The first batter flew out to fill-in left centerfielder Freddy Gonzalez, the next man reached on an infield error, and Bill Spring walked. Bill ended the day with five straight walks. 
He scored four times which came back to haunt the pitcher.
The lead off hitter took strike three and that out should have ended the inning if not for the misplayed ball at third. Every run afterwards would be unearned. So, there were a lot of unearned runs before the inning was in the books. A single by Rusty Landahl drove home the first run. Two ground rule doubles followed. The double by Don Witmer drove home one run and the blast over the short fence by Chuck Duff accounted for two more runs. A single by Randy Lane knocked in the fifth unearned run. After the completion of two innings of play, the score was 2-7-5. The third frame belonged to Team One. Consecutive doubles began the inning. Chris Constantine legged out an opposite field hit and Gary Timbes took the easy route by smashing one over the fence for a ground rule double. Bill Walker had a base knock to move 
Gary to third. The next two hitters reached base on errors - a ball was dropped in the outfield and the first baseman couldn't handle the throw after a grounder to the shortstop. With still no outs at the time, pitcher Dick Sessink took matters in his own hands with two straight strikeouts. That helped, but not enough. Singles by Vassurl Bess and Elvis Abney finished the five run inning.
After three innings of play, the score was tightly knotted at 7-7-7. Team Two ended all doubt as to the front runner in the game when they racked up a five spot in both the fourth and fifth innings. Rusty Landahl and Chuck Duff each went 2 for 2 and scored both times. Don Witmer scored twice, as he doubled and walked, and Larry Powell singled and walked. The fourth and final ground rule double came in the seventh frame for the home team. Freddy Gonazlez pounded the ball over the fence, driving in the runner for Gene Baker, who had singled beforehand. Carl Luebking, who has been hitting the ball with some distance lately, finished the day with two doubles and one triple in six trips to the plate. Carl has been driving the ball to all fields. Gale Doty made a nice catch while partolling the third base area on the diamond. Lee Baker hit a hot shot that first appeared to be over the infield but Gale reached high to nab the potential hit. Good catch, Gale. Elvis Abney also did a great job at third base. He fielded every ball hit his way and made strong and accurate throws to first. On a ball hit by Les Wolff, Elvis reached across his body to stop a grounder and had to make the long throw across to first baseman Rich Moots for the out. LEADING HITTERS: Gary Timbes - 4 for 5 with 2 doubles. Rusty Landahl - 4 for 5 with 1 sacrifice fly. Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 3 doubles & 2 walks. Chuck Duff - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 walk. Dick Sessink - 3 for 4 with 1 double. June 16th - It was a warm one today. Since the air was almost calm with hardly any breeze, the perspiration was flowing freely in the dugout and on the field.
Team One opened the game with two runs as the lead off batter, Reg Barnes, and the two hole batter, Freddy Gonzalez, found their way home. Reg walked and Freddy singled. A hit by Jim Laffoon drove Reg home as Freddy coasted to third. A walk to pitcher Dick Sessink loaded the bases. Freddy Gonzalez raced home when the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice, erasing Dick Sessink from the base paths. Team Two sent only three batters to the plate in the middle of the first. The lead off batter flew out and the second hitter was safe at first when the ball was booted in the infield. 
The next man promptly grounded into a 4-6-3 double play. Second baseman Doug Chamlee scooped the grounder, fired to shortstop Jim Laffoon covering second base, and Jim finished the twin killing with a throw to first baseman Walt Leggett.
Team Three needed a two out rally if they intended to score in the home first. After the first two batters were out on a line out to second baseman Gale Doty and a fly out to Bob Zelazny, Don Witmer doubled to the opposite field. He scored when Fred Dampier singled up the middle. Fred advanced to third on a single by Rusty Landahl but remained there then the next batter lined out to first baseman Joel Freedman. Catcher Skip Morrison was credited with two putouts in the top of the second. Rich Moots began the inning with a base rap. The next batter fouled out to Skip. It is always an important out when the catcher eliminates a hitter by catching a foul ball. 
After the foul out, Rich Moots made it to third when Les Wolff reached base on an infield error. Rich scored a run when the last batter in the order grounded out to third baseman Chris Constantine. Reg Barnes walked and Freddy Gonzalez doubled. This is where Skip Morrison recorded his second putout of the inning. Leftfielder Ken Ota fielded the hit by Freddy and relayed the ball to shortstop Don Witmer. Don threw a strike to catcher Skip to nail the runner from third. Team Two cranked it up a notch in the third frame. Richard Marino singled to begin the inning and Lee Baker got aboard when he hit a hot grounder to third that could not be handled properly. The next batter erased Richard Marino at second before Elvis Abney, Brent Alumbaugh, Bob Zelazny, and George Radlein all punched out singles. The second team ended the inning with five runs but were still trailing the leader by two. Team Three, the low man on the totem pole, managed a three spot in the third and again had to score after the first two batters made outs. Don Witmer and Fred Dampier hit consecutive doubles for the first run and Rusty Landahl singled Fred home. Larry Powell also had a base hit in the inning but neither Rusty nor Larry made it all the way around the bases. At the end of three innings of play, the score stood at 8-6-4. 
The top of the fifth witnessed two more runs for the visitors. Jim Laffoon doubled and was pushed home on singles by Doug Chamlee and Dick Sessink. Rich Moots also had a hit in the fifth. He ended the day with a 4 for 4 performance.
Third baseman Chris Constantine made a quick catch in the top of the sixth. Chris had cheated in from third when Les Wolff came to bat but Les slammed a line drive towards third. Chris made a super catch, considering how close in he was playing when the ball was hit. Chris Constantine also cheated in when Joltin' Joe DeForge stepped to the plate. Once again, the ball was hit in the direction of third base. Chris fielded the grounder and threw to first baseman Rusty Landahl for the out. Richard Marino and Lee Baker singled to open the middle of the sixth inning. A base knock by Elvis Abney scored Richard and a dropped fly ball in the outfield allowed Lee Baker to cross home plate. Elvis Abney ended up scoring, too. He came home when George Radlein singled. The score was 9-10-6 after six innings were in the books. Team Two had taken the lead. The first squad retook the lead in the seventh and last inning. Freddy Gonzalez and Jim Laffoon hit back-to-back doubles to start the rally. When Doug Chamlee singled, Fred Dampier fielded the ball and threw to cut off man Don Witmer. For the second time in the game, Don threw to catcher Skip Morrison to cut down a runner at home. After that nice play, Dick Sessink, Bill Walker, and Rich Moots each singled. In all, three runs scored but that turned out to be enough to win the game. Team Three, down by six runs heading into the bottom of the seventh, did not go down without a fight. Larry Wells tripled to the opposite field and scored on a Ken Ota single. Afterwards, Chris Constantine singled and Don Witmer doubled in Ken Ota. Fred Dampier doubled in two more runs to give the team four of the needed six runs to tie the game. Rusty Landahl singled Fred to third but the scoring opportunities were not there anymore as the next two batters went down. The last batter grounded into a game ending double play. No home runs were hit on Fred White Field this morning. LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles. Rusty Landahl - 4 for 4. Rich Moots - 4 for 4. Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 3 doubles. Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Jim Laffoon - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Doug Chamlee - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Elvis Abney - 3 for 4. George Radlein - 3 for 4.  June Teenth - This date of June 19th is commonly known in Texas as Juneteenth.
It was on this day of the year in 1865 the news reached Texas that the war was over and the slaves were free. Just a bit of Galveston and Texas history, guys.
The three team game was played on Field A, which is the Polk Community College women's softball field. The other fields were soaked from the heavy rain from the past evening. Tropical storm force winds blew and some heavy rain swept the Winter Haven area. If the first inning was an indication of how high the scores would be, each team would end up with at least 20 runs. That was not the case. In fact, the first inning was the exception for the most part. After the first batter of the game lined out shortstop Jim Laffoon, Wally Granger hit a hot shot grounder down the middle for a single. Don Witmer smashed the first ball over the short fence for a ground rule double and then scored on a Rusty Landahl base hit. The second out was made when the next batter hit into a fielder's choice to rover Sam Harrell. 
Gale Doty and John Merritt each contributed with singles to drive in the third and final run of the first frame.
Team Two batted every player except one and racked up four runs. Vassurl Bess legged out a double to begin the middle of the first and advanced to third when the next batter grounded out to second basemanLee Baker. A double by Roger Edwards drove home one run and Roger raced home when Larry Wells rapped a base hit. Eddie Diaz connected for a double and scored when Joel Freedman reached base. A base hit from the bat of Richard Marino pushed the runner for Joel to second but that was the last bit of offense for Team Two. The home part of the first was productive, too. Reg Barnes and Fred Dampier began 
with singles. Two quick outs followed the hits before Walt Leggett singled and Sam Harrell doubled. A hit by Rich Moots knocked home the fourth run.
Skip Morrison had his first hit today. He hit a ball down the third base line. Third baseman Gale Doty watched the ball as it rolled toward the base. He thought it might cross the chalk line for a foul since it was so very close to the line. It ended up hitting the third base bag. Skip was forced at second when the next batter hit into a fielder's choice to shortstop Don Witmer. Afterwards, Freddy Gonazlez singled and crossed home when Roger Edwards hit a hard liner that hit the lower part of the chain link fence in leftfield. Leftfielder Randy Lane had to play it off the fence. Four more runs scored for the home team in the next inning. After the last man in the lineup took a called third strike, the next four batters reached base and scored. Reg Barnes walked and Fred Dampier, Jim Laffoon, and Bill Walker each had base hits. Rich Moots again drove home the fourth run with a single. At the end of two innings of play, the score was 4-6-8. Every man in the batting order plus one stepped to the plate for Team One in the fourth. The lead off batter, who will remain anonymous, made the first and third outs of the frame. Hmmmm, wonder who he was? Not telling. After the first out, Wally Granger hit his first of two balls over the short fence for a ground rule double. Don Witmer followed with an inside-the-park double. Before the dust had settled, Dick Sessink, John Merritt, and Lee Baker had punched out base hits and Joltin' Joe DeForge walked. Then the lead off batter dug in the batter's box and flew out to Bill Walker for the third out. The score was 8-6-10 after four innings of play. Roger Edwards singled to lead off the middle of the fifth. He moved to third when Larry Wells got a base hit and scored on an Eddie Diaz sacrifice fly to left centerfielder Wally Granger. Roger Edwards finished the day going 4 for 4 with two doubles. He had taken off for almost three months to heal a sore set of wheels but has been hitting well since his return. 
The home fifth was significant because Jim Laffoon hit a ball over the left centerfield fence for a ground rule double. Fred Dampier scored on the hit after he got aboard when he pulled a liner double towards right centerfielder Tom Snider. Gene Baker started the home sixth with a walk. As it turns out, he came around to score so his patience at the plate paid off. Reg Barnes, Fred Dampier, and Jim Laffoon each had base hits to keep the merry-go-round spinning. However, only Gene Baker and Reg Barnes scored in the home sixth. The two runs scored in the bottom of the frame ended up being the amount the team won the game by when it was all said and done. Team One was down four when the seventh and last inning began. Randy Lane singled and trotted to third after Wally Granger hit his second ball over the 225' fence. Don Witmer knocked both runners in when he singled towards right centerfielder Bill Walker. The next batter dampened the rally when he grounded into a 6-11-3 double play. Shortstop Jim Laffoon fielded the ball and flipped it to rover Sam Harrell covering second base. Sam turned and fired to first baseman Rich Moots for the DP. The next batter lined out to Jim Laffoon to assure Team Three of a win in their part of the game. They scored 13 and allowed 11 while on defense. Walt Leggett, who has not pitched much in the off season, recorded the victory and improved his record to 3-0. Team Two went three up and three down in the seventh inning. Opposing pitcher Dick Sessink also received a win. His team scored 11 and surrendered nine runs. Dick Sessink has an impressive 7-1-1 record in the off season. Joltin' Joe DeForge played in his 20th game this off season. He is the only player who has been here for every game. Last year, Jack Valliere was the ironman of the league. He played in every game that was scheduled for Winter Haven Senior Softball in 2008. That is an amazing feat. LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier - 5 for 5 with 2 doubles. Roger Edwards - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles. Jim Laffoon - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles & 1 walk. Reg Barnes - 3 for 4 with 1 walk. John Merritt - 3 for 4. Score keeping classes were held this morning. A handout was given to those in attendance and also made available to everyone else. Another class will be scheduled next week or the week after next. Everyone should learn how to keep score so the burden will not be placed on a select few to handle the score sheets during the game.  June 23rd - A major down pour hit the Winter Haven area about two hours before game time and the infields could not soak up all the water.
There is a 40% chance of rain for the remainder of the week so the possibility for the next game is also in jeopardy. As Always, the statistics are only as accurate as the score sheets.
* - Must have played over one half of the games. June 26th - The three team game was played under cloudy skies on the short field. The regulation sized fields were being prepared for a weekend tournament as the field crew were putting the break away fences in place.
Team One jumped off to a quick start with five runs in the opening frame. Lead off batter Reg Barnes coaxed a walk before the number two hole hitter, Regis Finnegan, singled. Don Witmer hit an opposite field double between right centerfielder John Merritt and rightfielder Rich Moots. Clean up hitter Chuck Duff smashed a ground rule double over the right centerfield fence. With zero outs still in the books, pitcher Eddie Diaz helped his cause with a base hit and Larry Powell also singled. The inning ended when Larry Wells hit one over the fence for a double. Five runs scored with no outs. Team Two was not as blessed. They sent three men to the plate and then picked up their gloves and took the field. Three up, three down. The home team had a productive inning. First batter Vassurl Bess singled and Fred Dampier followed that hit with a 
ground rule double over the right centerfield fence. The next batter reached base on a ball dropped in the outfield, scoring Vassurl Bess. Opposing pitcher George Radlein pitched around dangerous hitter Wally Granger and walked him, giving Dick Sessink a chance to drive in a couple of runs. Dick responded with a single. Carl Leubking hit an opposite field gapper line drive for a double and Walt Leggett finished the frame with an RBI base hit. Five runs scored and no outs were recorded.
Team Two got on the score board in the second inning. Bob Zelazny began with a base knock and advanced to second when the next batter reached base on an error. After a line out to third baseman Larry Wells, Randy Lane got aboard. Ed Neumyer, playing for the first time in a few months, got his signature hit to the opposite field. In fact, Ed ended up with a double on that shot. He finished the day going 3 for 3. The lay off didn't hurt him at all. 
The next two batters grounded out but the damage was already done. Four runs crossed the plate.
At the end of two innings of play, the score was 5-4-5. Team One grabbed the lead in the third frame. At least, for a while they did. Regis Finnegan and Don Witmer each singled. A hard hit up the middle by Chuck Duff drove home a run and advanced Don to third. Eddie Diaz hit a sacrifice fly to bring in another run. After the second team went quietly in the middle of the third, the home team pushed three runs home to take the lead at the end of three. The first two batters didn't get the ball through the infield so all the runs were score with two outs. Gene Baker singled, followed by a hit from the bat of Vassurl Bess. The next batter got aboard on a booted ball while the runner for Gene Baker scored. Ron Thompson singled in a run and Wally Granger hit a ball over the fence for a ground rule double. The home team was ahead after three innings. The score stood at 7-5-8. The fifth and sixth innings belonged to Team One. Those two frames gave the first team the lead for good. The top of the lineup did all the run scoring for Team One. Regis Finnegan, Don Witmer, Chuck Duff, and Eddie Diaz each scored in both innings. Regis walked and doubled in the gap, Don Witmer singled and legged out a double to the opposite field, Chuck Duff got aboard twice with one double, and Eddie Diaz reached base on an infield error and singled. The lower half of the order for Team One, although they did not score, did get some RBIs. Larry Wells ended the day going 3 for 4 and Richard Marino went 2 for 4. Team Two almost reached double digits in the scoring column with a good sixth inning. Speedy Freddy Gonzalez tripled and scored on a single by Jim Laffoon. George Radlein had a one out base hit and Sam Harrell moved the runners up with a single. Ed Neumyer drove home the third and final run of the sixth for Team Two. The third team needed eight runs to tie for the lead heading into the bottom of the seventh inning. Vassurl Bess started things off right with a walk but was forced at second when the next batter grounded to second baseman Tom Snider. Ron Thompson singled and Wally Granger was issued an intentional walk to load the bases. After that, Dick Sessink, Carl Luebking, and Walt Leggett all singled. Four runs scored in the bottom of the seventh. But four more were needed. The final score was 16-8-12. The winning pitcher was Eddie Diaz. LEADING HITTERS: Don Witmer - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles. Ed Neumyer - 3 for 3 with 1 double. Chuck Duff - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Carl Luebking - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Ron Thompson - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Walt Leggett - 3 for 4. Larry Wells - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Don Keller was at the old ball park this morning. He is recovering from knee surgery so he didn't play in the game. Instead, Don volunteered to umpire behind the plate. Thank you Don. June 30th - The month of June ended on a damp note. The game this morning was called because of rain after three innings of play.
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May 2009