August 2009 News Archive
 August 4th - The three game contest could not have been more evenly matched. The final score was 11-10-12. Joel Freedman and Don Witmer do a fantastic job putting together the teams every game date.
Team Two jumped on the boards with five runs in the first inning to set the tone and establish dominance early in the game. Randy Lane and Carl Luebking began with singles before the third batter reached base on a dropped ball in the infield. Clean up hitter Chuck Duff drove in two runs with a base hit to right centerfield. Ron Thompson and Doug Chamlee each banged out RBI singles before a sacrifice fly by Sam Harrell knocked in the final run. The sacrifice was the only out of the frame. They continued their run for first place with four more runs in the third. Randy Lane and Carl Luebking each singled and scored for the second time in the game. Wayne Mundy also scored twice in three innings. Chuck Duff doubled in a run during the onslaught. Chuck was driven home on a single from the bat of Ron Thompson. Team One began late and finished strong. Lead off hitter Vassurl Bess, who had walked and scored the first run for the team in the third, walked again to open the fifth frame. A double by Sam Lopez sent Vassurl scampering to third. Don Witmer doubled in a run and then scored on a Wally Granger triple. Dean Schapeler got in on the fun when he singled home Wally. Before the inning was complete, Rusty Landahl had collected a base hit while driving Dean home with the fifth run. Team Three chipped away at the lead the entire game. A five run fifth inning tied the game with the leading team at the time. Six straight singles got the team in high gear. Tom Snider began the hitting display with a base rap. Lead off hitter John Fulton singled and number the two hole hitter, Fred Dampier, also collected a base hit. That single drove home the first run. Base hits by Jim Laffoon, Bob Zelazny, and Walt Leggett followed. Larry Wells drove home the tying run to end the bottom of the fifth inning. The seventh inning was the deciding frame to determine the winner in the contest this morning. The score stood at 7-9-9. The first team set the stage for an exciting finish. They rallied for four runs to take a two run lead heading into the middle of the seventh. Lead off hitter Vassurl Bess walked for the third time in the game to open the top of the inning. Sam Lopez singled Vassurl to third and he scored when a ball was booted in the infield. Wally Granger made the defense pay for their mistake with a rocket double to leftfield, scoring two runs. Another infield error immediately followed the hit by Wally. Dick Sessink sacrificed Wally home for the fourth run. Rusty Landahl singled but did not advance beyond first base. With the top of the seventh inning over, the score stood at 11-9-9. Team Two began with an out but Wayne Mundy singled and then scored when Chuck Duff drove in another run with a double. That amounted to the offense and only one run crossed home. With the middle of the seventh out of the way, the score was 11-10-9. The home team put their hitting shoes back on to prepare for a photo finish. Fred Dampier lead off the inning with a solo inside-the-park home run up the middle. Jim Laffoon and Bob Zelazny continued the hitting with singles before the next batter flew out and advanced both runners one base. A single by Bob Christiansen drove home the tying run and a base hit by Larry Wells won the game. The final score was 11-10-12. LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier - 4 for 4 with 2 homers. Jim Laffoon - 4 for 4. Ken Ota - 3 for 3. Vassurl Bess - 1 for 1 with 3 walks. Wally Granger - 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 1 double. Chuck Duff - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Sam Lopez - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Don Witmer - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Rusty Landahl - 3 for 4. Ron Thompson - 3 for 4. Larry Wells - 3 for 4.
Four players who have not played much this summer, or not at all, joined in the game today. Please come out more often Bob Christiansen, Bob Cooper, John Fulton, and Bernie Mohan. Three players on the DL watched the game. Get well soon, Dennis Holder, Rich Kralik, and Rich Palmer. Former umpire Morty Dermer also watched the game. Drop by any time, Morty. Pizza and drinks were served after the game this morning. Almost everyone stayed and enjoyed good food and conversation. The Board of Directors for our Winter Haven Senior Softball Club voted on and approved the party. August 7th - The 60s, 65s, and 70s divisions of the Florida Half Century tournament will be played in Lakeland tomorrow and Sunday. Several Winter Haven Senior Softball Club members are on the teams. As a result, the turnout was low this morning because almost all the tournament players are resting for the FHC games beginning tomorrow.
Two teams were assembled for a nine inning contest and the game went right down to the wire.
The visiting team scored in the first inning on two hits. Lead off batter John Fulton singled to leftfield and tagged up to second base after the next man flew out. Ron Thompson drew a free pass before Bob Zelazny connected for a base hit. John scored from second base for the lone run of the inning. The next two batters were 
struck out by opposing pitcher Dick Sessink.
The number one hitter also scored for the home team. Vassurl Bess singled for the first of three consecutive hits. Sam Lopez and Don Witmer followed the lead with base hits. The hit by Don drove in the first run. A crucial error in the infield allowed Sam to score. The visitors chipped away with another run in the second. After the first batter popped up to the outfield, Reg Barnes had a base rap. He was immediately erased when the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice. Rich Moots singled but the ball was misplayed in the outfield and the runner from first scored on the play. Once again, the team had one run on two hits. The home team could not score although Randy Lane singled and made it all the way to third due to an outfield error. The score was 2-2 after two innings of play were in the books. The top of the lineup did the damage in the top of the third. With one out recorded on a ground out to third baseman Sam Lopez, John Fulton singled for the second time in the game. Then Freddy Gonzalez stepped to the plate and smashed a deep ball to right centerfield for an inside-the-park home run. Ron Thompson had a base knock and he also found his way home. A base hit by Bob Zelazny pushed him to third and a fielder's choice grounder hit by Larry Wells sent Ron home. The visiting team would not score again until the seventh frame. The home fourth had some 
offense but only one run was put on the score board when it was all said and done. Carl Luebking and Dick Sessink each singled before Dick was the first victim when the next batter grounded into a double play. Meanwhile, Carl advanced to third. A single by Randy Lane drove Carl home and Gale Doty had the first of his two hits. A single to the outfield by John Merritt loaded the bases but no one score because the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice for the third out.
The best inning for the home team came in the fifth. Lee Baker began with a single and moved to second when Vassurl Bess walked. Sam Lopez tried to be sneaky and drove a ball down the first base line. First baseman Sam Harrell snagged the ball and turned an extra base hit into a fielder's choice when he threw to second for the force out. A booted ball in the infield allowed the next batter to reach base. Before the inning was over, Roger Edwards singled and Carl Luebking doubled. A sacrifice fly by Dick Sessink drove home the fifth run. The home team had a comfortable 8-4 lead after five innings of play. When the visitors tacked on two runs in the seventh to close the gap to 8-7, the good guys rallied for three runs. Vassurl Bess, Sam Lopez, and Don Witmer each had base raps to start off the home seventh before Roger Edwards doubled to deep leftfield. The visiting team was down 12-7 heading into the ninth and final frame. They didn't go down quietly. Freddy Gonzalez doubled and scored on a Bob Zelazny base hit. Larry Wells singled directly after Bob before a ball was dropped in rightfield. The miscue cost the defense two runs. Pat Accetta singled home a run and became the tying run. He made it as far as second base. LEADING HITTER: Bob Zelazny - 4 for 4 with 1 double.
August 11th - The league returned to three team games this morning. Walt Leggett picked up a win to improve his off season record to 9-3. His team scored 15 runs and gave up nine. Dick Sessink hurled for the team that scored nine and allowed nine while on defense so Dick only managed a tie. His record is 12-6-2. Larry Powell was on the hill for the team that scored nine but surrendered 15 runs. Larry has an off season record of 2-6-1.
The visiting team failed to score but the lead off hitter, Rich Moots, did open the game with a base hit. Several team mates in the dugout chimed in unison "Mooooooooooooots!" after the single. It sounded like a herd of sick cows were begging to be set free. It was all in fun. Joel Freedman said that Rich has been hitting well lately so he was moved into the number one hole. Two of the next three batters flew out and one man hit a foul when he had two strikes on him. As we all know, 
that went into the books as a big K.
Team Two took the lead with five runs in the opening frame and coasted to victory. Vassurl Bess and Elvis Abney each bopped out singles to begin the game for their team before Don Witmer hit his first of two doubles for the game. Don ended the contest going 4 for 4. Not bad for a morning at the old ball park. Elvis has not been playing much in Winter Haven this summer because the Nalcrest community where he resides has a softball field and they play three days a week. After the double by Don, Freddy Gonzalez reached base on an infield error and Larry Wells hit a sacrifice fly to leftfield. Three runs were posted in the score book at this time. Pitcher Walt Leggett singled and two consecutive errors by the rover finished off the scoring for the inning. After the home team went down in the first with no hits, the next frame began with a double from the bat of Fred Dampier. Pitcher Larry Powell had a base hit that sent Fred to third. Bernie Mohan hit a sacrifice fly to right centerfielder Ken Ota for the only run of the second. Team Two was at it again in the third. Four straight singles, along with a ground out and an error accounted for the maximum five runs. Don Witmer, Freddy Gonzalez, Larry Wells, and Walt Leggett each had base raps in the inning. Joel Freedman reached base on an error but it was productive since a run was scored at the time. A ground out by Gene Baker knocked in the last run. This was the first game Gene played upon his return to Alaska. Check out the "Activities" link for a couple of pics of Gene. He had some 
fish stories to tell today so it was appropriate to post a pic of Gene and his big fish. Welcome back, Gene.
Team Three finally got on the boards in the third inning. And they did it in fashion. The first two batters grounded out to shortstop Don Witmer. First baseman Joel Freedman took the two throws. Lead off hitter Randy Lane drew a walk and Chris Constantine got aboard on a booted ball. Any run scored thereafter would be unearned because of the error. Ron Thompson and Dean Schapeler each singled afterwards before Don Scarbrough banged out a double. Dick Sessink, who ended the day batting 3 for 4, singled and a base hit by Ken Ota drove home the fifth run. However, the team was down by 10 runs so five more could be scored before the inning was over. Unfortunately, the hit by Ken did end the inning because a runner was thrown out at home trying to score from second base. Right centerfielder Vassurl Bess fielded the hit and threw to cut off man Don Witmer. Don fired the ball home and Gene Baker caught the strike right before the runner scored. Inning 
over.
The first squad rallied for four runs in the fourth. Singles by Wayne Mundy and Bob Zelazny started the fireworks. Fred Dampier was patient at the plate and drew a walk before Larry Powell singled. Pat Accetta kept the inning going when he hit a ball that was misplayed for an error. An inning ending double play finished off the top of the fourth. Shortstop Ron Thompson fielded a grounder, tagged the runner heading to third, and flipped the ball to rover Randy Lane for the twin killing. The only run in the home fifth came when Ron Thompson split the rightfielder and right centerfielder for a lead off, inside-the-park home run. The ball rolled past right centerfielder Vassurl Bess, who gave chase as Ron circled the bases. By the time the game was headed to the seventh, the score was 6-15-6. The first and third teams combined were three runs short of the score for Team Two. Team One managed to score in the last frame. Key hits by Bernie Mohan and Tom Snider were huge because they both scored and, incidentally, were the only two hits of the seventh. Hank Gomez and Wayne Mundy each reached base on infield errors and Joltin' Joe DeForge drew a walk. So far, he is walking away with the lead in walks. He has strolled to first base 22 times this off season. Reg Barnes is a distant second with 16 free passes. Three runs scored for Team One in the seventh and they finished with nine for the game. The second team did not score but Gene Baker did poke out a single. The runner for Gene got as far as second base but remained there when the inning came to an end. The home team started out with a fly out to rightfielder John Merritt. Don Scarbrough and Dick Sessink had base hits and both ended up crossing home on the combination of two errors and one lone hit by Terry Feehan. LEADING HITTERS: Don Witmer - 4 for 4 with 2 doubles. Fred Dampier - 2 for 2 with 1 double & 1 walk. Larry Powell - 2 for 2 with 1 sacrifice fly. Don Scarbrough - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Walt Leggett - 3 for 4. Dick Sessink - 3 for 4.
Hank Gomez played this morning. He has not been to Winter Haven much since the season ended. He was a pool player during the 2009 season and sponsored the Winter Haven Dodgers Royal team during the 2008 season. Hank is doing well and it was nice to see him. He plays regularly in Nalcrest. Terry Feehan is down from Deshler, Ohio for a week. Thank you for playing today, Terry. The final game was played at the DiamondPlex this morning. The fields will be worked on for a month or two and the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club will play the ball games at the Auburndale Softball Complex beginning Friday, August 14th. The Auburndale Softball Complex is located at 299 Florida Citrus Boulevard in Auburndale. Refer to the link for directions. August 14th - Today marked the first game in the history of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club the games were played at the Auburndale Softball Complex. The DiamondPlex fields are getting a makeover so the league has moved to Auburndale for an estimated six weeks.
Don Scarbrough made his pitching debut this morning and he was successful. He recorded a win and issued only one free pass. Ron Thompson made a rare pitching appearance. He hasn't been pitching much this off season. In fact, this was only his third trip to the mound. Old reliable Dick Sessink toed the rubber for one of the squads in the three team contest.
Team One was the top dog this morning. They took an early lead in the low scoring game. One run came home in the first on two hits. Fred Dampier singled with one out. Fred ended the day with a perfect 5 for 5 and scored three runs. In the meantime, team mate Chuck Duff drove Fred home each time with a 4 for 4 day, including an inside-the-park home run. After Fred reached base in the first, Chuck hit a long single. He didn't advance beyond first base but the 
damage had been done.
In the second frame, Rusty Landahl singled. The next batter was safe on an unusual play. Rather than throw the slower runner out at first after he hit a grounder, the fielder opted to toss to second. The quick and agile pinch runner Don Witmer slid into second base and everyone was safe on the fielder's choice. Gale Doty singled Don home before the next two batters were safe on fielder's choice plays where base runners were actually put out. Fred Dampier singled in the third and final run of the second. The first team did not get their offense going again until the fifth inning because the third and fourth frames were dry. After the first out was made on a ground out to start the fifth frame, Fred Dampier singled up the middle of the field. The next batter popped out to shallow rightfield so the runner could not tag and go to second. That was okay because now was the time Chuck Duff banged out his homer between the rightfielder and right centerfielder. Ron Thompson singled after the dinger and what followed was the third baseman's worst nightmare. Three errors in succession by the battle scarred fielder allowed two more runs to cross home plate. The sixth was also highly productive for Team One. The lead off batter got aboard on a misplayed ball in the infield and Fred Dampier made them pay with a double, chasing Rich Moots to third. Don Witmer doubled home Rich and Chuck Duff singled home two more runs. Another infield error and a single by Sam Harrell accounted for the fourth 
and last run for the team.
Team Two scored in three of the seven frames but just couldn't get out of the starting blocks. Singles by Jim Laffoon and Roger Edwards assured the team of one run in the opening inning, but they didn't mount another rally until the fifth frame. After the first two batters made outs in the fifth inning, Jim Laffoon doubled to right centerfield and then scored on a Roger Edwards double to leftfield. Pitcher Don Scarbrough helped his cause with an RBI single. The sixth inning was the last hurrah for the middle team. Richard Marino got things going with a single but was forced at second when Randy Lane grounded into a fielder's choice to shortstop Don Witmer. Gene Baker came trough with a base hit, pushing Randy to third. After the second out was recorded, Larry Wells and Jim Laffoon each had a base rap. They were both stranded on the base after the third out was made. It took the home team until the fifth inning to figure out new pitcher Don Scarbrough. They went scoreless for the first four frames. During that time, tournament players Wayne Mundy went 2 for 2 and Bob Zelazny was 1 for 2. That concluded the total hits for the team. They broke open in the fifth with a three spot. After the last man in the lineup struck out, lead off hitter Reg Barnes was declared safe at first after the ball was booted in the infield. The recovery throw to first was late. Freddy Gonzalez and Wayne Mundy punched out singles after the miscue. Bob Zelazny reached base on a dropped ball at first base. In a perfect world, that would have been the end of the inning, but it isn't and it wasn't. The next two batters flew out but the damage had been done. Only one run was earned of the three that crossed the plate. The game ended for the third team in the seventh when Freddy Gonzalez, running for Dick Sessink, who got aboard with a single, tried to take two bases on a hit to right centerfield by Pat Accetta. Fred Dampier fielded the ball and fired to fill in third baseman Roger Edwards for the final out of the game. LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier - 5 for 5 with 1 double. Chuck Duff - 4 for 4 with 1 homer. Jim Laffoon - 3 for 4 with 1 double. Wayne Mundy - 3 for 4.
Sam Lopez didn't play but hobbled out to watch. He was on crutches with a boot on his left foot. He had to have it repaired and probably will miss a month of play. We will miss you in our next tournament Sam. Two more players were added to the DL. Larry Powell had much needed surgery on his right shoulder and will miss at least the next tournament. Larry manages the Florida Half Century 60s Polk County Warriors team and Sam Lopez is the third baseman. Hang in there, Larry, and do not attempt to make an early return. Give that throwing arm time to completely heal. Joel Freedman went into the hospital yesterday with a bout of pneumonia. Joel does a lot for the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club, including making up teams every game date. Get well soon, Joel. Quote of the day: "OK, ten more". It is asked of the players during batting practice to take only between five and six cuts during their time at bat. Many times a batter will ask for one more before vacating the box. That was not in the mind of Joltin' Joe DeForge. That brought a chuckle to several guys. Thank you Joe. August 15th - Saturday - The Lakeshore team played a wood bat double header against an all star team from the Sebring wood bat league. The game was contested at the Nalcrest Eagles softball field in Nalcrest this morning. Lakeshore is adjacent to the Nalcrest community and their team plays most of their softball games at the Nalcrest Eagles softball field.
Regino "Gutey" Gutierrez piloted 
the Lakeshore squad and should be commended for doing an outstanding job in shuffling players around. He assigned positions for the players and the end result was the team performed flawlessly on defense.
Participating from the Nalcrest league for the Lakeshore team were Fred Dampier, Larry McNair, Gary Morra, Gary Quartana, Ivan Renta, and Alberto Guerrero. Angel Merced, a Winter Haven Senior Softball Club member, was also on the Lakeshore team. John Beilman, a member of the Lakeland Senior Softball program, played with the Sebring all stars. The first game was a 10-1 blowout in favor of Lakeshore. The winning pitcher was Francisco Cosme. Fred Dampier, Miguel Negron, Ivan Renta, and Ray Jiminez all hit the ball well in the contest. A pair of fielding highlights during the game included catches by two of the Lakeshore outfielders. Ray Jiminez played right centerfield. He made a running back catch and reached high to grab the ball. Fred Dampier, patrolling leftfield, raced back and towards the foul fence to make an over-the-head catch. Both men robbed the Sebring batters of extra base hits. After a ten minute break, the second game was underway. Lakeshore stood tall again and won 6-1. Nalcrest resident Gary Morra was on the mound to record the victory in the second game. The next doubleheader pitting Lakeshore against Sebring is tentatively set for September 19th in Sebring. August 18th - The game this morning had a bit of everything. Two home runs were hit over the fence, a team made a great comeback, there was a fine display of hitting, and several defensive plays were worthy of highlight film reels.
Team One began with a huge BANG. They racked up the maximum amount of runs allowed in an inning for the first three frames. After Vassurl Bess and Brent Alumbaugh got aboard with singles in the opening inning, Wally Granger teed off on a ball and slammed it over the left centerfield fence for a three run home run. After the dinger, Doug Chamlee singled and took a runner from first. That paid immediate dividends since Walt Leggett hit an RBI double. He also took a runner and Ken Ota drove him in for the fifth run. The second frame for the first 
team was just as productive. After Sam Harrell and Joltin' Joe DeForge coaxed walks, Vassurl Bess singled in a run. Fred Dampier then doubled in two runs, advanced to third on a fly out, and scored when Wally Granger singled. A hit by Doug Chamlee accounted for the fifth run.
The bottom of the line up came through in the third for Team One. Walt Leggett doubled and Ron Butler singled to open the frame. Ken Ota reached base on an infield error as did Sam Harrell. The misplayed ball that Sam hit drove 
home a run. Joe DeForge took another walk. By the time the game was over, Joe had walked all four times he stepped to the plate. He leads the league with 26 free passes. A single by lead off hitter Vassurl Bess knocked in a run and the second consecutive double by Fred Dampier drove home the last two runs.
The first team had scored 15 runs in the first three innings and looked like a shoo-in for a victory today. But that did not happen. Although Wally Granger hit another ball over the fence for a two run homer in the final frame, they ended up losing the game. Team Two just couldn't get started. It was the third inning by the time they had batted through their 11 man batting order. The top of the lineup for Team One already had three at bats by this time in the game. Ron Thompson was the only light in the first. He tripled and scored on a Don Witmer sacrifice fly. The only other hit by anyone in the line up in their first trip to the plate was a single by George Radlein in the middle of the second inning. They finally came uncorked in the third. Lee Baker reached base on a booted ball in the infield and ended up scoring only the second run for Team Two at that point in the game. Ron Thompson singled with one out in the books, Don Witmer walked, followed by base hits from the bats of Jim Laffoon, Bob Zelazny, Larry Wells, and George Radlein. Before the inning was over, Gale Doty had singled. Seven runs crossed the plate bin the middle of the third, but they were sitll behind on the score boards. The score with Team Three still awaiting their turn to bat in the third was 15-8-1. The seventh and final frame was huge for the second team. They were behind when the seventh began and ahead by two when they had finished. The first two batters immediately made outs and Ron Thompson then hit a fly ball that was dropped. Every run, and there were many, would be 
unearned after that fatal error.
With the new life given Team Two, they took full advantage of the opportunity. Don Witmer and Jim Laffoon each singled before Bob Zelazny drew a walk. Larry Wells, George Radlein, and Pat Accetta each banged out base hits after the walk. A walk to Gale Doty kept the inning going and Rich Moots drove home the final two runs with a single. Team Three was ready to bat with the score of 21-23-17 after 6 2/3 innings of play was complete. The middle squad had fought back and took the lead from Team One, who had been the powerhouse early in the game. The home team got off to a slow start like Team Two did. It wasn't until the 
third inning that the number one batter stepped to the plate again. In the first two frames, only Freddy Gonzalez, with a double, a single by Wayne Mundy, and a walk to Chuck Duff were their only base runners. John Merritt also got on base, but that was not a productive at bat because a ball was misplayed in the infield.
Four runs crossed home in the last of the third. Gene Baker singled with one out and took a pinch runner from first. Chris Constantine chased the runner around the bases when he connected for a triple. Afterwards, Freddy Gonzalez hit in inside-the-park homer, his sixth tater of the off season. Dean Schapeler walked and Don Scarbrough had a base knock but neither player scored in the third. Team Three rallied big in the sixth inning. Eight players made it all the way around the bases and they batted around the order plus three. It didn't start off well for the good guys, though. The first batter hit a foul on the second strike and a "K" was put in the books. After that, Gene Baker made it to first on an infield error. Lead off hitter Chris Constantine singled and that was followed by a base hit from Freddy Gonzalez. The next batter forced Chris out at third so now two outs were in the books. Base hits by Chuck Duff, Dean Schapeler, and Don Scarbrough were to follow. Five runs had already made it home before Randy Lane doubled in another run. The inning continued when John Merritt got on base from a ball was dropped by the first baseman on a routine ground out. Tom Snider singled, Bernie Mohan drew a walk, and Gene Baker banged out his third hit of the day. That single drove home the eighth and final run of the inning. Some outstanding fielding plays 
were executed during the game.
In the top of the fifth inning, Fred Dampier smashed a hard grounder to the opposite side of the infield. Third baseman Chris Constantine reacted quickly and moved to his left to pick the grounder cleanly from the dirt. He had ample time to stop and make it back to third base to force the runner for Joe DeForge out at the bag. Rover Ron Thompson made a sparkling play in the fifth inning. Randy Lane had singled and was ready to speed to second. John Merritt hit a grounder up the middle that first appeared to be a clean single. Ron ran to his left, scooped the grounder, and performed a blind back hand flip to shortstop Jim Laffoon, who covered second to get Randy out by two steps. Catcher Joe DeForge alertly ran to his right to snag a pop up foul from the bat of Gale Doty in the sixth inning. Besides walking four times and scoring twice, Joe also played defense well. In the final frame, first baseman Tom Snider played defense like a pro on one particular play. With Fred Dampier on first base from a base hit, Brent Alumbaugh stepped to the plate and smashed a wicked fast grounder down the line. Tom scooped the ball and fired to shortstop Wayne Mundy to get fast Fred out by a step. The throw was right on target, over the runner's shoulder, and into the waiting glove for a force out at second. In the outfield, left centerfielder Fred Dampier robbed Ron Butler of a clean line drive hit. Fred charged in hard and reached low to snag the sinking liner. Wayne Mundy jokingly commented that Fred wasn't behind the outfield line before the ball was hit. Outfielders are required to stay behind a hash mark that is 180' from home plate until the batter connects with the ball. That rule was adapted from the Lakeland Senior Softball program. One more play is worth a mention. Ron Butler played third base for Team One. Late in the game, he made a mad dash towards the foul line fence behind third base and in the outfield grass. He reached high, the ball fell into his glove, and he skimmed off the fence. Unfortunately, the ball became dislodged from the mitt and wasn't held for an out. Excellent try, Ron. LEADING HITTERS: Freddy Gonzalez - 5 for 5 with 1 homer & 3 doubles. Jim Laffoon - 5 for 5 with 1 double. Don Witmer - 3 for 3 with 1 double, 1 walk, & 1 sacrifice fly. Wally Granger - 4 for 5 with 2 homers & 1 double. Vassurl Bess - 4 for 5. George Radlein - 4 for 5. Chuck Duff - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 walk.
August 21st - The game can only be classified as "A Comedy of Errors". On a positive note, pitcher Walt Leggett racked up his 10th win of the off season. Walt now sports a record of 10-4. He is second behind Dick Sessink, who has 12 victories against eight defeats.
Team Three took an early lead but the second squad caught them and eventually won the game. One word could be used to describe the offense for Team Two - consistant. They didn't chalk up a goose egg on the score board all day long. Freddy Gonzalez has continued to accumulate doubles this off season. He connected for two more today and has run his league leading total to 40. Fred Dampier is in a rather distant second place with 34 doubles during the off season. Freddy had a two bagger in the first after Reg Barnes singled. Reg scored when a ball was misplayed in the infield. Roger Edwards walked before the next batter popped up to shortstop Ron Thompson. Sam Harrell had a one out RBI single that scored Freddy. Pat Accetta sacrificed Roger home for the final run of the inning. The single by Tom Snider moved Sam to third but both team mates remained on the bases when the third out was made in the first. Freddy Gonzalez scored the lone run for Team One in the second and batted in the only run in the third. Roger Edwards knocked Freddy in with a base rap. In the third, Joltin' Joe DeForge singled, moved to second on a Reg Barnes single in the direction of rightfielder Richard Marino, and scored when Freddy banged out his second double of the game. Four runs scored on four hits in the top of the fifth frame. The one-two punch of Reg Barnes and Freddy Gonzalez came through again. This time, they each had singles. Reg scored on an RBI base hit by Dick Sessink and Freddy crossed home when the next batter reached base on a booted ball in the infield. Team Two scored at least one run in every inning. In the first, lead off hitter Randy Lane had a base hit, number two hole batter, Carl Luebking, drew a walk, and Don Witmer had an RBI single. The middle team had one run in the second, but it took four hits to get that one run. Doug Chamlee, John Merritt, and Joel Freedman ecah banged out singles before the next batter fouled out. A base rap by Randy Lane drove Doug home. The team batted around in the third to tie the score 6-8-8 with the third squad heading into the bottom of the frame. Doug Chamlee, Gene Baker, Randy Lane, and Don Witmer each connected for base hits and Fred Dampier walked. A double by Fred Dampier got the second team rolling in the fifth. He scored on a George Radlein base hit. John Merritt also singled in the fifth inning but did not advance farther than first base before the inning came to an end. Team Two added insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings. Gene Baker had a sizzling hot bat this morning. He ended the day with a 4 for 5 performance. The runner for Gene scored in the sixth. Gene also had a base hit in the seventh frame. After Gene Baker's hit, Don Witmer, George Radlein, Doug Chamlee, and John Merritt each singled, although the hits were not consecutively executed. Randy Lane scored the only run for the middle team in the final frame. Gene Baker single to open the inning. He was forced at second base when Randy Lane drove a ball hard to shortstop Wayne Mundy. Randy moved to second on a hit by Carl Luebking and scored when Fred Dampier singled up the middle. The home team hopped out to a fast start to open the game. Vassurl Bess singled before Larry Wells and Ron Thompson each had back-to-back doubles. The shot by Larry was down the leftfield line and the one by Ron went down the rightfield line. Both players pulled the ball. Singles by Bob Zelazny, Walt Leggett, and Rusty Landahl followed and the base hit by Rusty drove in the fifth and final run of the first frame. Misplayed balls extended the second inning for Team Three. Three runs scored on two hits and three errors. The productive at bats were a single by Larry Wells and a double by Bob Zelazny. It was not until the fourth frame before Team Three got on the boards again. After having a lead in the opening two frames, Team Three couldn't score in the third after allowing the second team to tie the game. Three runs crossed the plate on two hits and two errors in the home fourth. Ron Thompson and Bob Zelazny each got on base with singles and they both scored. The good guys needed six runs to force a tie with the lead team but could not muster up enough offense to step up to the task. They did score twice while the defense played a clean seventh inning. After the first batter made an out in the final frame, Vassurl Bess, Larry Wells, Ron Thompson, and Bob Zelazny all connected for base hits. Ron and Bob each had an RBI hit. LEADING HITTERS: Ron Thompson - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Larry Wells - 4 for 5 with 1 double. Gene Baker - 4 for 5.
Dave Podbielski returned to the old ball park. He played in the National League during the season and decided to take some time off to rest his body and help heal some old injuries. Welcome back, Dave. Russ King dropped by and took some batting practice. He has had some medical problems and is on the way to recovery. He hopes to play again at the end of September. Hang in there Russ and continue to regain your strength. August 25th - One team dominated the game this morning. The batters in the number three hole through the number seven holes were all included in the leading hitters. The bats were hot for the hitters on the home team, who needed only six innings to score 23 runs. On almost any other day, the 14 runs scored for Team One would be enough to lead all teams in scoring.
Teams One and Three both started the game with the maximum five runs and they scored the first four with similar results. Team One began when the hapless lead off batter, who went 0 for 5 today, hit a fly ball to the outfield. After the first out was in the books, Doug Chamlee drew a walk and Don Scarbrough singled to set the table for clean up hitter Jim Laffoon. Jim tripled in 
both runs. Jim scored when George Radlein had a base knock. Wally Granger and Dave Podbielski followed up with walks. The bases were loaded for Rich Moots, who came through in the clutch with a base rap.
Carl Luebking, the first batter for Team Two, began with a double. By the time the inning was over three batters later, Carl was still waiting at second. The third team had a patient lead off hitter. Vassurl Bess took ball four for a walk. Randy Lane punched out an opposite field single before Chuck Duff tripled in the two base runners. Brent Alumbaugh hit a triple that was just inside the chalk lines down the rightfield line. Larry Wells knocked in Brent with a single. After the first out was made, Walt Leggett tripled in the last run. At the end of one inning of play, the score 
stood at 5-0-5.
The home team pushed across five more runs in the second to take the lead and keep it for the remainder of the game. Joel Freedman began the frame with a base hit up the middle. Joltin' Joe DeForge came through with a single in the direction of leftfielder Ken Ota. After the hit by Joe, Vassurl Bess singled. The second out was made on a pop up to second base. At that point, there were two outs and one run scored. But that was about to change. Chuck Duff connected for his second triple in as many at bats to drive home two more runs. A dropped fly ball allowed Brent Alumbaugh to reach base. In fact, Brent did not stop running until he rolled into third base. Larry Wells walked before Freddy Gonzalez laced a single up the middle for the fifth run of the second inning. The top half of the line up did all the scoring for Team One. The lower half hit well, too, and had a few RBIs. In the third, Doug Chamlee singled. The pinch runner for Doug strolled to second when Don Scarbrough drew a free pass. With two runners on the bases, Jim Laffoon stepped to the plate and connected for a three run inside-the-park homer. Two outs were immediately made after the dinger but the team was not finished with their hitting just yet. Dave Podbielski, Rich Moots, and Richard Marino each punched out base hits to load the bases. But they headed for the dugout to get their gloves after the next batter struck out. The middle squad finally got on the score boards when they managed a lone run in the fourth inning. The goal for the team was not to be shutout by George Radlein but they just could not put together any kind of offense against the flame thrower. In the fourth, Sam Harrell, who lead the team in hitting this morning, began with a single. Sam finished the day with a 3 for 3 performance. A single by Ken Ota advanced Sam to second and an opposite field double by Reg Barnes scored Sam. The team cheered the run as if 
they won a championship game.
The fourth through the sixth innings for the home team were very productive. Chuck Duff and Brent Alumbaugh both went 3 for 3 with a double and they each scored all three times. Freddy Gonzalez also scored three runs. He performed a rare feat, too. Freddy hit a sacrifice fly that was dropped and he ended up scoring a run. In summary, he went 2 for 2 with three runs scored during the fourth through sixth innings. Joel Freedman finished the day batting 4 for 4. The pinch runner for Joel scored one run in the second frame but did not get beyond second base in the other three plate appearances. The first team pushed across four runs in the fourth inning. Don Scarbrough, George Radlein, Wally Granger, and Dave Podbielski each had base hits while Jim Laffoon and Rich Moots both walked. Dave drove home the third and last run of the fourth frame. The sixth inning for Team One was also productive. Don Scarbrough, Jim Laffoon, and George Radlein each punched out singles to load the bases for power hitter Wally Granger. Wally walked with the bases loaded and that sent Dave Podbielski to the plate. Dave also drew a walk with the bases juiced. The last run scored when Rich Moots got aboard on a misplayed ball in the infield. The only other inning that Team Two scored was in the fifth frame. The first batter struck out to start things off on a sour note. After the batter was rung up, Carl Luebking and Rusty Landahl were patient at the plate and were issued walks. A base hit by Ron Thompson, followed by a single from the bat of Wayne Mundy drove home two runs. With two swings of the bats, the team doubled their run production from the first four innings. A fielder's choice grounder to shortstop Jim Laffoon accounted for the third run. Sam Harrell singled afterwards but was not able to advance beyond first base. In all, the home team was just too loaded for the other two teams to compete with any chance for a win. LEADING HITTERS: Chuck Duff - 5 for 5 with 2 triples & 1 double. Jim Laffoon - 4 for 4 with 1 homer, 1 triple, & 1 walk. Don Scarbrough - 4 for 4 with 1 walk. Joel Freedman - 4 for 4. Sam Harrell - 3 for 3. Dave Podbielski - 2 for 2 with 2 walks. Brent Alumbaugh - 4 for 5 with 1 triple & 1 double. Walt Leggett - 4 for 5 with 1 triple. Freddy Gonzalez - 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 sacrifice fly. Larry Wells - 3 for 4 with 1 walk.
Quote of the day: "Once you get over the shock of catching the ball, make the throw to first." During batting practice, a ground ball was hit to Carl Luebking, who was positioned between second and third at shortstop. Carl fielded the ball cleanly but failed to make the throw across the diamond to Doug Chamlee at first base, which prompted Doug's comment. Thank you for the light moment, Doug. August 28th - The last game of the month of August ended with a two team contest. There has been rain in the area practically every evening for the past week so maybe some thought the fields were not in playing condition. Fortunately, the grounds crew in Auburndale work hard to keep at least one field playable for the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club.
The warm and humid weather paid a toll on the players this morning. There was only a slight breeze throughout the game and, at times, it was still and hot. The sun did hide behind clouds near the end of the contest, though. The visiting team gathered four runs in the first frame and held the lead through the entire game. A two run double by Roger Edwards was 
huge. Scoring on the hit were new player Don Kemp and Ron Thompson. Don singled in his inaugural at bat and Ron had reached base on a dropped ball in the outfield. After the double, Roger ended up scoring a run for the visitors along with another base runner, who had reached base on a grounder towards rightfielder Tom Snider. Rich Moots drove home the fourth run in the first.
The home team fought back in the first with a three spot but tried to play catch up ball the rest of the game. Pat Accetta reached base on a booted ball in the infield to begin the bottom of the inning. Sam Harrell singled Pat to second and Brent Alumbaugh doubled home one run. The first out was recorded when Freddy Gonzalez hit a sacrifice fly. Before the inning was in the books, Larry Wells singled in the third run. 
Ron Butler had a key hit in the top of the fourth frame. Rich Moots and Richard Marino set the stage with singles. Gale Doty singled but was forced at second when the next batter grounded into a fielder's choice. With two outs in the books, Ron Butler doubled in two runs. One more run scored when a ball was misplayed in the infield.
Most of the hitters were put in check from excellent pitching performances by Dick Sessink and George Radlein. Quite a few goose eggs were placed on the score board throughout the game. Both pitchers were in their zone in the middle innings. Only one run scored in the fifth through seventh innings for both sides. The lone run was unearned since the batter had gotten on base from a misplayed ball in the infield. He would not have scored by the time the inning was over had the ball been fielded for an out. The visitors scored three insurance runs in the eighth inning and they were needed, as it turned out. Don Kemp walked to begin the frame, followed by a single from the bat of Ron Thompson. Roger Edwards crushed a deep triple for two RBIs and scored when the next batter hit a sacrifice fly. A single by Dick Sessink and a walk to Randy Lane followed but neither player was able to make it all the way around the bases. Heading into the bottom of the ninth inning, the visitors were leading by a score of 12-5. Chuck Duff singled to begin the last of the ninth but was forced at second when Pat Accetta hit into a fielder's choice. Sam Harrell had a one out single. That base hit was followed by back-to-back doubles by Brent Alumbaugh and Freddy Gonzalez. George Radlein drove home the fourth run of the frame but the game ended with the home team down by three runs. LEADING HITTERS: Brent Alumbaugh - 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Rich Moots - 3 for 4.
One player joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club. Don Kemp worked in Deleware for 29 years before moving to Florida. He still works as a contractor in the Davenport area. Welcome aboard, Don. |
July 2009