June 2010 News Archive
 June 1st - Player by player, the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club has been growing in numbers. Currently, there are over 60 members who live in the area year around and play much of the time.
Two fields were used for the games today since 40 players showed up with their bats and gloves in hand. Ted Granoski was the winning pitcher on Field D but the score sheets didn't indicate the pitcher for the winning team on Fred White Field. Three pitchers in the lineup were Walt Leggett, George Radlein, and Don Witmer. The game on Fred White Field was a heated battle 
that wasn't decided until the ninth inning. With the score knotted at 12-12, the visiting team racked up five runs. The first five batters in the inning all scored. Vassurl Bess
began with a walk and Don Witmer drove him home with a double. The next three batters also hit two baggers. Dean Schapeler, George Radlein, and Walt Leggett all connected for doubles in various parts of the outfield. A base rap by Ken Ota was the final hit of the frame. The next batter grounded into a double play, erasing Ken from the base paths. The third out followed with a fly out to left centerfielder Bob Zelazny.
The home team mounted a rally but it was cut short with a double play, too. Brent Alumbaugh, perfect at the plate with a 5 for 5 performance, opened with a base hit. Bob Zelazny doubled Brent home and Regis Finnegan hit a deep single to score Bob. Larry Wells was patient at the plate and drew a walk. The next batter hit into a 6-11-3 double play for the first two outs in the bottom of the ninth. The game came to an end when another grounder was hit to the shortstop. Regis was on his way home for the third run of the frame when the final out was recorded. The visiting team won by a score of 17-14. LEADING HITTERS: Brent Alumbaugh: 5 for 5 with 1 homer. George Radlein: 4 for 5 with 1 homer & 2 doubles. Regis Finnegan: 4 for 5 with 1 homer & 1 double. Marty Martinez: 4 for 5. Frank Acevedo: 3 for 4 with 1 walk. The game on Field D was a higher scoring affair than its counterpart on Fred White Field. The contest included a three home run game by Chris Constantine, who is the off season leader in that category. The visiting team was down by seven 
runs once the top of the third rolled around. The leadoff batter, Rich Moots, began with a walk and so did number two hole hitter Pat Accetta. Chris Constantine drove home one run with a double before the next batter reached base on a misplayed ball in the infield. That would have been the first out. A single by Ted Granoski was sandwiched between fielding errors, since the next batter also got aboard on a booted ball. That would have been out number two in a perfect ball game but this particular inning wasn't working out that way. Jim McPartlan and Gale Doty each had base knocks before the first out was recorded. Singles by Rich Moots and Pat Accetta finished off the rally and tied the game at 8-8.
The home team wasn't the same after that big third inning by their opponents and went on to lose the game by a score of 22-16. LEADING HITTERS: Ron Thompson: 5 for 5 with 1 walk. Doug Chamlee: 1 for 1. Rich Moots: 6 for 7. Pat Accetta: 5 for 6 with 1 walk. Russ King: 4 for 5 with 1 homer & 1 triple. Inside-the-park home runs on both fields: Chris Constantine had 3 homers. One each for Brent Alumbaugh, Regis Finnegan, Russ King, Walt Leggett, & George Radlein.  June 4th - A severe thunderstorm ravaged the Winter Haven area, leaving downed cable lines and broken tree limbs across the city. It has rained every afternoon this week.
As a result of the daily stroms, the games were cancelled due to wet and unplayable fields. June 8th - The skies were cloudy at the beginning of the game but the sun found its way through before the contest was over. There is a high chance of rain later in the day so the air was humid with an ever so slight breeze. No balls were hit deep today.
Three teams of 10 players comprised the setup for the ball game this morning. Therefore, the one game was played on Fred White Field. A three run inside-the-park gapper homer to the opposite field by Neil Gelpi accounted for all the run production for Team One in the first. After the homer, Dennis Holder parted the outfielders for a triple. The second team began with a bang. The first two batters got on base and scored. Frank Acevedo singled and Sam Lopez drew a walk. A Russ King double knocked both base runners home. Afterwards, Bob Zelazny punched a base hit but was stranded on second when the last out was logged in the books. 
Unfortunately for Team Two, no one touched home the rest of the contest after the first two batters scored to open the game. Credit pitcher Dennis Holder and a solid defense for keeping the team in check.
The home squad scored their runs in bunches. They had two five run innings. The first burst occurred in the first frame. Kirk Coffman began with a double and a "Texas Leaguer" hit by Galvestonian Fred Dampier resulted in an RBI base hit. Brent Alumbaugh drew a free pass to put two runners on base for Dean Schapeler. Dean stepped into a pitch and smashed a two bagger to right centerfield. Walt Leggett also doubled before Vassurl Bess singled. A single to rightfield by George Radlein scored the fifth run. No one made an out for the team in the home first. A barrage of singles gave Team One three runs in the fifth inning. Pat Accetta began with a base hit, followed by singles 
from Dan Whisler, Jim Laffoon, Doug Chamlee, Neil Gelpi, and Dennis Holder.
The next big inning for the home team came in the fifth frame. Joltin' Joe DeForge singled to leftfield and took a runner from first. After the next batter flew out to left centerfielder Bob Zelazny, Fred Dampier singled. Brent Alumbaugh brought both base runners home with a triple, then Dean Schapeler drove Brent home. After the second out, Vassurl Bess, perfect at the plate today, banged out a double. Once again, George Radlein singled in the fifth run. George also went 3 for 3 this morning. The final score was 8-2-11. George Radlein chalked up a win since his team scored 11 runs. Dennis Holder also won, as that team scored eight runs but allowed only two while on defense. Two great running catches were made by the outfielders this morning. Left centerfielder Neil Gelpi ran full speed to rob a batter of an extra base hit. In the third inning, left centerfielder Fred Dampier did the same on a potential gapper shot by Neil Gelpi. Way to go, Neil and Fred. Shortstop Brent Alumbaugh played a stellar defense. He caught two pop ups in one inning as he ran back into the shallow outfield to make the grabs. The balls were hit by Rich Moots and Ken Ota. Joel Freedman volunteered as the home plate umpire and John Fulton worked the first base area. Thank you Joel and John. LEADING HITTERS: Vassurl Bess: 3 for 3 with 1 double. George Radlein: 3 for 3. Neil Gelpi: 3 for 4 with 1 homer. The only inside-the-park home run was hit by Neil Gelpi. June 11th - Not sure what brought the numbers down today, but there were enough players for only two teams. However, both lineups sported 12 players. For perhaps the first time ever, all 12 players took the field for each team, so there were five outfielders rather than four on defense for both teams.
Both teams spread their run 
production throughout the score sheet. Only two of the home team players and three visitors could not find their way home. Brent Alumbaugh lead the bunch with four runs scored.
The home team lead most of the contest. They began with five runs in the first. Pat Accetta has been hot lately so he was inserted into the lead off spot for the second straight game. He started the home first with a single, followed by a base hit from the bat of Ron Butler. Vassurl Bess walked to load the bases for clean up hitter Roger Edwards. His double sent all the base runners scurrying home. Russ King singled Roger to the plate and a hit by Sam Lopez knocked in the fifth and final run of the home first. A five run third inning gave the visitors the lead for an inning. Fred Dampier began 
with a triple down the first base line. Brent Alumbaugh followed with a double before Sam Harrell had a base hit up the middle. The next batter forced Sam out at second base. The second out came directly afterwards with a pop up to the infield. George Radlein connected for an opposite field, two out triple to drive home two runs. Dick Sessink and Rusty Landahl finished the rally with base hits.
The visiting squad lead 8-6 after the completion of three innings of play. That was the only time in the game the visitors had the lead at the end of an inning. A two RBI triple in the home fourth by Sam Lopez drove home two runs. Consecutive singles from the bats 
of Ted Granoski, Eddie Diaz, and Dan Whisler capped off the five run inning.
The home team lead 11-8 after four innings were in the books and was ahead 15-12 after seven frames. By the time the ninth rolled around, the good guys were leading 18-12. They almost walked away with an easy victory. Almost. The first two batters grounded out to infielders to begin the visiting ninth frame. Then the fireworks began. Les Wolff singled, Fred Dampier tripled and Brent Alumbaugh, Sam Harrell, Ron Thompson, and Larry Wells all singled. Then George Radein tripled and Dick Sessink singled. When the third out was finally made, the visiting team lead 19-18. What a nice display of two out hitting for the away guys! The home team did not let the game get away from them, though. They managed one run. Eddie Diaz lead off with a single and took a runner from first. A single by Dan Whisler moved the pinch runner to third and a base rap by Lee Baker drove home the tying run. The final score was 19-19. Pitchers George Radlein and Ted Granoski both went the distance in the contest. An extra inning should have been played but was not. On the defensive side, one nifty double play was turned by the home team in the sixth inning. Rusty Landahl was the batter with a runner from home and the runner for Dick Sessink was on first base. Rusty hit a grounder to first baseman Dan Whisler, who fired the ball to rover Russ King to get the first out at second base. Russ returned to ball to first with pitcher Ted Granoski taking the throw. The twin killing was executed to perfection. Great play, Dan, Russ, and Ted. Doug Chamlee chose not to play and worked as the home plate umpire in the game this morning. Thank you for your services Doug. LEADING HITTERS: Roger Edwards: 3 for 3 with 2 doubles. Sam Lopez: 3 for 3 with 1 triple & 1 sacrifice fly. Fred Dampier: 4 for 5 with 2 triples & 1 double. Brent Alumbaugh: 4 for 5 with 1 triple & 1 double. Sam Harrell: 4 for 5. Russ King: 3 for 4 with 1 homer. Ron Thompson: 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Pat Accetta: 3 for 4. Eddie Diaz: 3 for 4. Dan Whisler: 3 for 4. The only inside-the-park home run was hit by Russ King. June 15th - The outlook for the day is hot, hot, hot since the heat index is expected to rise to 105° F. There was some breeze at the old ballpark now and then but one had to be in a shaded area to feel refreshed. It is going to be a steaming summer, guys. Stay hydrated, fellows.
With the player count at 29 this morning, there were two teams of 10 and one with nine. The sitting team had to fill in to bring the defense to 11 in the field. Team One batted a lineup of nine men and jumped out with four runs in the first frame. Pat Accetta and Dean Schapeler 
began the rally with base hits. The third batter fouled his second strike down the right field line and fouled the next pitch into the playground behind third base for the first out. Robert Humphrey doubled in the runners for the first score and Eddie Diaz found the gap just out of reach of right centerfielder Fred Dampier for an inside-the-park homer.
Pat Accetta singled and scored in the second inning, too. He moved up a base when Dean Schapeler singled and scored on a Brent Alumbaugh double. The next scoring opportunity for the first team didn't arise until the top of the sixth frame. Once again, Pat Accetta was the spark plug. He singled and scored and so did Dean Schapeler. An RBI single by Brent Alumbaugh scored Pat and Robert Humphrey drove Dean homeward bound with a base knock. Team Two put their hits 
together in bunches this morning. After scoring two runs in the first, Rich Moots singled with one out in the second inning. That was followed with base raps from the bats of Les Wolff and Vassurl Bess. The bases were loaded but the next batter grounded out as Rich Moots scored. Jim Laffoon absolutely crushed a ball deep to rightfield over the head of Tom Wise. By the time the ball was relayed into first baseman Eddie Diaz, Jim had rounded third. Eddie kept his eye on Jim as he charged toward the third base line near home. Jim retreated back to third but the throw to third baseman Robert Humphrey hung Jim out to dry for out number three.
The maximum five runs were put up in the third and fourth innings for the second team. Freddy Gonzalez lead off the third with a double to right centerfield. That brought Wally Granger up with first base unoccupied. Wally saw nothing in the strike zone and walked to first. The next batter, pull hitter Frank Acevedo, responded with a base hit to right centerfield to drive home a run. The flood gates opened after that base hit. Dick Sessink doubled 
and singles were hit by Sam Harrell, Vassurl Bess, and Ron Thompson. The base rap by Ron knocked in the fifth run.
Five more runs came home in the middle of the fourth inning. Jim Laffoon singled and Freddy Gonzalez doubled Jim to third. Once again, first base was open so slugger Wally Granger drew a free pass. Frank Acevedo connected for his second straight hit to the opposite field to drive in two runs. Dick Sessink walked and Sam Harrell singled after the hit by Frank. The fifth run scored when Les Wolff grounded into a fielder's choice. Wally Granger did get to see a pitch in the sixth inning and he liked what he saw. With Freddy Gonzalez on second with his third double of the day, Wally hit a ball to deep centerfield for an inside-the-park two run homer. The home team put some hits together and scored a few runs. Russ King 
and Don Witmer punched singles to the opposite field before Chuck Duff hit a sharp grounder in the same direction for a two run double. A single by Larry Wells scored the third and final run for Team Three in the first.
Five batters stepped to the plate in the bottom of the second but the team managed two runs. Richard Marino singled with one out and Fred Dampier drove a ball in the gap over the heads of the rightfielder and right centerfielder for a two run inside-the-park homer. Don Witmer started the home third with a base hit and Chuck Duff grounded the ball to the outfield for his second straight double. Hits by Sam Lopez, Larry Wells, Ted Granoski, and Richard Marino continued the inning. The fifth run scored when Lee Baker hit into a fielder's choice. The final score was 8-17-15. Dick Sessink was on the mound for the team that scored 17 and allowed 15 runs. Ted Granoski also notched a win, as that team scored 15 runs and gave up eight while on defense. An outstanding play was made in the bottom of the first frame. Rich Moots was patrolling rightfield when lead off batter Fred Dampier dug into the lefthander batter's box. He drove a ball deep to rightfield and Rich gave chase. He reached high while running full stride to pull in the pill for the out. Great grab, Rich. LEADING HITTERS: Freddy Gonzalez: 4 for 4 with 3 doubles. Chuck Duff: 4 for 5 with 1 triple & 2 doubles. Pat Accetta: 4 for 5. Don Witmer: 4 for 5. Brent Alumbaugh: 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Jim Laffoon: 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Vassurl Bess: 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Sam Lopez: 3 for 4. Richard Marino: 3 for 4. George Radlein: 3 for 4. Inside-the-park home runs were hit by Fred Dampier, Eddie Diaz, and Wally Granger. June 18th - The game was scheduled to be contested on Field E due to a girls fast pitch tournament beginning this morning. A total of 26 players signed in to play ball, so there were 13 on each side. Once again, a total of 12 defensive players took the field. Five outfielders were used.
The visitors took the lead with five runs in the first inning and that lead was never relinquished throughout the game. Premier doubles man Freddy Gonzalez pounded out three more two baggers today. During the off season, Freddy has collected 18 hits and 13 of those hits have been doubles. Speed kills, as the old saying goes and Freddy is fast on his feet. Three pitchers combined together 
for the visiting team's win. Starter Marvin Taylor pitched the first four innings and received the win as the most effective pitcher. Sam Harrell took the ball for the fifth and sixth frames and Dick Sessink closed out the contest.
Ted Granoski was on the mound for the home team and was relieved by Dennis Holder in the sixth inning. The visiting team 
won 17-16. The tying run was on second base when the last out was recorded.
A nice play was made in the field during the seventh inning. Dennis Holder went to bat and smashed a rocket that was headed for the gap in left centerfield for an extra base hit. However, the quick reflexes of rover Kirk Coffman put that scenario out of the realm of reality when he nabbed the screaming line drive out of the air. Way to go, Kirk. Left centerfielder Chuck Duff made a super catch on a sinking fly ball that was hit by Marvin Taylor. Chuck had to run full speed in order to make the shoestring grab. Thank you to Doug Chamlee for volunteering to work as the home plate umpire for the entire game. Another player appreciation is extended to Joel Freedman. He chose not to take part in the game, due to the number of players on each side, and opted to be the official score keeper for both teams. Thank you, Joel. 
LEADING HITTERS: Brent Alumbaugh: 4 for 4 with 2 doubles. Don Witmer: 4 for 4 with 1 walk. Sam Lopez: 3 for 3 with 1 double & 1 sacrifice fly. Fred Dampier: 4 for 5 with 1 homer & 1 double. Freddy Gonzalez: 4 for 5 with 3 doubles. Chuck Duff: 3 for 4 with 1 homer. Richard Marino: 3 for 4 with 1 double. Ted Granoski: 3 for 4. Rich Moots: 3 for 4. Inside-the-park home runs were hit by Fred Dampier and Chuck Duff. Quote of the day: "If you can't hit the change up in this league, you're in trouble." One of the batters swung and missed during batting practice, which gave Fred Dampier the opportunity to offer some advice. June 19th - Saturday - The Lakeshore All Stars journeyed to Sebring for a wood bat doubleheader against the Sebring All Stars. Winter Haven Senior Softball Club members Fred Dampier and Angel Merced are on the Lakeshore team. Elvis Abney accompanied the team and played the first base position this morning.
Although Lakeshore has beaten Sebring at home, they have yet to win one on the road. Today was no exception in the fifth doubleheader in Sebring. Manager Regino "Gutey" Gutierrez 
gave the ball to pitcher Ed Stewart for the first game. The pitching combined with the Lakeshore defense shut down Sebring in three frames but lost 10-3. One run was scored in the first and two in the fifth frame. Nalcrest player Larry McNair was in the middle of both scoring opportunities. He singled in the first, advanced to second when Kachiro Molina lined a single to leftfield, and scored on a Gary Quartana base rap.
The same combination of Larry McNair, Kachiro Molina, and Gary Quartana began the fifth inning with base hits. Larry McNair scored on the Gary Quartana single. After the three hits, Kachiro Molina crossed the plate for the second and final run when Ed Stewart connected for a single. Kachiro and Larry each ended the game with a 3 for 4 performance. The second contest was mostly a carbon copy of the first game. Lakeshore scored all their runs in just one inning. They were shutout for the 
first three frames. Successive singles in the fourth by Larry McNair, Fred Dampier, Kachiro Molina, Ray Jiminez, Gary Quartana, and Angel Merced accounted for four runs. Rey Pagan knocked in the last run on a two out base hit.
Sebring won the second game by the score of 13-4. Former Lakeshore member Raphael Rivera played with Sebring and had a banner day against his old team mates. He hit the ball well in both games and made several catches in his right centerfield position. The Sebring crew supplied cold water for the Lakeshore club during the games. One of the Sebring wives brought homemade brownies, chocolate chip cookies, and oatmeal raisin cookies. Also, sodas were provided in between games. Thank you Sebring players and wives for your hospitality. June 22nd - Polk County was drenched with a major rain storm yesterday around 3:00 PM and some more showers hit the area during the evening hours. After all that, the fields were in playing condition this morning. It is amazing the games were not cancelled but there was no standing water anywhere on any of the fields.
The three team game took place on Fred White Field. Chuck Duff umpired behind the plate and Joel Freedman worked the bases. The league is very appreciative to these dedicated men for their volunteer services. Cecil Vasquez and Kirk Coffman began with singles in the top of the first. Neil Gelpi, batting in the three hole, shot a gapper that rolled all the 
way to the fence for a three run homer. After that, Robert Humphrey took a walk. Two straight errors in the infield loaded the bases but the next batter popped up for the first out. A double play by the defense ended the inning.
The second team scored all their runs after there were two outs in the books. Jim Laffoon singled and a two bagger by Russ King moved Jim to third. George Radlein absolutely crushed a ball over the head of defending leftfielder Dean Schapeler for a double. A hit by Tom Wise advanced George one base and a double by Sam Harrell drove him home. Sam ended the day going 4 for 4. Two of his hits were up the middle. Elvis Abney knocked in the fifth run when he reached base on a throwing error after he hit an infield grounder. Two hits in the home first accounted for the lone run. The first batter, Jose Rivera, lined a single and scored when Wally Granger hit a rocket over the head of left centerfielder Fred Dampier for a double. The top of the second frame witnessed one run scoring with only four batters stepping into the box. Richard Marino, leading off the inning, burned the left centerfielder for a triple. Richard scored when Les Wolff grounded out to shortstop Brent Alumbaugh. After the middle team went dry in the second, Team Three went to work. Four runs scored on three hits. Larry Powell and Eddie Diaz each singled to begin the 
home second. Dick Sessink then grounded into a fielder's choice to erase Eddie from the base paths. Vassurl Bess and Ken Ota followed the first out with singles. As the defense threw the old pill around, Vassurl scored and Ken ended up on third base. A ground out by by John Merritt drove in the fourth run.
Neil Gelpi connected for his second inside-the-park homer in as many at bats in the top of the third inning. The batter before him and the two batters afterwards recorded outs. Once again, they scored one run with four batters. Jim Laffoon began the middle of the third with a base hit before the next two batters were out. Singles by Tom Wise, Sam Harrell, and Elvis Abney followed. Jim was the only base runner to make it all the way around the bases. At the end of three innings of play, the score stood at 4-6-5. It was a close game thus far. The final hurrah for Team One came in the fifth frame and it wasn't a pretty sight. The first batter, Les Wolff, made it aboard 
when an infielder misplayed a ground ball. Cecil Vasquez singled but the next batter hit a grounder to shortstop Brent Alumbaugh, who threw to Sam Lopez to get the runner out at third. Base raps by Neil Gelpi and Robert Humphrey followed the force out and another booted ball in the infield allowed the runners to score. Three runs came in for Team One in the fifth inning.
Team Two rallied for four in the fourth and five more in the sixth frame. Frank Acevedo scored in each of the two innings. He walked in the fourth and singled in the sixth. Jim Laffoon singled twice and scored both times. In fact, Jim scored four runs while going 4 for 4. The home team took the lead in the fifth with five runs. No outs were made and it took six batters to get the five mark. John Merritt walked to start the inning. Joltin' Joe DeForge, Jose Rivera, Sam Lopez, and Wally Granger all singled after the free pass. The last two runs scored on a double by Brent Alumbaugh. After five innings of play, the board showed the score as 8-10-11. As noted earlier, Team Two racked up five runs in the sixth, so the home team was down four runs heading into the bottom of that inning. They almost tied the score. Ron Thompson singled in the direction of rightfielder Tom Wise before Larry Powell pulled the ball to left for a double. After the first out was recorded, Dick Sessink singled, Vassurl Bess walked, and Ken Ota had a base rap. Two outs followed and the home team fell one run short of a tie with Team Two. The seventh inning was scoreless for all three teams and the final run tally was 8-15-14. George Radlein was the only pitcher to chalk up a win. That team scored 15 runs and allowed only eight while on defense. LEADING HITTERS: Sam Harrell: 4 for 4 with 1 double. Jim Laffoon: 4 for 4. Neil Gelpi: 3 for 3 with 2 homers. Vassurl Bess: 1 for 1 with 2 walks. Wally Granger: 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Russ King: 3 for 4 with 1 double. George Radlein: 3 for 4 with 1 double. Elvis Abney: 3 for 4. Neil Gelpi hit two inside-the-park home runs. Cecil Vasquez, who last played with the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club on June 27, 2008, before moving to Kissimmee, returned this morning. He may rejoin the league. Cecil brought two friends to try out. Jose Rivera and Raul Torres played this morning, Ironically, all three players were the lead off hitters for their respective teams. Please return and join, Cecil, Jose, and Raul. June 24th - Thursday - The games for tomorrow have been cancelled. A girls softball tournament will use all of the fields.
Have a safe and peaceful weekend and be prepared to play ball again on Tuesday. June 29th - The three team game was played under cloudy conditions, with a threat of rain looming in the air. Occasionally, a nice breeze blew out to leftfield and from rightfield to leftfield.
The first team squeezed one run in the opening inning. Carl Luebking slammed a one out double, advanced one base when Brent Alumbaugh singled, and scored on a fielder's choice groundout by Freddy Gonzalez. Shortstop Ron Butler fielded the ball and flipped to rover Vassurl Bess to get Brent out at second. Dean Schapeler stepped up and punched a base hit towards right centerfielder Regis Finnegan. Speedy Freddy rounded second and headed 
for third as Regis scooped the old pill and relayed it to cutoff man Vassurl Bess. Freddy did not slow down and headed for home. Vassurl threw a chest high strike to catcher Joltin' Joe DeForge for the third out. Nice play guys.
After the middle squad went down without a score, the home team began their rally when the lead off batter, Fred Dampier, drew a free pass. Raul Torres and Ron Butler each followed with base hits, scoring Fred. Regis Finnegan drove a deep sacrifice fly to leftfielder Tom Wise to drive home Raul. The next two players flew out to complete the inning. Team One got one run in the second. It seemed they would get one an inning. Walt Leggett walked between outs. The first batter flew out to Regis Finnegan and the batter after Walt flew out to left centerfielder Fred Dampier. A 
booted ball allowed Ken Ota to reach base and a Reg Barnes single knocked Walt in for the lone run.
The second team got on the boards basically the same way as Team One. Dennis Holder was patient at the plate and walked. He wound up scoring on an error and a base hit. Bob Zelazny got aboard on a misplayed ball. The next batter erased Bob from the base paths by grounding into a fielder's choice. In the meantime, Dennis had found his way to third. An RBI single by Rich Moots got the team a run. Lee Baker singled afterwards but Rich and Lee were stranded on the bases when the inning ended. The home team sent four batters to the plate in the second. Rusty Landahl and Larry Powell began with base hits. Doug Chamlee hit a hard grounder to shortstop Jim Laffoon, who turned a double play. As the runner for Rusty ran safely to third, Jim picked the grounder, threw to rover Frank Acevedo, and Frank fired to first baseman Larry Wells to complete the twin killing. The next batter hit a fly ball to rightfielder Rich Moots for the third out. No one crossed the plate in the third frame. At the end of three innings of play, the score stood at 2-1-2. The fireworks had yet to be set off. Team One finally found their groove in the next two frames. Lefty Brent Alumbaugh lead off the fourth with a deep fly over the head of defending leftfielder Raul Torres for an inside-the-park home run. 
Brent also hit a homer in the fifth. That one was out of reach of rightfielder Doug Chamlee for a two run shot. Doug did the defensive tour this morning. Twelve players were in that lineup and he took his rounds in every infield position before heading to the outfield. He was the ultimate utility man today. After the Brent homer in the fourth, a ton of singles were hit intermingled with some infield errors. Freddy Gonzalez, Dean Schapeler, Dick Sessink, Sam Harrell, John Merritt, and Gene Baker were all credited with base hits. Four runs crossed the plate in the top of the fourth.
As mentioned earlier, Brent had a two run homer in the fifth inning. Carl Luebking had singled before the tater. Then Freddy Gonzalez singled and Dean Schapeler hit a two run homer to the opposite field. The second team managed three in the fifth inning on a string of base hits. Sam Lopez, Jim Laffoon, Neil Gelpi, Ron Thompson, and Dennis Holder all had singles. The inning came to an abrupt halt when the final batter grounded into a double play. The score sheets are not clear on the proper sequence but that double play ended the rally. After five innings of play, the first team took a 10-5-5 lead. Team Two gave it one last shot in the last frame but did it after the first two batters recorded outs. Ron Thompson pulled the ball down the rightfield line for a two out triple. Dennis Holder singled Ron home, then Larry Wells scorched the ball deep to centerfield for a double. Bob Zelazny batted next and hit a gapper grounder between the right centerfielder and rightfielder for an inside-the-park home run. Tom Wise and Rich Moots singled after that but remained on base when the third out was in the books. The final score was 13-10-6. Dick Sessink picked up a win since that team scored 13 and gave up 10 runs. Dick has an off season record of 5-6-2. Yes, he was involved in two tie games. Dennis Holder also recorded a victory. The team he pitched for scored 10 and allowed six runs. Dennis improved his record to 5-3. George Radlein pitched for the team that scored six but surrendered 13 runs. His won-lost record fell to 6-5 this off season. LEADING HITTERS: Dean Schapeler: 4 for 4 with 1 homer & 1 triple Regis Finnegan: 2 for 2 with 2 doubles & 1 sacrifice fly. Brent Alumbaugh: 3 for 4 with 2 homers. Carl Luebking: 3 for 4 with 2 doubles. Rich Moots: 3 for 4. Tom Wise: 3 for 4. Brent Alumbaugh hit two inside-the-park home runs and one each was hit by Dean Schapeler and Bob Zelazny. Raul Torres joined the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club after trying out the league a week ago. Welcome aboard, Raul. |
May 2010