August 2010 News Archive

August 3rd - Midway through sign in time, just a handful of players had shown up for the game. Usually, two teams going on three would be ready to play but, today, less than a team of players were there. A few guys commented about the lack of attendance. Eventually, all was back to normal and a three team contest was in order. The first team had the lead most of the game. Jim Laffoon lead the charge with a 4 for 4 performance. All the hits went for extra bases. Jim finished with an inside-the-park homer and three doubles to his credit. He is riding a streak of 13 consecutive hits, dating back to July 23rd. Teammates Walt Leggett and Larry Powell each contributed by going 3 for 4. Every player in the lineup scored at least one time, so everyone on the team did their part. Team Two scored the least amount of runs but was able to tie the leading squad in the third frame. Raul Torres began the inning with a free pass before Ron Butler doubled him home. The next batter reached base on a dropped ball in the infield, then Sam Lopez lined out to first baseman Larry Wells. A string of singles came after the first out. Bob Christiansen, Marvin Taylor, Pat Accetta, John Fulton, and Reg Barnes all had base hits. Walt Leggett recorded his fourth strike out after all the hits. Afterwards, Carl Leubking singled in the seventh and tying run. Nice offensive inning, guys. Unbelievably, the middle team went three up and three down in the fourth frame and would go on to score only three more runs. The home team numbers two and three hitters, Tom Wise and Don Scarbrough, each went around to score five times so those two players scored one half of the runs for their team. Team Three never had the lead in the game, with the exception of the first inning, but won with a hitting clinic in the bottom of the seventh and last frame. Lee Baker started the bottom of the seventh with a high fly out to left centerfielder Raul Torres. After that first out, Ron Thompson singled. Earlier, in the fifth inning, Ron hit a ball between right centerfielder Bob Christiansen and rightfielder John Fulton for a three run inside-the-park homer. With Ron on first in the final inning, Tom Wise, Don Scarbrough, and Bob Zelazny found holes in the outfield for base raps. The next batter reached base due to a dropped relay throw on a fielder's choice grounder. Kirk Coffman singled to tie the score with the leading team and George Radlein singled in the winning run. The final score was 19-13-20. George Radlein won for the third straight Winter Haven Senior Softball Club game. Team One pitcher Walt Leggett also recorded a victory. The first team scored 19 runs and surrendered 13 while on defense. Walt pitched in only his second game of the off season. He evened his record at 1-1. Walt last pitched in the off season on January 5th. Chuck Duff was the chief umpire behind the plate. Joel Freedman was the official scorekeeper for the three teams. Thank you Chuck and Joel. LEADING HITTERS: Jim Laffoon: 4 for 4 with 1 homer & 3 doubles. Bob Zelazny: 4 for 5 with 1 triple. Don Scarbrough: 4 for 5 with 1 double. Tom Wise: 4 for 5. Bob Christiansen: 3 for 4. Walt Leggett: 3 for 4. Larry Powell: 3 for 4. Jim Laffoon and Ron Thompson each hit an inside-the-park home run this morning. The Board of Directors met and approved a soda and sandwich party after the game on Tuesday, August 10th. All Winter Haven Senior Softball Club members are invited. August 6th - The Florida Half Century monthly tournament for the age brackets of 60,65, and 70 will take place in Winter Haven and Auburndale tomorrow and Sunday. For that reason, the turnout for the morning games were light enough that only two teams rivaled one another. However, there were 13 players on each team. The home team had the distinct advantage in the first three innings as they racked up eight runs while giving up only one in the third frame. After the visitors were shutdown in the first, the leadoff hitter for the home team, Fred Dampier laced a single up the middle before Ron Butler smoked an inside-the-park home run. Starting pitcher Walt Leggett walked Chris Constantine and surrendered a double to Roger Edwards before he regained his composure and struck out the batter after Roger. A two out single by Frank Acevedo moved Roger to third but that was it for the opening inning. Both teams went down with a goose egg in the second frame before the visitors got on the boards in the third inning. Vassurl Bess doubled and scored on a deep hit by Richard Marino. Richard pulled in at third for a stand up triple. A fine defensive play was executed when the next batter grounded to third baseman Ron Butler. He alertly threw home to catcher Gale Doty to easily nail the base runner at the plate. The home team was at it again in the third. Lee Baker walked for the first of his three free passes for the day. Incidentally, he is the leader in that category. During the off season, Lee has amassed 18 walks. Fred Dampier singled after Lee batted and Ron Butler doubled in two runs. Chris Constantine crushed a ball deep to rightfield beyond Richard Marino for an inside-the-park homer. A triple from the bat of Roger Edwards represented the fifth and final run on third base. Kirk Coffman hit a sharp grounder that was mishandled by the infield, driving home the last run. The sleeping giant awoke in the top of the fourth inning. The visitors began with a fly out to leftfielder Roger Edwards before Carl Luebking punched a single to centerfield. Wayne Mundy then lined out to third for out number two. Bob Zelazny kept the inning alive with a base rap. Up stepped mighty Wally Granger, who parked a ball over the leftfield fence for a three run homer. Tom Wise and Ron Thompson each had base hits after the bomb but failed to score. The good guys answered with two runs in the home fourth. Frank Acevedo singled before Larry Wells got aboard on a dropped fly ball. Larry pulled in at second base on the misplay as Frank raced home. Sam Harrell had an RBI single and a hit by Dan Davis moved Sam to second but that is where he remained when the inning had come to a close. The home team had a 10-4 lead after four innings of play. Walt Leggett, Vassurl Bess, and Dick Sessink began the fifth with singles, with one run scoring in the process. A double play grounder hit to rover Frank Acevedo dampened the spirits of the batting team but the second run crossed the plate on the throw to first base. Rich Moots drew a two out walk. After that, Murphy's Law took effect for both teams. The next batter reached base on a booted ball in the infield but a throw was made to first base anyway. As the ball skipped by the bag, Rich Moots headed to third. A poor throw to second gave Rich the idea to start his engines again and go home but shortstop Chris Constantine was backing up the errant throw. Poor Richard was out at home as catcher Gale Doty recorded his second putout in the contest. Lee Baker lead off the home fifth with a walk before Fred Dampier split rightfielder Richard Marino and right centerfielder Ron Thompson with a deep shot for an inside-the-park home run. Ron Butler walked and Chris Constantine singled after the dinger. A sacrifice fly by Kirk Coffman scored a run as well as a base hit by Larry Powell. Neither team could muster a run in the sixth and the home team had built up a 14-6 lead by that time. Sam Harrell was rotating around at different defensive positions every inning for the home squad and he relieved Walt Leggett in the top of the seventh frame. Sam has developed into an excellent pitcher in the past year but not in this inning. Wally Granger began with a single. That was good because he had a homer over the fence his last at bat. Tom Wise walked after the base hit but was forced at second when Ron Thompson grounded to first base. That was an off beat play because the first baseman couldn't handled the shot. The ball was hit quickly enough that Tom didn't get much of a break for second. Second baseman Frank Acevedo backed up the play and was beginning to throw to pitcher Sam Harrell covering first. An outfielder alerted Frank to fire to second and Tom was out by at least 10 feet. After the air had cleared from that mess, Pat Accetta and Walt Leggett each punched base hits. Sweating Sam Harrell then walked Vassurl Bess and Dick Sessink with the bases loaded. Sam realized he was struggling and changed places with second baseman Larry Powell. After Larry finished his warm up pitches, Richard Marino singled in two runs, which were charged to Sam. Rich Moots walked after the base hit to load the bases again and Gene Baker drove in a run with a walk. Carl Luebking singled in the tying run as the eighth player crossed the plate in the top of the seventh. Yikes! Not to worry, thought the home team. Lee Baker walked to start the home seventh before Fred Dampier and Ron Butler singled. A "Texas Leaguer" triple by Chris Constantine that just cleared the infield near the first base position drove home three big runs. Roger Edwards doubled home the fourth run and Larry Powell knocked in the fifth run, as he did in the third inning. Wally Granger powered one over leftfielder Roger Edwards for his second homer over the fence in the top of the eighth inning. That solo shot was the only run for the visitors. One more run scored in the top of the ninth. Vassurl Bess singled and made it home by way of a missed ball in the outfield and a single by Richard Marino. Vassurl finished with four runs scored. He batted 3 for 3 with a double and a walk. The final score was 19-16. Larry Wells improved his pitching record to 4-3 this off season. Walt Leggett was the pitcher of record for the visiting team. The first three batters for the home team could not be harnessed. Fred Dampier, Ron Butler, and Chris Constantine went a combined 10 for 10 with 12 runs scored. Add the last batter, Lee Baker, and they scored 15 runs in their 10 for 10 performance. In all, the four consecutive batters had one double, one triple, three homers, and five walks. There were some fine defensive plays during the game. Third baseman Ron Butler stretched it out as he made a diving stop on a hard grounder to his glove side. The speedy runner was safe at first but the play was notable. Rover Frank Acevedo stopped a grounder up the middle. Rather than a deserved base hit by Richard Marino, Frank turned it into a double play by touching second unassisted and throwing to first baseman Dan Davis for the twin killing. In the outfield, right centerfielder Fred Dampier made a nice catch on a sinking line drive from the bat of Wayne Mundy. Fred repeated the catch on a slightly higher drive by Walt Leggett. In the ninth inning, leftfielder Roger Edwards made what turned out to be a game saving catch. Pat Accetta drove a ball high and deep over Roger's head but Roger would not give up on the fly ball. He ran back and made a circus catch when the pill fell into his glove near his shoulder. The wind played tricks and twisted Roger in the wrong direction. LEADING HITTERS: Wally Granger: 4 for 4 with 2 homers. Fred Dampier: 4 for 4 with 1 homer. Chris Constantine: 3 for 3 with 1 homer, 1 triple, & 1 walk. Ron Butler: 3 for 3 with 1 homer, 1 double, & 1 walk. Vassurl Bess: 3 for 3 with 1 double & 1 walk. Dan Davis: 3 for 3. Roger Edwards: 3 for 4 with 1 triple & 2 doubles. Richard Marino: 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Frank Acevedo: 3 for 4. Wally Granger hit two homers over the leftfield fence on Fred White Field this morning. Inside-the-park homers were hit by Ron Butler, Chris Constantine, and Fred Dampier. Quote of the day: "The Lord giveth and the Lord taketh away." After the visiting team scored eight runs to tie the game, the home team immediately came back with five runs to regain the lead. Visiting team player Richard Marino made an observation. August 10th - The weather was the coolest it has been for months. The temperature at game time was below 90° F and remained there throughout the three team contest. Teams One and Two jumped out of the gates with three runs apiece while the home squad was held scoreless. Vassurl Bess began the top of the first with a base hit but the next batter popped up to rover Pat Accetta. Jim Laffoon singled after the first out and Fred Dampier doubled in a run. When Ron Thompson grounded out to second baseman John Fulton, Jim scored and Fred advanced to third. However, the play wasn't over yet. The throw was low to first baseman Walt Leggett so Fred rounded third and headed home. He was safe. Therefore, a 4-3 ground out resulted in the scoring of two runs. That base running play was productive because the runner wasn't stranded at third when the next batter popped up to the infield for the final out. The middle team started the action with base hits from the bats of Raul Torres and Sam Lopez before Chris Constantine grounded into a fielder's choice to erase Sam at second. A dropped fly ball and a booted grounder on the next two batters allowed a couple of runs to cross home. Before the inning was complete, Sam Harrell lined a ball in the direction of leftfielder Larry Powell for an RBI single. The two teams that scored in the first went dry in frame number two but the home team struck with a two spot. Dean Schapeler lead off with a ground out to rover Doug Chamlee, who flipped the ball over to first baseman Sam Harrell to complete the play. The next batter, Kirk Coffman, reached base on a misplayed ball in the infield, which opened the gates for three consecutive base raps. Tom Wise, Walt Leggett, and Marvin Taylor all connected for singles, driving in a couple of runs in the process. After two innings of play, the score was 3-3-2. There was plenty of game left. A double by Jim Laffoon drove home the first run in the top of the third inning. Vassurl Bess and Ron Butler singled beforehand. With two runners on base, Fred Dampier slammed a deep gapper between right centerfielder Dean Schapeler and rightfielder Kirk Coffman for an inside-the-park home run. Shortstop Wayne Mundy went out for the relay throw while Fred rounded third. He ran through the stop sign by third base coach Eddie Diaz but was safe at home as the throw collided with the pitching screen. Larry Wells singled but was stranded at first at innings end. Team Two stayed close to the lead by accumulating three runs in the third. Sam Lopez lead off with an inside-the-park homer. Rightfielder Rich Moots thought the ball was foul and didn't hustle for the old pill while Sam circled the bases. It was close to being foul so give righty Sam credit for threading the needle to the opposite field. Chris Constantine, Freddy Gonzalez, Russ King, and Doug Chamlee each singled after the rightfield shot. The middle squad tied the game with Team One after the fourth inning was in the books. Richard Marino, Lee Baker, and Raul Torres all combined for base hits to put one run on the scoreboard. The best offensive frame for the home team came in the fifth. They bunched together a barrage of hits to gather four runs. John Fulton started with a line drive hit, followed by singles from Bob Cooper and Pat Accetta. Pat was forced at second when Frank Acevedo grounded into a fielder's choice. That was the second out of the inning. Wayne Mundy had a clutch double to knock in two runs. Dean Schapeler also drove home two. The score stood at 8-7-7 at the completion of five innings of play. Team One had not relinquished the lead throughout the game. There is a saying that good teams finish strong. Team Two batted all 10 players in the lineup in the sixth frame. Sam Harrell singled but was forced at second when Dick Sessink grounded into a fielder's choice. After Dick took a pinch runner from first, the next batter hit a fly ball for out number two. Lee Baker and Raul Torres singled to keep the inning alive. Then Sam Lopez walked with the bases loaded and singles by Chris Constantine and Freddy Gonzalez followed the free pass. Freddy advanced on the throw to third so there were runners on second and third with two outs in the books. Russ King was intentionally walked to set up a force play at any base. The inning ended when the next batter flew out to left centerfielder Bob Zelazny. The second team took the sole lead for the first time in the game after six innings of play. The score was 8-11-7. Team One did not go down without a fight, though. Gene Baker began the last frame with a pop up just out of reach of Pat Accetta's glove hand for a single. The pinch runner for Gene was forced at second for the first out. Two more to go. Ron Butler drove a single toward leftfielder Neil Gelpi and moved up a base on the throw to third. A two run single by Fred Dampier was the last hurrah for Team One. The final score was 10-11-7. Dick Sessink recorded a win for Team Two. Eddie Diaz and Marvin Taylor were the opposing pitchers. A spectacular play was made by left centerfielder Neil Gelpi. Jim Laffoon was riding a 15 for 15 hitting streak when he made the mistake of driving a solid shot in the gap between Neil and the right centerfielder. The deep hit was surely going for extra bases. Neil had other ideas. He sped back and to his left. Neil made a dive with his arm completely extended to make the catch with his body in mid air and parallel to the ground. Super grab Neil! LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier: 4 for 4 with 1 homer & 1 double. Ron Butler: 3 for 4. Inside-the-park homers were hit by Fred Dampier and Sam Lopez on Fred White Field. Joel Freedman umpired behind the plate in the contest. Thank you Joel. Two players who have been away from the park for awhile joined in the game this morning. Bob Cooper lives in the area but does not usually play in the heat of the summer. Eddie Diaz pitched for Team One. He has been nursing a hernia in his chest. Thank you for playing today, Bob and Eddie. Gale Doty sat in the stands and watched the game. He recently had a procedure performed on both knees. Get well soon, Gale. The Board of Directors approved a lunch for the ball players after the game. Sandwich rings from a local grocery store were served along with a variety of chips and drinks. There was plenty of food for everyone in attendance. Thank you, Don Witmer, for making the trip to the store and delivering the meal to the ballpark. August 12th - Thursday - There will be no games tomorrow, Friday, August 13th. The fields are scheduled to be sprayed with insecticide. August 17th - The three team contest took place on Fred White Field on the warm summer morning. The sun was hot and bright throughout the game. In addition, there wasn't enough breeze to account for anything. The first team scored a single run in the opening inning but could not muster much of an offense against opposing pitcher Marvin Taylor. In fact, they could not score another run until Marvin was relieved by Sam Harrell. Sam pitched well, too, allowing the one run in two innings of work. Ed Guspyt lead off the game with a base hit and strolled to second when Tim Gallagher, the second batter, drew a free pass. A two out single by Frank Acevedo drove Ed home. Don Scarbrough singled with one out in the sixth inning for Team One before Neil Gelpi walked on three pitches. Once again, Frank Acevedo came through in the clutch. He had an RBI base hit. Team Two mounted their rally late in the game to secure a win for pitcher Larry Wells. Five scored in the fifth frame on a combination of hits and defensive errors. After the first batter grounded out to shortstop Don Scarbrough, John Merritt singled. He advanced a base when Lee Baker got aboard on an infield miscue. Consecutive singles from the bats of Kirk Coffman, Fred Dampier, and Jim Laffoon continued the inning but Jim was declared out when he tried to stretch a single into a double. The ESPN replay showed that Jim easily beat the tag. The fifth run scored when Bob Zelazny was safe at first by way of a dropped ball in the infield. Sam Lopez connected for a line drive triple in the gap between left centerfield and right centerfield. That marked his 14th three bagger this off season. The count down is on, Sam. Don Witmer currently holds the record with 18 triples. That feat was accomplished in 2008. Team Three pushed across some runs early in the game and held the lead through three innings before the second squad tied them in the fourth. The first batter popped up in the infield for out number one in the bottom of the first. Afterwards, Wayne Mundy was safe due to an error in the infield. Wally Granger doubled Wayne to third and Dean Schapeler hit a sacrifice fly to score the only run in the opening inning for the home team. Vassurl Bess walked in the home third and went around to score when Raul Torres hit an inside-the-park homer to centerfield. The throw home by shortstop and relay man Jim Laffoon was close but speedy Raul made it home ahead of the toss. The final score was 2-14-7. Larry Wells picked up the win for Team Two. Marvin Taylor also notched a victory. That team scored seven while giving up two runs. Dick Sessink pitched for the first squad. In the field, second baseman Reg Barnes was quick on his feet when he nabbed a rocket line drive hit by Jim Laffoon. Reg had just enough time to take one half step to the left and reach out his glove hand to make the catch. First baseman Walt Leggett fielded a bases loaded grounder hit by Vassurl Bess. Walt touched first and threw home to catcher Lee Baker to get Sam Harrell out at the plate for a 3-2 double play. Earlier in the inning, Jim Laffoon fired a bullet strike to home plate but the ball refused to stick in the catcher's glove. That play would have nabbed the runner at home, too. LEADING HITTERS: Kirk Coffman: 4 for 4. Wally Granger: 3 for 3 with 1 double. Sam Harrell: 3 for 3. Sam Lopez: 3 for 4 with 1 triple. Jim Laffoon: 3 for 4. The only inside-the-park homer was hit by Raul Torres this morning. Chuck Duff took charge as the home plate umpire and Joel Freedman manned the score sheets. Thank you Chuck and Joel. Ed Guspyt is down from Port Washington, Ohio for one week. He plans to join in on the game this Friday, too. Ed went 2 for 3 after being penciled in the lead off spot for Team One. August 20th - It was another warm one. In fact, one player dropped out of the game after the fifth inning because of the heat. Stay hydrated, fellows. The player atmosphere for the first three innings seemed somewhat disagreeable or argumentative. There must have been a full moon up there or the stars were misaligned. The three team contest sported plenty of scoring throughout the game. Home plate was stomped on a total of 54 times. The home team lead the pack with 22 runs, with cleanup hitter Roger Edwards finding home plate on all five of his trips to the plate. Not far behind with four runs was Vassurl Bess. Don Witmer and Don Scarbrough each scored on three occasions. The home team didn't miss a beat as they pushed across five runs in the first and second innings and three runs in every inning afterwards. The middle team, while losing their game 19-22, had a few star players of their own. Wayne Mundy found the gaps in the outfield and finished with two inside-the-park homers. He ended the day batting 5 for 5. Sam Harrell has been swinging the bat with authority lately and using more of the field for his hits. He went 4 for 4 with one double. Regis Finnegan joined Wayne in the power category with an inside-the-park homer and had four hits in the contest. Although Team One went down in defeat, the two through four hole hitters did their jobs. Sam Lopez went 4 for 5 and scored four runs. Russ King and Bob Zelazny each had three hits with one double apiece. The final score was 13-19-22. Dick Sessink recorded the only victory amongst the pitches. Bobby Ayers and Marvin Taylor were on the mound for the other two squads. In the field, third baseman Ron Butler made a diving stop on a sharply hit ball from the bat of Kirk Coffman. Ron turned the potential extra base hit into a fielder's choice when he got back to his feet in time to throw the runner from first out at second base. Right centerfielder Fred Dampier made an important catch in the last inning. The second team was rallying in an attempt to catch the leaders. The team already scored four runs with no outs recorded when Ron Butler stepped to the plate. He connected for a sinking line drive into the outfield and Fred charged hard to make a shoestring grab. After the catch, he threw to rover Don Scarbrough to double off the runner from second base. The runner thought the ball would fall in for a hit and was surprised when he was called out as he was heading to third. LEADING HITTERS: Wayne Mundy: 5 for 5 with 2 homers & 1 double. George Radlein: 5 for 5. Sam Harrell: 4 for 4 with 1 double. Roger Edwards: 4 for 5 with 2 triples & 2 doubles. Regis Finnegan: 4 for 5 with 1 homer. Don Witmer: 4 for 5 with 1 homer. Sam Lopez: 4 for 5. Russ King: 3 for 4 with 1 double. Carl Luebking: 3 for 4 with 1 double. Bob Zelazny: 3 for 4 with 1 double. Vassurl Bess: 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Wayne Mundy pounded two inside-the-park homers and one each were hit by Regis Finnegan and Don Witmer. Once again, Joel Freedman volunteered his services as the official scorekeeper for all three teams. Thank you Joel. August 23rd, Monday - Lakeland Senior Softball player and Polk County Senior Softball Hall of Fame member Russ Winner was released from Lakeland Regional Medical Center following surgery for the removal of a practically crystallized brain tumor. The benign tumor was measured to be almost the size of a baseball and required nine hours in the operating room. Russ plans to attend the next Lakeland morning softball gathering on Thursday, August 26th. August 24th - The whole game was played under cloudy skies with an imminent chance of rain. Sure enough, some drops fell during the fifth inning but not enough to call a halt to the contest. The middle team dominated the game and scored more runs than the other two teams combined. But the dominance didn't begin early in the game. The first team was shut down 1-2-3 in the opening frame. Credit has to be given to opposing pitcher George Radlein for his efforts because two premier hitters, Wayne Mundy and Chuck Duff, failed to reach base. Raul Torres lead off for the middle team with a solo home run and Fred Dampier followed with a double. Sam Harrell got aboard on a one out infield error and recorded an RBI in the process. Sam ended up scoring the third and final run as a result of a hit by Tim Gallagher and a fielder's choice ball from the bat of John Merritt. Rover Russ King fielded a grounder and made an unassisted out at second base on Frank Acevedo while Sam Harrell crossed home plate. Frank had gotten aboard from a bases on balls. The home team looked strong in the first inning. Marty Martinez and Ron Butler began with singles. Both players were victims of fielder's choice plays and were nailed at third. Shortstop Jim Laffoon threw to third baseman Frank Acevedo for the force outs. Both players who grounded to Jim ended up crossing home plate. Dean Schapeler and Roger Edwards were beneficiaries of the first two outs on the base paths. After the two outs, Russ King drew a free pass to load the bases for Larry Powell. He came through with a line drive that eluded left centerfielder Tim Gallagher for a bases clearing triple. George Radlein singled Larry home and ended up scoring the fifth run by way of base hits by Tom Wise and Pat Accetta. The team scored the maximum five runs with two outs in the books. Team One came alive in the second inning. Regis Finnegan walked to open the frame but couldn't advance on a fly out by Kirk Coffman to leftfielder Roger Edwards. Sam Lopez singled Regis to second and Dick Sessink drove a ball to centerfield for two RBIs. The first squad wasn't finished yet, though. Larry Wells singled in a run before Gale Doty walked. The last two runs were scored on an error and a single by Wayne Mundy. The second team sent only three men to the plate in their turn at bat. Rich Moots singled but was thrown out by shortstop Wayne Mundy while trying to stretch the blooper "Texas Leaguer" into a double. Rover Vassurl Bess took the throw and then waited for Rich to run into the tag. The home team exploded for five more runs in the second inning. Reg Barnes and Skip Morrison opened with base knocks and Marty Martinez walked. A fielder's choice play got Ron Butler on base but erased Marty at second. In the meantime, one run scored on the play. Dean Schapeler was patient at the plate and drew a walk after extending the count to three and two. The bases were loaded for Roger Edwards and he responded by pounding a double to drive home two runs. A Russ King single brought the final two runs home. At the end of two innings of play, the score stood at 5-3-10. Team Two then began to take over the game. They scored six runs in the third to come within one run of a tie at the end of three innings of play. Raul Torres began with a walk after he had hit the solo homer in the first inning. Fred Dampier followed with a single before Jim Laffoon tripled both runners home. A slew of singles ensued. Sam Harrell, Frank Acevedo, John Merritt, and Walt Leggett all combined to put a six spot on the score board for Team Two. Team One scored one more run in the game and Team Three pushed across three runs in the final four frames. But the second squad put 12 runs in the books from the fourth through the seventh frames to easily win the contest. Raul Torres and Fred Dampier, the one and two batters, scored five runs apiece while three hole hitter Jim Laffoon wasn't far behind with four runs. The final score was 6-21-13. Walt Leggett was the only pitcher to rack up a win. George Radlein and Dick Sessink were the other two pitchers of record. In the field, rover Sam Harrell made a nice catch on a hard and high liner from the bat of Ron Butler. Sam didn't have much time to react but was quick enough to make the grab. Leftfielder Raul Torres displayed his speed and athletic ability as he hauled in a deep fly ball that was hit by Tom Wise. Tom was robbed of an extra base hit as Raul raced back and made an over-the-shoulder catch while running at full speed. Way to go, Raul. LEADING HITTERS: Fred Dampier: 5 for 5 with 2 doubles. Russ King: 2 for 2 with 1 walk. Jim Laffoon: 4 for 5 with 2 triples & 1 double. Raul Torres: 3 for 4 with 1 homer, 1 double, & 1 walk. Raul Torres was credited with the only inside-the-park home run on Fred White Field this morning. August 27th - A three team game was contested on Fred White Field this morning. Each squad was comprised of 11 players so no one had to fill in on defense. Joel Freedman returned and worked as the official scorekeeper. The game was known more for its defense and lack thereof than for offense, but there were a few players who stood out with the bat. Frank Acevedo scored four of the 10 runs with which one team finished and he had three hits in four at bats. Russ King lead the winning team with a 4 for 4 performance. Team mate George Radlein batted after Russ and went 3 for 4 today. Four double plays were turned. Larry Wells fell victim to two twin killings. In the third inning, he grounded to shortstop Ron Butler, who flipped the old pill to rover Ron Thompson for the second out of the inning. Ron completed the play when he threw to first baseman Rich Moots to get Larry out by a step. Larry Wells came to bat again in the fifth frame with one out already recorded in the books. He smashed a hard grounder to third baseman Sam Lopez with runners on first and second. Sam touched third and fired across the diamond to Rich Moots to end the inning. Sam Harrell went to bat and tried for a single up the middle but Vassurl Bess scooped up the ball. He recorded an unassisted putout at second base and threw over to first baseman Dan Davis for the second out. The most unusual double play of the day happened in the home fourth inning. John Merritt lead off with a clean single. The next batter, Gene Baker, hit what seemed to be another single to the outfield but left centerfielder Bob Zelazny came in and made the catch. John didn't look up and sped to second base while Bob threw in to cut off man and shortstop Chris Constantine. As the confusion unfolded, John, who still thought it was a hit, headed to third as Chris threw to first baseman Larry Wells for the force out. Poor John never knew he was out. Left centerfielder Chuck Duff made a nice catch on a potential hit by John Fulton. It appeared that John would reach base on a "Texas Leaguer" single but Chuck charged in full speed and reached low to make the grab. Chuck Duff was involved in another web gem in the top of the fifth inning. Neil Gelpi had a clean line drive single to Chuck, who threw to the cut off man, shortstop Wayne Mundy. The runner from second base tested the arms of the defense, rounded third, and headed for home. Wayne threw a strike to catcher Gene Baker for the third out to end the rally for the batting team. Russ King patrolled the third base area for the home team in the game today. Big hitter Regis Finnegan absolutely crushed a line drive in the direction of Russ, who reacted quickly to make the catch. Russ also caught a pop up from the next batter for the second out. The three up, three down inning ended when Ron Thompson hit a grounder down the line. First baseman Dan Davis knocked the ball down and had enough time to recover and retrieve it for the unassisted out to end the inning. The final score was 7-10-13. Pitcher George Radlein picked up win number 12 this off season against six defeats. Opposing pitchers Sam Harrell and Dick Sessink absorbed losses. LEADING HITTERS: Russ King: 4 for 4. George Radlein: 3 for 4 with 1 double. Frank Acevedo: 3 for 4. Ron Butler hit an inside-the-park homer on Fred White Field this morning. Dan Whisler came in from Ohio and played in the game. He is down for the week. August 31st - The temperature at sign in time, approximately 77° F, produced ideal playing conditions. As a result, 40 players were ready for a ballgame. For the first time since June 1st, two fields were used for the games. The starters for Fred White Field were visiting pitcher George Radlein with Walt Leggett on the hill for the home team. The visitors took a 2-1 lead in the opening frame and held tight the entire game. They scored the maximum amount of runs in the fourth and seventh innings. Gale Doty singled with one out to begin the fourth. That was the second consecutive hit for Gale at that point in the game. Chris Constantine flew out to left centerfielder Dean Schapeler for the second out so all five runs were scored after two outs were recorded. Fred Dampier singled after Chris batted and Ron Butler produced a double for two RBIs. The next two batters reached the bases on misplayed balls and both ended up crossing home plate. Starting pitcher George Radlein knocked in a run with a base hit. The third error of the inning was committed to finish off the frame as the fifth run scored. No outs were recorded when five runs scored in the seventh. Chris Constantine singled before Fred Dampier hit an inside-the-park home run. Doubles by Ron Butler and Kirk Coffman followed the homer. Doug Chamlee and George Radlein each had base raps and a double by Raul Torres completed the five run tally. The home team closed the score to 12-8 after they racked up five runs in the fifth inning, all after there were two outs. A double by Neil Gelpi, who hit for the cycle this morning, was sandwiched between the outs. Wayne Mundy, Russ King, Ron Thompson, and Sam Lopez all refused to make the last out as they banged out single after single. Richard Marino, who played in his first game after returning from Connecticut, doubled and Walt Leggett had a base hit before the third out was recorded. The home team was down 11 runs by the time the bottom of the eighth rolled around. Everyone batted plus two as the good guys mounted a huge rally. Ed Neumyer singled and Lee Baker walked for the 21st time this off season to jump start the offense for the top of the lineup. Neil Gelpi singled and Wayne Mundy dished out a two bagger. The inning continued and was reminiscent of the fifth inning as Russ King, Ron Thompson, and Sam Lopez all singled. Singles by Richard Marino and Walt Leggett rounded out the frame. Six runs touched home to bring the home team within five runs of a tie. The final score was 20-14. Pitcher George Radlein won his sixth consecutive game. He last recorded a loss on July 9th. Walt Leggett took his third loss against two wins this off season. First baseman Rich Moots made some nifty plays on defense today. He threw out Wayne Mundy n the first inning. Wayne had reached base on a misguided throw to first and decided to advance to second. Rich threw to shortstop Ron Butler, who applied the tag. The same set of circumstances occurred in the second inning. This time the victim was Richard Marino. Richard headed to second base after the throw to first was in the dirt. Rich Moots retrieved the ball and threw a strike to Ron Butler to get the runner out by several steps. The game ended when Rich Moots caught a hard line drive from the bat of Wayne Mundy with one out and a runner on first. The runner thought the ball would get by for a hit but Rich made the grab and trotted to first for the game ending double play. LEADING HITTERS: Neil Gelpi: 4 for 4 and hit for the cycle with 2 walks. Ron Butler: 5 for 6 with 3 doubles. Fred Dampier: 3 for 4 with 1 homer, 1 double, 1 walk, & 1 sacrifice fly. Raul Torres: 3 for 4 with 1 double & 1 walk. The game on Field D followed the same pattern as the other contest. The visiting team scored three in the first and held the home squad scoreless. The visitors never gave up the lead throughout the game. The number two hitter for the visiting team, Frank Acevedo, scored five times in his six trips to the plate. Every rally seemed to have Frank in the middle of it except for the four run fourth frame. Reg Barnes began the fourth with a base rap before Frank grounded out to advance the runner. Afterwards, Jim Laffoon, perfect at the plate in six at bats, singled home a run. Chuck Duff and Don Scarbrough each had base hits, too. A sacrifice fly by Tom Wise drove home the third run. Starting pitcher Sam Harrell helped his own cause with an RBI single. The home team chipped away at the visitors lead throughout the game but coundn't quite get over the hump. Seven runs scored in the fourth and fifth innings combined. Marty Martinez went two for two with two runs scored. The next batter, Regis Finnegan, walked and singled. He also scored twice. Dick Sessink and Larry Powell each had two hits and one run. Bob Zelazny connected for an opposite field, inside-the-park homer in the eighth inning. Brent Alumbaugh was on base with a single before the dinger. The game ended in fashion for the visitors. Two home team runs had scored in the bottom of the ninth. Down to their last out, Marty Martinez lined a single to the outfield. The throw to shortstop and relay man Jim Laffoon was on the money for a throw home as Bob Zelazny put it into high gear. Joltin' Joe DeForge made the catch for the final out. The final score was 16-13. Sam Harrell recorded his first win of the off season. The home team pitcher was Dick Sessink. LEADING HITTERS: Jim Laffoon: 6 for 6 with 1 double. Regis Finnegan: 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Larry Powell: 3 for 4 with 1 walk. Neil Gelpi and Fred Dampier hit inside-the-park homers on Fred White Field and Bob Zelazny hit an inside-the-park homer on Field D this morning. The Board of Directors of the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club voted on and approved a sponsorship request letter. That letter has been uploaded to the website and can be accessed from the main page. The form is located beneath the 2011-2012 Winter Haven Senior Softball Club Registration Form directly after the game recaps. If anyone has a potential sponsor in mind for the upcoming 2011 season, the form can be downloaded and printed. Simply present the letter to a possible sponsor. There is a contact phone number for the sponsor to get in touch with our Commissioner.

July 2010