The Last Lakeland Tuesday for a while

Winter Haven Senior Softball Club will be heading back to the Diamond Plex next week. Tuesday we will be playing at our regular time and then Wednesday we will be hosting the Inter League competition with Lakeland at our field. Information on these events as well as Fridays Annual Golf Tournament will be posted on the web site tommorrow. But before we get ahead of ourselves, there was one heck of a game played today that we need to recap.

The weather did not look like it was going to cooperate, but the drainage at Southwest and the extra effort by the groundcrew insured we had sufficient fields to play. Unfortunately we did not have enough players to use all the fields they had prepared. Thirty one players showed up after checking the web site to insure we were going to play. Three evenly matched teams squared off and were having such a good time that we extended the game from seven innings to nine.

The hitting team managed by Larry Powell (Wiltshire, Hartley, Matta, Zelazny,McLellan, Moots, Finnegan, Patton, Baker, and Powell) started strong by scoring three runs aided by Mike Wiltshire's lead off triple. They managed to hold the lead through the four innings as they scored five in the third and their defense held the other teams run production down. The sitting team managed by Arvil Waddell (Pepin, Coffman, Denny, Held, Lautenschlager, King, Shaffer, Hopper, Hawbaker, and Waddell) had their first two runners score to keep it close. Unfortunately they only scored one more run through four. The fielding team managed by Al Andrews (Andrews, Druillard, DeRidder, Butler, Davis, Kline, Moots, Ayers, Miller,  and LoPiccollo) matched the hitting team in the first with three of their own and then were shut out in the second. In the third, Gerry DeRitters first of two "over the fence" homers helped get four across and close within one run of the hitting team. Despite the three of the first batters getting on board to start the fourth, they were shut out. At the end of four it stood Powell 8, Waddell 3, and Andrews 7.

In the fifth Reg started off with a triple but was the lone runner to cross the plate for Team Powell. Team Wadell manged three runs off doubles by Coffman, Held, and King as well as a triple by Lautenschlager. Gerry DeRidder's second home run helped team Andews take the lead as they scored five. Team Powell answered with five in the top of the sixth as Reg Finnegan planted one over the fence for a grand slam. Team Waddell scored three as the bottom of the lineup had success with their bats. Unfortunately, Team Andrews got five of their own to build on the lead they got in the fifth. In the  eigth, Team Powells bats went cold and they went four and out. Team Waddell managed three in the middle to creep closer to the other teams.But then again, those pesky guys playing for Al managed to score five more to increase their lead.

 

Team Powell made it close by scoring six in the top of the eighth as they sent up twelve batters. Don Held scored the lone run for Arvils team. Fortunately for the other teams, Al's team went three and out so going into the ninth the score stood at Powell 20, Waddell 13, and Team Andrews 22. Team Powell tied the game in their part of the inning but could only manage the two runs that knotted the game. Team Waddell failed to score in their portion of the inning. Al's team only needed one run to win and they got it as Ed Kline led off and scored (albeit on Al Andrews legs) as Rich Moots drove in the winning run. Final Score: Powell 22. Waddell 13, and Andrews 23.

Key performances

Nick Matta        5 for 6

Bob Zelazny     5 for 6

Bill McLellan    5 for 6

Rich Moots        4 for 6

Reg Finnagen    6 for 6 with a home run

Larry Powell    4 for 5

 

Don Held        4 for 5 with as homer run

Don Hawbaker    4 for 5

 

Pat Druillard        5 for 5

Gerry DeRitter        3 for 5 with two home runs

Jd Davis                4 for 5

Pat LoPiccolo    3 for 4 and the winning pitcher