Last Tuesday in July

We had a rootin’-tootin’- fruitin’ game at the old ball field on Tuesday. We had fruit and drinks available to help squelch the heat.  How hot was it?  It was so hot that the Burger King said, "if you want it your way, cook it yourself."  It was so hot that your clothes ironed themselves. It was so hot the sand on the beach turned into glass. It was so hot that the guys playing ball at Winter Haven were dreaming about moving to a Summer Haven up north.

 In honor of our fruit treats, we will name the 3 teams after fruit snacks.

 The hitting team will be dubbed the Bananas. Hill, Marino, Giordano, Jacobs, Butler, Zelazny, Wells, Merritt, Barnes, Ayala and Powell made up this appealing team. Bananas hang in bunches, this Banana team put up zeroes in bunches. They had five shutout innings. They managed to score 4 runs in the 5^th inning and they put up a single banana in the 6^th inning, for a grand total of five runs for the game. Banana peels are known for being slippery and this team slipped up a little on defense, committing a few errors that helped the sitting team a bit, during their time at bat. A rough game for this bunch, they will hang a few runs on the scoreboard next game.

Banana health fact: Bananas are rich in potassium. Potassium is a vital nutrient because it helps to regulate your blood pressure, which is what helps to keep your heart functioning correctly.

Our bones also need this potassium as it helps to reduce calcium excretion, which are how bananas help to reduce the risk of developing osteoporosis and help to keep bones strong the older we get.

 The sitting team I’ll call the Pineapples, the team members consisted of the following players: Reagan, Dampier, Toro, DeRidder, Matta, Schapler, Lopez, Simon, Hite, Bess and G. Baker. Their bats were sweet and juicy; meaning that they hit the ball on the sweet part of their bats and juiced the bases more than once. Pineapples are grown in Hawaii and this pineapple team was like Hawaii 5-0. They either scored five runs an inning, or put up zero runs. The pineapple express came through with five, five run innings, for a total of 25 runs.

 Pineapple health fact: Pineapples contain bromelain, an enzyme that may help arthritis pain by easing inflammation. They are also a good source of vitamin C, which helps your immune system.

 The fielding team gets the cantaloupe moniker. This team had the following players: Coffman, Laffoon, Chrest, Duff, Smith, King, Thompson, Mohan, Moots and L. Baker. The cantaloupe is part of the melon family. The softball must have looked like a melon to this team, because they pounded the ball. They had two innings were they scored 5 runs. However, the melon cracked a bit down the stretch scoring only 1-2 and 3 runs in the last three innings.

 Cantaloupe health fact: The cantaloupe is 89 percent water; it’s the perfect fruit to help with hydration during the hot and sticky summer months. One cup of cantaloupe provides 100% of your daily recommended portions of Vitamins A and C.

 Final Score: Bananas: 5- Pineapples: 25 and Cantaloupes: 19

 I have to say something about the orange, since we live in Florida. Orange you glad this write up is almost over.

Leading Hitters:

Bananas:

• Marino 2/ 3.
• Jacobs: 2/ 3 with 2 doubles.
• Zelazny: 2/3 with 2 doubles.
• Wells: 2/3.
• Merritt: 2/3.

Pineapples:

• Reagan: 3/5.
• Dampier: 3/ 5 with a HR.
• Toro: 3/ 5 with a HR.
• DeRidder: 3/5.
• Matta: 2 /3 and 2 walks.
• Schapler:  4/ 5 with a triple and a HR.
• Lopez: 3/5 with a triple.
• Hite: 4/4 and a walk.
• G. Baker: 3/4.

Cantaloupes:

• Laffoon: 5/6.
• Chrest: 5/5 and a walk.
• Duff 5/6 .

Submitted by Nick Matta