Winter Haven Senior Softball

The Fury of A Storm

The WHSS league has had to endure some unusual weather in the month of January. We have had plenty of cold weather and rain to dodge. The game on 1/23 started out with a threat of rain, but the rain held off and the weather turned for the better. We played most of the game under blue skies. With that in mind, the write up today will converge around phrases that deal with the weather.

Visiting team, The Lightning: Stier, Hamilton, Held, Seguin, Gonzalez, Scarbrough, Witmer, Knox, Poke and Pinnick.

Home team, The Storm: Pep, Doerbaum, Shirer, Deemie, Gazarek, Matta, Aufiero, Zelazny, Vanderhyde and Crowell.

The game started out in mild conditions and both teams hit in a mild fashion. The Lightning put up two runs, they were both scored in the first inning, they had sub- zero in the 2^nd. The Storm was a tempest in a teapot, we could not make it rain, or pour. The Storm did just enough to tie the game, scoring a single digit in both the 1^st and 2^nd innings.  After two innings the score was 2-2. It looked like we were in for a slow-i-cane, the opposite of a hurricane, as far as hitting and scoring goes.

In the third inning, team Lightning was poised to make some noise and sound the thunder. As you know, lightning can strike at any time.  It did not happen though, defensively Walt Deemie took a hit away from the Bolts when he made an over the shoulder catch in shallow right field, from his position at 2^nd base. That quieted the Lightning rally and limited them to a run. When the Storm came to bat, in the bottom of the inning, we managed to end our drought. Pep walked, Doerbaum singled, Shirer then singled Pep in. Deemie flew out, Gazarek and Matta came up and knocked runs in, with base hits.  Aufiero knocked the 4^th run in, with a SF. Zelazny added the final turbulence with a single, that scored Matta from 2^nd base, making it a 5 run inning.  After 3 innings, the score was 7-3.

The Lightning was kept in a bottle for the next two innings, scoring a single run in the 4^th and 5^th. The Storm rode the wind during that time, putting up two more five run innings. The big blow came in the 5^th inning, from Hurricane Dave. A hurricane only has one eye, but Doerbaum had both eyes on the ball as he smashed a three-run homer, deep over the left field fence.

In the 6^th inning the Lightning hit and started a small fire, knocking in three runs in the 6^th and three more in the 7^th.  It would not be enough because the Storm’s bats were scorching hot, we answered back with eight more runs in those same innings.

After a quiet 8^th inning, the Lightning came to bat in the 9^th, needing to hit like a typhoon. However, a dangerous Lightning team had cold bats today and only managed one more run. Final Score: Lightning: 11- Storm 26. Just like the weather can change each day, the scoring that these two teams can accomplish can change on any given day and sometimes on the same day.

Thanks to Joe D’Herin for catching and umpiring for both teams.

Lightning Hits:

Hamilton: 4/5 with a double, triple and SF.

Held: 5/6 with two doubles.

Witmer: 3/5.

Pinnick: 3/ 4 and a walk.

Storm Chasers:

Pep: 4/5 and a walk.

Doerbaum: 5/5 with a walk, two doubles and a HR.

Shirer: 5/5  with a walk and a double.

Matta: 4/5.

Zelazny: 5/5.

Crowell: 3/5.

Written by Nick Matta