A fantastic 3 team game in the National League today. Managers were Hill, Hite and Fabian. After 1 inning the score was 4-5-4 and then the brakes got put on. Going into the open, 7th inning, it was 10-11-10 with Hite's team leading. Fabian's Ridge Riders started the 7th and put up 6 in the open inning to go ahead 16-11-10. That was the final score as both teams went down easily in the 7th. 

It was a very well played game and quite professionally umpired by Elmer Black and Tom Capozzi who are both on the injured reserve list. 

See y'all next week.  

Write up by Loren Fabian

Friday November 29

Games are on. Let your wives do the shopping. You come play ball.

Sent from my iPhone

Tuesday   November 26, 2019   Field D

Today a two team game was played on Field D.  Bobby Spitaleri was at the helm of the visitors and Joe D’Herin managing the home team.  The two opposing pitchers today were Thompson and LaMay who have a total of 168 years of experience, not all playing softball but most of it.  Visitors batted as follows: Gonzales, Dave Hartley, Hipel, Spitaleri, Hunter, Rutan, Gelesky, McColgan, Mick Hartley, McPartlin and LaMay.  Home team line up with Constantine, D’Herin, Essenmacher, O’Callahan, Gibbons, Spellman, Castillega, McCollough, Vandenberg, Fabian and Thompson.

Freddy G. led off with a single and Dave Hartley and Hipel followed with base raps to produce a run for the visitors.   Constantine led off the first inning with a double, followed by a D’Herin single and triple off the bat of Essenmacher, then O’Callahan’s single drove in the 3 run of the inning.  Score after one Home 3 Visitors 1.  Thompson and team held the visitors scoreless in the next two innings while LaMay was hitting the bats of the home team that resulted in 6 runs in two innings.  Score now 9 to 1.  Home team compiled runs in every inning for a total of 24 runs and the visitors squeezed in 7 runs over the final 6 frames.  Final score was 24 to 8 in favor of the home team. 

All in all it was the most fun and sportsmanship this writer has played in a long time. 

Winning pitcher: Thompson

Leading Hitters visitors: Dave Hartley 4 for 4, Gonzales, Gelesky, McColgan and LaMay all 2 for 4.  Every player had a hit.

Leading hitter for Home team: Constantine 3 for 5, D’Herin, 4 for 5, Essenmacher 5 for 5, O’Callahan 5 for 5, Gibbons 3 for 5, McCollough 5 for 5, Vandenberg 3 for 5, Fabian 3 for 4 and Thompson 2 for 5,  Every player has a hit.

Submitted by Don LaMay   

Friday November 22, 2019 Field B

Two team game today on field B with Russ King managing the visitors and Joe D’Herin skippering the home team.  Each team had 10 players with the Comish Don Witmer playing shortstop for both teams. 

Bright sunny skies and the temps in the upper sixties made it a great day for a game.  Visitors led off the first inning with S. Hill, King, Miller, Boswell, Hipel, Spellman, Hunter, Wells, LaMay and Mineer.  Home team took the field with Coffman, Hartley, Knox, D’Herin, McCulloch, Burtner, Ridley, McPartlin, Bloom, and Hudson. 

With Ridley and Wells on the mound this game was shaping up to be a low scoring game especially with Witmer at short for both teams.  The game started with both teams posting zero’s in first two innings.  Mineer singled after one out in the third, then King and Miller followed with base hits and Hipel drove in the third run of the inning.  Wells was on his game today holding the home team scoreless for the first five innings.  King’s Court added 5 more runs in the fourth inning to take an 8 to 0 lead.  Both pitchers to control of the game again by holding the hitters hitless in the fifth inning.  Ridley put up three more scoreless frames against the visitors, while his team added three runs in the sixth and seventh innings.  The visiting team added four runs in the eighth and the home team rallied four in the bottom of the ninth for a final score of Visitors 12 Home team 7.

Leading hitters for Visitors: King and Miller 4 for 5, Hipel 3 for 5, Mineer 3 for 4, everyone else had at least one hit.

Leading hitters for Home team:  Coffman, Hartley, and Knox 3 for 5, Knox added a triple, D’Herin was 4 for 4 with a SAC, and the rest of the team had at least one hit.

Good game, good sportmenship and a Big thanks to Elmer Black for umpiring the game.

National League is looking for managers see Don Witmer or any of the League officers. 

Submitted by Don LaMay

Gobble, Gobble

Crisp air and moderate temperatures, it was perfect weather for softball on 11/19. With Thanksgiving right around the corner today’s AL writeup will definitely have a feast day feel to it.

Pilgrims, Visiting team: Pete, Dana, Lou, Keller, Matta, JD, Tommy, Scarbrough, Pep, Skid and Bill.

Indians, Home team: Rivera, Shirer, Vaccarro, Fee, Wayne, Gerry, Witmer, Alwin, Grove, Coffman, Pope and Wells.

The Pilgrims started off the game and they looked like they never got off the boat. We were shut out in the first. While the Indians had a cornucopia of hits. Rivera, Shirer, Vaccarro, Fee, Wayne, DeRidder and Witmer all reached base safely. They cooked up a casserole of runs, 5, without recording an out.

The lead did not change until the 5^th inning. That’s when Matta, JD, Hamilton and Scarbrough put down their drumsticks and picked up their bats. The pilgrims scored 3 runs to take a 7-6 lead.

In the 6^th inning the Pilgrims were thankful for another run when Pep scored to give us an 8-6 lead. It was short lived as the Indians carved up the ham; Shirer, Fee and Wayne sliced a few hits into the open field and tied the game with two runs of their own. After 6 innings the score was 8-8.

Today we would say “goodbye”, in 1620 the pilgrims would say “fare thee well”.  Whichever way you phrase it, neither team was able to say adios on the field. These two teams and the score was as close as butter on corn. Both pitchers, JD and Wells did a fantastic job and the defense was as deep as a pumitukew. That is the Indian language, Algonquian word for river.

The 7^th inning was the difference maker, the Pilgrims served up a banquet. Dana cooked the green beans with a double, Lou served up the potatoes, with a single; Keller cooked the turkey with a double, Matta brought the stuffing when he walked therefore stuffing or loading the bases, JD added the cornbread with a single and Hamilton dished out the gravy with a single. The Pilgrims scored 4 runs to give us a 12-8 lead. That would hold for the final two innings and be the final score.

This Thanksgiving lets all be thankful to Monto’ac, which is Algonquin for Great Spirit, God; for all that we have been given.

Ohh and pass the pumpkin pie, please.

Pilgrims who baste the turkey:

Dana: 3/5 with a triple and a double.

Lou: 3/5.

Keller: 2/5 with two doubles.

Matta: 4/4 and a walk.

Hamilton: 3/5 with two doubles.

Indian chief contributors:

Shirer: 2/4 with a double and a triple.

Fee: 3/4.

Wayne: 2/3.

DeRidder: 2/2 and a sac.

Alwin: 2/3.

Written by Nick Matta

ANGEL TREE ANGEL TREE ANGEL TREE:

Hi ball players and friends of ball players. The Angel Tree going forward but time is running out as we still have 25

needy Children on our shopping list yet. If you are interested in helping out, please contact me or see me at the ball park

no later than Nov.26th. due to the fact that I have to purchase 35 plus gifts, wrap them and deliver them to the School

by Dec.2nd.in order for the Parents to pick them up before School closes for the Holidays.

Also,Snow Birds who have not arrived yet in warm and sunny Florida, it is not too late if you wish to purchase

a gift for the kids. You can email me at the following Brenda.black@sympatico.ca and I will cover you until you arrive. To average or going rate

to purchase a gift is 20 $ more or less.

Thanking you in advance, I remain yours truly, Elmer Black

Bob Hite
bhite1955@gmail.com
443-745-1090

Friday November 15th

Games are on. Rain expected sometime today. Lets play ball.

Sent from my iPhone

November 12, 2019   Field C

Nine inches of snow fell in Michigan on this day and here we are playing ball in this great weather.  A lot more players showed up today, so we had enough for four teams today.  On Field C the visitors were managed by Steve Hill and the home team managed by Freddie Gonzales.  Hill’s team batted in this order:  Boswell, Hill, Spitaleri, Jacobs, Ken Gelinas, Alf Gibbons, Wells, Vandenberg, Herbie O., Art Zakrowski, Pat McNally, Poke and LaMay.

Gonzales’s team took the field with Gonzales, Fred Dampier, Joe D’Herin, Fred Stevens, Dennie Schaffer, Chuck McColgan, Kendra, Gary Burtner, O’Callaghan,   Hal Ridley, Hollenbach and Joanne. 

Boswell started the inning with a single, Hill and Spitaleri followed with base hits and Jacobs had a sac fly to score the first run.  Gelinas and Alf each has singles and RBI’s  and Herb O. lined one up the middle for the fifth run of the inning. 

Gonzales led off for the home team with a liner over short, followed by base hits from Dampier and D’Herin.   A deep fly to right center off the bat of Stevens drove in the first run for the home guys.  Hits from Shaffer, Kendra and Burtner produced four runs to make the score 5 to 4.

Zero’s were posted in the second and forth innings by both teams.  In the third visitors pushed across 3 and home team 2 runs.  Each team scored a run in the fifth inning.  Innings 5-6-7 visitors tallied 12 runs to take a lead of 21 to 10 and the flip flop rule was used in the 8^th inning.  Final score was 21 to 10.

Winning pitcher Wells.

Visitors Hitters:  Jacobs HR, Spitaleri 4 for 4, Gelinas 4 for 4, Boswell, Hill and Alf had 3 for 4, the rest of the team was 2 for 4 except this guy.

Home team Hitters: Dampier 5 for 5 w/3B, Ridley 4 for 4, Gonzales and Stevens 3 for 5, and Shaffer 3 for 4.

Submitted by Don LaMay

REMINDER     REMINDER     REMINDER     REMINDER     REMINDER

Game times tomorrow have changed. Be there NO LATER THAN 9:00 AM. Games will begin at 9:30 AM. Don't forget to sign in when you get to the ballpark.

Friday November 8, 2019

Spring training has started at Winter Haven Senior Softball for a lot of returning Snow-Birds and many new players joining the league this fall.  There was a lot of hugs, handshakes and fist bumps today as we all gathered with lots of smiles on all the faces. Ron Thompson took the mound for warm-ups in batting practice.

There would be a three-team game today with 12 players on each team. Hit team bats 1^st, Sit team sits (also umps or keeps score) and the Field teams to the grass.

Hit team had Hartly, Alf Gibson, Wally, Allen Miller, Ken Gelinas, Spitaleri, Vandenberg, Hunter, Capozzi, McNally and LaMay.

Note:  I just type the names the way they were put on the score sheet.

Sit team were Constantine, Laffoon, DeRidder, Morton, McCollough, O’Callaghan, Torok, Zakrowski, Thompson, Black, Mick and Lee Baker.

Field team took the field with Gary Burtner, George Knox, Russ King, Ray Lev, Boswell, Hite, Hipel, Spellman, JoAnne, Wells, Bloom and Rutan.

Game started slow as most everyone was confused when to hit, sit or field, but the game moved on.  The final score was Hit 15 - Sit 9 – Field 16.  Field team made a good comeback by pushing across 3 runs in the 7^th   inning.  Winning pitcher Larry Wells.

Some help is needed with the score keeping mainly with the names on the sheet and the hits marked in the space on the left (BB 1B 2B etc.-)

Good time was had by all. 

Submitted by Don LaMay