🥎 10.02.26 — Three Teams, Two Girls, and One Tough Pitcher

Great weather, plenty of action, and three teams sharing the field made for another entertaining morning of Winter Haven Senior Softball.

Here’s how they finished:

Jarrett Gordon — Team Wally (Hitting): 3
Kincaid Electrical — Team Hill (Middle/Sitting): 12
Red Hoaglan Hyundai — Team Ouding (Home/Fielding): 17

Team Wally: A Tough Day and a Tougher Pitcher

Team Wally struggled to get things rolling against a Team Ouding defense that kept opportunities scarce. Woodsby scored in the first inning with help from hits by Ernesto and Rad. Parry added a run in the third, contributing a hit of his own along with support from Gil, Woodsby, and Ernesto. Their final run came in the fifth when Gilbert singled and scored with help from Clos and a double by Gil.

But the three runs weren’t the whole story. Vandenberg took a hard shot to his left leg while pitching, brushed himself off, and stayed on the mound to finish the game. What a badass! That deserves a tip of the cap from every team.

Team Hill: An Every-Other-Inning Habit

Team Hill opened with two runs behind a single from Griffin, a double from Hill, and singles from DeLong and Testa. Then came a scoreless second.

The bats returned in the third. Sensebaugh and Griffin singled, DeLong doubled, Doyle singled, and Amy sent a screamer to center for a double as three runs crossed the plate. Then came a scoreless fourth. Anyone else sensing a pattern?

Fortunately, the fifth was right on schedule. Sensebaugh, Griffin, and Hill singled, DeLong and Doyle reached base, and Testa and Amy added singles to bring home five runs.

Team Hill finally broke the every-other-inning routine with one run in both the sixth and seventh, finishing with 12. A solid offensive effort, but Team Ouding kept giving them more ground to make up.

Team Ouding: Everybody Had a Hand in This One

Team Ouding paired steady hitting with strong fielding, getting contributions throughout the lineup.

Nestor led off the first with a single, Williamson doubled, Pepin reached base, and Leslie singled as two runs scored.

In the second, the bottom four hitters in the lineup all crossed the plate. Singles from Tickner, Thompson, and Gonzales, a walk to Ouding, another single from Nestor, and a double from Williamson helped produce five runs. The bottom of that lineup clearly hadn’t received the memo about being the bottom.

Pepin, Leslie, and Castilleca singled in the third to add two more runs. The fourth was their only scoreless inning—apparently even hot bats need a brief intermission.

They got right back to work in the fifth. A leadoff single started the rally (name ineligible Gutenberger maybe???), Pepin singled, Leslie doubled, and Tutrani, Castilleca, and Tickner added singles as four more runs came home.

In the sixth, Ouding singled, and Nestor, Williamson, Pepin, Sully, and Gutenberger reached base to help bring in four more runs, completing the team’s 17-run day.

Consistent hitting, dependable fielding, and contributions up and down the lineup made this a complete team win.

Best exchange of the day:

“Don’t hit to the girl!”

“You mean girls.”

"The girls are showing you up!"

A little correction from the field—and apparently a scouting report worth updating.

Great weather, great play, and another game in the books!

🥎 The Umpire’s Call: Rule Interpretations

Only the team manager may discuss rule interpretations with the umpire. As a courtesy, the umpire will usually offer a brief explanation of the call.

The umpire has the final authority, and the ruling will be settled before the next pitch is thrown.

Respect the call, respect the game.

Friday games

Games are on. Let's hope rain stays away.

### Attention Members ####

We are excited to welcome a new sponsor to the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club: Egg City 50s Diner, located at 35510 US Hwy 27 N, Haines City, FL 33844. 

Phone number: 863-353-2698. 

Website www.EggCityDiner.com

Welcome to Egg City, home of the four-egg omelette! Our full-service, 50’s-style diner serves breakfast and lunch in a fun, retro atmosphere.

To honor our commitment to quality food, our home-fried potatoes are made only from Idaho potatoes. Our bread is supplied by Rotella Bakery, and our coffee is freshly ground and brewed from 100% Colombian coffee. All our deli items are from Metro Deli. All natural – no water or preservatives added, and we fry only in canola oil (trans fat-free).

We also have a reservation space available for meetings or parties, and catering options available. We’re proud to bring you the best in food and service.

Thanks to Bob DeLong for getting this sponsor.

                                                                              ###

The Umpire’s Call: Be Ready to Bat

A little preparation keeps the game moving! This is one of the most frequently overlooked rules in WHSS, and those delays add up over the course of a game.

When it’s your turn to bat:

• If you are not ready to hit within 30 seconds, you will be assessed one strike.
• If you are still not ready after another 30 seconds, you will be assessed an additional strike and declared out.
• No pitches need to be thrown for these strikes to be called—the elapsed time alone is enough.
• Once the batter is declared out, the next batter in the lineup is up.

Keep track of the batting order and be ready when your turn comes. A little hustle between batters means more time playing and less time waiting!

Respect the call, respect the game!

🥎 09.29.26 | Two Fields, Four Teams, and “The Girl” Wants Overtime Pay

 Field 1: 1st Diner Holds Off Ingram Financial, 20–18

Four teams, two fields, and two games at once. That’s twice the work for “the girl,” whose pay remains exactly the same: zero. At least the Little League field gave her a good game to write about.

Ingram Financial, managed by Ouding, came out swinging, with its first five batters crossing the plate. Hill’s 1st Diner team nearly matched them, scoring four in the bottom of the first. Ingram added one run in the second, while 1st Diner brought home four more.

Then 1st Diner’s defense stepped up, holding Ingram Financial scoreless from the third through the fifth. The home team managed one more run in the fourth, but Ingram’s bats woke up later and brought five runs across to keep the game close. At the top of the seventh, the score was 11–9.

1st Diner wasn’t finished. Ernesto led off with a triple and scored on Hill’s sacrifice fly. Sensebaugh doubled, Turchetta blasted a home run to right, and Castilleja, Ayers, Gilbert, and Bioto kept the hits coming. Five runs crossed the plate.

Late in the game, 1st Diner led 20–15, but Ingram Financial made one last push. Amy, whose bat was hot all day at 4-for-5, singled. Zelazny singled, Constantine reached base, and three runs came home. 1st Diner held on for the 20–18 win.

That’s Field 1 in the books. “The girl” will now turn to Field 2, just as soon as her unpaid lunch break is approved.

Field 2: Kincaid Electrical Wins a Slugfest, 23–21

Over on Field 2, Kincaid Electrical’s Team Davis and Ingraham Financial’s Team DeLoach combined for 44 runs.

Team Davis opened with five runs in the first, and Team DeLoach answered with two. Both teams went scoreless in the second. Davis added two in the third, but DeLoach responded with five. In the fourth, Davis was held scoreless while DeLoach added one.

By the top of the fifth, Team DeLoach led 11–10. Both teams scored three runs in the fifth, and neither showed much interest in letting the other pull away.

Team Davis brought home five runs in the seventh, with Team DeLoach answering with two. Davis added four more in the eighth; DeLoach scored two. Davis tacked on another run in the ninth, leaving DeLoach one last chance. They brought three runs across, but the comeback fell just short. Team Davis won 23–21.

And then there’s JD’s hit. Rumor has it he launched a ball into another hemisphere. I can’t confirm where it landed, but people were still talking about it after the game. If someone finds it, please return it to Field 2.

Tuesday games

Games are on. Please sign in or call by 08:30