It was another hot morning of Winter Haven Senior Softball, and Team Hill came out swinging — literally.
FINAL SCORES:
Team Hill (Hitting/Visitors) — 19
Team Tutrani (Sitting/Middle) — 16
Team Wally (Fielding/Home) — 15
Team Hill (Hitting/Visitors) — 19
Team Tutrani (Sitting/Middle) — 16
Team Wally (Fielding/Home) — 15
Team Hill wasted absolutely no time putting runs on the board, racking up 18 runs in the first four innings and adding one more in the 5th. After that, either their bats went cold or Team Wally’s defense decided enough was enough, holding Hill scoreless in the 6th and 7th. Fortunately for Team Hill, 19 was enough to take first place.
Team Hill’s defense against Team Tutrani was equally impressive early, holding them to just 5 runs through four innings. Then Team Tutrani woke up. They added 2 in the 5th and exploded for 8 runs in the 6th, putting themselves in second place. Heading into the 7th with the top of the lineup, Col Z and Rusty both reached base. Then came two shots that would have been home runs on a normal field. Bercall and Doyle each hit absolute bullets to right‑center, but apparently the outfielders were stationed somewhere near the end zone. Both balls were tracked down with stellar catches, and one of them still produced a sacrifice fly that brought in an additional run, helping Team Hill shut the door and hold Tutrani to 16.
And speaking of defense, Steve Hill was a fielding machine in the middle, making play after play. M-O-R-E-N-O also flashed the leather at second, snagging a hard line drive.
Team Wally wasn’t going quietly either. The first three batters — Gutenberger, Rad and Michl — accounted for an impressive 11 runs between them, while Castilleja, Dampier, King and Wally helped bring home the rest.
Then came Wally’s last chance. Back to the top of the lineup, Gutenberger, Rad and Michl all delivered base hits. Muniz followed with a sacrifice fly, a couple of runs came home, BJ helped bring in another, and suddenly three runs had crossed the plate. But Team Tutrani’s defense came through with the next two outs to end the threat.
Team Wally walked away believing the final tally was 19-15-15.
Not so fast.
A closer inspection revealed that Team Tutrani had actually scored 16.
So, nice try, Wally…but the scoresheet doesn’t lie!
Team Hill 19 — Team Tutrani 16 — Team Wally 15
Another competitive morning on the field — and once again, every run mattered!