–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
July 22, 2025 (Liberty Park Stadium)
The heat wave was relentless and it was 85 degrees and humid at gametime. Shirts stuck to wet bodies before the players even warmed up, but the Masters players were ready after a 3-week break. Earl Dunn took the mound for the Red team and Bobby Watkins strolled to the plate for Sky Blue. Earl pitched. Bobby swung. The game was on and Shelly Johnson threw Bobby out at first. Ken Sransky and Royce O’Donnell got hits and Charles Jones drove in Ken, but Earl got the next two out and held Sky Blue to one run. Red jumped out to a 5-1 lead on a string of hits by Rel Underwood, David Ferguson, Mike Richards, Glenn Little, Earl Dunn, Jim Anderson, Joey Johnson, and Shelly Johnson. Then Red shut out Sky Blue in the second and scored two more on hits by Bob Newton, John Woychak, Alicia Johnson, and Dennis Horne. Red 7, Sky Blue 2 after 2.
Sky Blue got 3 in the third when Bobby Watkins drove in one run and Ken Sransky drove in two more with the only home run in the game. Then they scored two more in the 4th when Pete Manown drove Rick Alston and Harold Hagler in with a shot to right center. But Red kept the pressure on with 2 in the third and 5 in the fourth. David Ferguson and Mike Richards got hits in the third and Glenn Little and Shelly Johnson drove them in. Then Rel Underwood drove in Dennis Horne and Wayne Sheets, David Ferguson drove in Dale McWhorter, and Mike Richards drove in Rel and David to take a 14 to 6 lead after four innings.
Sky Blue closed the gap in the fifth, scoring 4 on a string of hits by David Brasfield, Bobby Watkins, Ken Sransky, Royce O’Donnell and Sid Hilton, but couldn’t shut down Red, who scored another 3 as Bob Newton and John Woychak drove in Earl Dunn, Jim Anderson, and Joey Johnson. Then Red shut out Sky Blue in the open 6th inning and won the heat shortened game 17 to 10.
Red hitters were 26 for 39 with one walk for a .667 team batting average and a .675 on-base percentage. David Ferguson, Mike Richards and John Woychak were all 3 for 3. Sky Blue hitters were 13 for 34 with three walks for a .419 team batting average and a .471 on-base percentage. Ken Sransky was 3 for 3 with a home run.
Harold Hagler, who turned 84 in June, was philosophical. “We try to win every game, but it doesn’t always work out the way you hope. I was talkin’ with my wife Memory the other day and asked her why she stayed with me so long. She said it was because I made her laugh. I said I thought it was because I was an irresistible lover, and she said” “See. You’re hilarious!” “. Jim Anderson was listening to Harold and said he asked SIRI why he was always in trouble with women and the computer replied, “I’m ALEXA you moron.”
Orange played Blue in the second game. Blue needed a win to tighten up the league standings and they got it. Orange led off but only got two hits off of Blue pitcher Brian G and didn’t score. Blue scored five in their half of the first to jump out to a 5-0 lead. Hootie Ingram, Sid Hilton, David Ferguson, Cecil Kwong, Mike Richards, Rel Underwood and Dan Peek got hits. Then Orange came back and scored 5 in the top of the second on hits by Steve Entrekin, Shelly Johnson, Alicia Johnson, Don Stueckler, Lisa Phipps, Keith Frederick, Tom Wasmer and Mark Lilla, and then shut out Blue in the bottom half of the inning when shortstop Ken Sransky went deep in the hole to snag a grounder and made a leaping turnaround throw to second to cut off a Blue rally. Orange 5, Blue 5 after two.
Both teams scored one run in the third, but Blue shut out Orange in the fourth and scored one to take a 7 to 6 lead. Orange took the lead back, 8 to 7 in the top of the fifth as Steve Entrekin and Shelly Johnson drove in Ken Sransky and Ron Oliver, but Blue turned around and scored 3 runs in the bottom of the fifth when Hootie got a hit and Sid drove him in with a double. Then Cecil drove in Sid with another double and Mike Richards drove Cecil in.
Blue took a 10 to 8 lead into the open sixth. Alicia Johnson opened up the Orange inning with a hit, but was stranded by a fielder’s choice, a line drive caught at third and a grounder to the pitcher. Blue didn’t have to bat again and won 10-8.
Blue batters were 18 for 30 with one walk for a .600 team batting average and a .613 on-base percentage. Sid Hilton, Mike Richards, and Dan Peek were 3 for 3 and the combination of Rel Underwood and Earl Dunn was also 3 for 3. Orange hitters were 20 for 36 for a .556 team batting average. Mark Lilla, Shelly Johnson and Alicia Johnson were 3 for 3.
Mike Richards was 6 for 6 with 8 RBIs for the day and was in a good mood. He said he asked his wife if he had any annoying habits and she said, “Wait a minute while I get my power point presentation.”