–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
July 2, 2026 (Liberty Park Sports Complex)
True summer heat arrived with July. Players straggled toward the field in 83-degree heat and high humidity at 9:00AM and it seemed a lot hotter on the sunbaked field. RASSA Masters were playing their last games of the first half of the 2026 season before a 3-week break to allow the fields to recover. Tom Wasmer shook his head. “I’m the one who needs to recover. The fields are fine.”
Green played Red in the early game; lanky Harold Fincher threw one warmup pitch and was ready. “I’m not throwin’ any more pitches than I have to,” he said, “and I’m movin’ slow. We gotta conserve our energy.” Mark Lilla, Gene Garcia, Sid Hilton, Phillip Cheek and Steve Entrekin all hit the first pitch Finch threw them, just trying to help him conserve. Larry Enzweiler finally waited out a walk. Mike Madden drove in Green’s 4th run. Red matched them. Jim Raley and Lisa Phipps singled and Ron Oliver drove in Jim. Then Finch, not wanting to run, hit a 2-run homer into the woods beyond center field. Wayne Graham drove in Wayne Pike for Red’s 4th run. Green didn’t score in the second but Red got 5 to take a 9 to 4 lead. After 2 quick outs, Jim Raley hit a home run, Lisa Phipps singled, Ron Oliver singled, Finch drove in Lisa with a double, Wayne Pike drove in Ron and Finch, and Wayne Graham drove in Wayne Pike. Green tied the score with 5 in the top of the 3rd to tie the score and then shut out Red in the bottom. Gene Garcia singled, Sid Hilton walked, Phillip drove in Gene and Steve Entrekin loaded the bases with a single. Larry Enzweiler drove all three in with a double and was forced to run home when Joey Johnson ran to third. “I woulda been happy to stay at third,” 85-year-old Larry told the press, “but it worked out okay.” Neither team scored in the 4th inning.
Green broke the tie by scoring one in the fifth when Mark Lilla and Sid singled and Phillip drove in Mark with his third hit. Red went scoreless in their half of the fifth despite hits by Ron Oliver, Wayne Pike, Wayne Graham, and Buddy Cannon. Green added one more run in the top of the open 6th and clung to an 11 to 9 lead as Red came to bat needing 2 runs for a tie or 3 for a win. Holly Whitmire hit a line drive right to Mike Madden at second base, but Ken Sransky, Keith Frederick and Jim Raley got a string of hits and Lisa Phipps walked but two fine infield plays ended the inning and Green won by two.
Green hitters were 15 for 31 with 4 walks for a .484 team batting average and a .543 on-base percentage. Phillip Cheek was 3 for 3, Sid Hilton was 2 for 2 with a walk, and Larry Enzweiler was 1 for 1 with 2 walks. Red hitters were 19 for 35 with one walk for a .543 team batting average and a .555 on-base percentage. Wayne Graham was 3 for 3.
Sky Blue was the visiting team versus Blue in a battle for first place in the sweltering late game and promptly scored 5 in the opening inning. Chuck Killough, Gary Singleton, Scott Wadsworth, Dale McWhorter, and Jeff Tyler all got hits and scored and Clarence Kornegay drove in three of them with an inning ending hit to the fence. Mark Lilla, Sid Hilton, Edwin Yergen, Cecil Kwong, and Rel Underwood got a string of hits for Blue, but only Mark and Sid made it all the way around the bases. Both teams scored one in the second and they both scored 5 in the third. Royce O’Donnell singled for Sky Blue and David Riche continued his hot streak by doubling to drive Royce in for Sky Blue’s second inning run. Rick Erdimer tripled and Brian Gierlatowicz drove him in for Blue’s run. Sky Blue powered through the third with 6 straight hits by Chuck Killough, Gary Singleton, Scott Wadsworth, Dale McWhorter, Jeff Tyler and Glenn Little. Blue worked harder for their 5 runs; Don Dietz and Tom Wasmer walked, but Don was cut down at third on a fielder’s choice. Sid singled and Edwin Yergen drove in 2 runs with a double. Cecil Kwong moved Edwin to third with a single and Rel drove Edwin in. Then David Brasfield drove in Cecil and Ken Sransky drove in Rel. Sky Blue 11, Blue 8 after three.
Neither team scored in the fourth and Blue shut out Sky Blue again in the fifth. Then Blue took the lead. Tom Wasmer singled and Mark Lilla reached on a fielder’s choice. Sid Hilton hit a 2-run home run, Edwin Yergen doubled, Cecil singled, Rel drove in Edwin, and David Brasfield drove in Cecil and Rel. Sky Blue 11, Blue 13 after five. Fans were on edge as Sky Blue came to bat in the open sixth, two runs down. Sky Blue fans started to worry when Sky Blue had two outs and a runner on first. But then Clarence Kornegay singled and Ronnie Muro drove in Glenn Little and Clarence in with a 2-run double down the left field line. Royce O’Donnell drove in Ronnie for a 14 to 13 lead. Now Blue fans were worried. But Ken Sransky, Rick Erdimer, and Brian G all singled to load the bases. John Kuklinski hit a shot down the third base line, but Ronnie Muro lunged and snagged it with quick reflexes. The runners stayed where they were. Don Dietz waited out a walk to tie the game. Then Tom Wasmer strode to the plate and laced the ball to left for the game winning hit. “I never worry about the pressure,” Tom said later. “We’re comin’ back to play no matter what happens.”
Blue hitters were 24 for 33 with 3 walks for a .727 team batting average and a .750 on-base percentage. Sid Hilton, Edwin Yergen, Rel Underwood, and Rick Erdimer were all 3 for 3, and Cecil Kwong was 2 for 2 with a sacrifice fly. Sky Blue hitters were 22 for 36 with one walk for a .611 team batting average and a .622 on-base percentage. Gary Singleton, Jeff Tyler, and Royce O’Donnell were 3 for 3, and David Riche was 2 for 2.
The league doesn’t play again until July 21, and players were looking forward to celebrating our 250th July 4th with family, friends and fireworks. Phillip Cheek said family was visiting but when he got home he found out the kids were on EBAY all day. He said if they were still there tomorrow, he’d lower the price. Ronnie Muro, who was seen clutching the dashboard in the parking lot as he let his grandson practice driving, had grandkids at home but they wouldn’t eat the tacos his wife made them for dinner. He asked his wife what to do with them and she said to throw them out. Now he doesn’t know what to do with the tacos.
We’re hoping injuries heal and illnesses are resolved during the break, and that everyone is back for a great second half.