–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
April 9, 2026 (Liberty Park Sports Complex)
Green Manager Cecil Kwong counted the players with green shirts on. “I keep countin’ up to 9. Bobby Watkins called and said he was still eatin’ breakfast (which usually involves a dozen eggs) and would be ready for our game at 10:30, but our game’s at 9:00.” He started counting again. Sky Blue manager Jeff Tyler looked down the dugout bench. ”I got a cast of thousands here today even though Dale’s missin’.” Managing a RASSA team is always an adventure.
Green batted first and the first 8 batters scored 5 runs. Sky Blue’s first 7 batters only scored one. Both teams scored 5 in the second inning. David Ferguson hit a 3-run homer for Green and Sky Blue batters turned 3 hits and 5 walks into 5 runs. The teams ended the third tied at 11; Chuck Killough snagged Mark Lilla’s line drive to hold Green to one run and Sky Blue turned 5 hits, 2 walks and a fielder’s choice into 5 runs.
Pete Manown drove in David Ferguson for Green’s only run in the 4th and then Green shut Blue out in the bottom half when Bobby Watkins finally arrived to strike out the side, a RASSA rarity. Both teams scored one in the fifth. David Ferguson drove in Steve Entrekin for Green’s run and Chuck Killough drove in Earle Dunn for Sky Blue. Then they both scored 3 in the sixth; Larry Enzweiler, Pete Manown, Doug Ferguson, Bobby Watkins and Dinah Sewell combined for Green’s three runs. Scott Wadsworth led off with a solo homer for Sky Blue and David Riche walked, David Bedwell got a hit, Jeff Tyler drove in David Riche with a hit and Rod Ellis drove in David Bedwell with a sacrifice fly.
The game entered the open 7th with Green ahead, 16 to 15. Steve Entrekin led off with a double for Green and moved to third base on Mark Lilla’s fielder’s choice. David Ferguson hit a long sacrifice fly to drive in Steve but the rally fizzled and Sky Blue came up needing two runs to tie and three to win. Clarence Kornegay doubled, Harold Hagler waited out a walk and Wayne Sheets singled to load the bases. Earle Dunn waited out another walk to drive in a run and Chuck Killough drove in the winning runs with a double. Sky Blue 18, Green 17.
Sky Blue hitters were 19 for 29 with 11 walks for a .655 team batting average and a .750 on-base percentage. Chuck Killough and Jeff Tyler were 3 for 3, Earle Dunn and David Riche were 2 for 2 with 2 walks, and Rod Ellis was 2 for 2 with a sacrifice fly. Green hitters were 27 for 39 with just 2 walks for a .692 team batting average and a .707
on-base percentage. Pete Manown and Doug Ferguson were both 4 for 4 and David Ferguson was 3 for 3 with a walk and a sacrifice fly.
The late game pitted Red and Blue. Harold Fincher drove in Jim Raley for Red’s only run in the first, and Blue scored 5. Tom Wasmer, Edwin Yergen, Sid Hilton, Ken Sransky got hits, Rick Erdimer walked and David Brasfield and Rel Underwood drove in runs to end the inning. Then Red got untracked and scored 5 in the second on a string of walks followed by RBI hits by Jim Raley, Buddy Cannon, Finch, and Bill Lovell. Blue could only respond with 1 to tie the game at 6 when Edwin Yergen drove in John Kuklinski with a triple.
Red stayed hot and outscored Blue 14 to 7 in the third, fourth and fifth innings and everyone on the team reached base. Blue scored 2 in the third on Mike Richards’ two-run homer, were shut out in the fourth, but bounced back for 5 in the fifth when David Brasfield, Rel Underwood and Harold Easterwood loaded the bases and John Kuklinski and Edwin Yergen each drove in two runs with doubles and Ken Sransky drove in the fifth run with a fielder’s choice. Red led 20 to 13.
Red didn’t let up and scored another 4 in the sixth. Finch and Wayne Graham each drove in two runs with doubles. Blue rallied with 5 to tighten the score to 24 to 18. Mike Richards led off with a double and David Brasfield drove him in. Rel Underwood, Harold Easterwood, and John Kuklinski got hits, Tom Wasmer drove in a run with a fielder’s choice, Edwin Yergen got a hit and Sid drove in the fourth and fifth runs. The crowd got restless when Blue shut out Red in the open 7th, highlighted by Ken Sransky’s catch of Alicia Johnson’s line shot toward center. Alicia saluted Ken. “I don’t know how he caught that; I thought it was a hit all the way.”
Blue needed 6 runs to tie. They only got one. Red 24, Blue 19.
Red hitters were 28 for 40 with 12 walks for a .700 team batting average and a .770 on-base percentage. Finch and Bill Lovell were both 5 for 5 and Buddy Cannon and Holly Whitmire were both 3 for 3 with a walk. Blue hitters were 28 for 43 with 6 walks for a .651 team batting average and a .694 on-base percentage. Edwin Yergen and David Brasfield were both 5 for 5.
Red manager Bill Lovell was happy for the win but sorry to report he lost one of his players. “Tony Montalban played with us last week and we were looking forward to having him with us for the season, but he hurt his knee in the game and later found out he tore an ACL, so he’s gonna be gone for awhile. He told me never to say his name backwards. I asked him “Why not?””