–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
April 17, 2025 (Liberty Park Coliseum)
It was a perfect day for softball. Cool and sunny. The only negative was the blinding sun for players on the left side of the field. The game’s start was delayed as usual, while players put their shoes on. Sid Hilton, the Blue manager, sidled up to Handsome Herb. “I got a special strategy. Since no one has ever seen Mike Richards hit the ball to the left of the second baseman, I’m gonna shift all my players to the right side when he bats.” Handsome Herb nodded. “You won’t be the first to try that and Mike has been undeterred in the past. He says he’s never hit to left field in his life and isn’t starting now.”
Blue batted first and scored two on Cecil Kwong’s home run. But Royce O’Donnell caught a fly in left and John Woychak scooped up two ground balls to end the inning. Red started hot, scoring five on hits by Dale McWhorter, Rel Underwood, Royce, Mike Richards, and Bob Newton and walks by Glenn Little and John Woychak. The second inning was a repeat. Blue scored two on hits by David Ferguson, JD Lille, Dick Baguley and Tom Wasmer. Red scored five on hits by Larry Enzweiler, Jim Anderson, Rel Underwood, and Little Glenn, and walks by Dennis Horne, Wayne Sheets, and Royce. Red 10, Blue 4 after two. Sid’s strategy paid off in the second when he shifted his fielders to the right and Mike hit a fly ball right to one of them.
Cecil led off the Blue third with a second hit over the fence, but by rule, it was only a single. Cecil got snuffed out at second on a fielder’s choice, but Holly got a hit and then Sid hit a three-run homer and didn’t even bother to run toward first as he admired the ball’s flight. The Red defense held after that, but the wheels came off their offense when they loaded the bases with one out but couldn’t get anyone home.
Blue took the lead with five runs in the fourth while they held Red to one and it was Blue 12, Red 11.
Blue scored another five in the fifth on hits by Baguley, Rick Erdemir, Tom, Cecil, and David Ferguson, and walks by Holly and Sid. Red loaded the bases with one out again in the fifth and ended up with nothing again. Blue 17, Red 12 after five.
The game ran long as they all have so far this season, and the sixth was the final (and open) inning. Blue unloaded a barrage of hits and batted around to score eight. Then Blue got the first