–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
August 7, 2025 (Liberty Park Sports Complex)
It is another unexpectedly pleasant day in central Alabama with puffy white clouds and a pleasant breeze under a hot sun. Players waiting for the game discussed aches and pains and operations and rehab, the main topics of discussion for old men besides sports and fishing. Blue played Sky Blue in the opener; the winner would take over first place in the RASSA Masters league standings. But as often happens, one team’s batters were hot and the other team not so much. Both teams started well, scoring 5 apiece in the first inning. Blue sent 9 players to the plate and Sky Blue got their 5 runs from the first seven batters, all of whom got hits. But the story was different in the second inning. Blue opened with a Beth Moore walk and two outs (Ken Sransky made a nice running catch behind second base). Then Terry Lewis drove in Beth, David Ferguson got a hit and Sid Hilton hit a three-run homer. Sky Blue didn’t score in the bottom of the second. Blue 9, Sky Blue 5 after two.
Both teams scored one run in the third. Then Blue got another 5 runs in the fourth and held Sky Blue to one. Blue 15, Sky Blue 7 after four. Blue’s hot hitters scored another 5 in the fifth and held Sky Blue to one again and the 20 to 8 score caused a flip flop in the open sixth inning. Sky Blue made two quick outs before Bobby Watkins singled, Ken Sransky doubled, and Royce O’Donnell drove them both in. But the next batter struck out and Blue won the game without having to bat in the sixth, 20 to 10.
Blue hitters were 25 for 36 with 7 walks for a .694 team batting average and a .744 on-base percentage. David Ferguson was 4 for 4, Mike Richards was 2 for 2 with 2 walks, Dick Baguley and Terry Lewis were 3 for 3, David Brasfield was 2 for 2 with a walk, and Beth Moore had 3 walks in three at-bats. Sky Blue hitters were 21 for 35 with 2 walks for a .600 team batting average and a .622 on-base percentage. Royce O’Donnell was 4 for 4.
The late game wasn’t that close. Red had its poorest hitting day of the season and Orange didn’t.
The top of Red’s batting order made three quick outs in the first inning. Then Orange batters waited out walks and scored 5. Red recovered somewhat in the second and scored 4 runs when Mike Richards led off with a walk, followed by Earle Dunn’s single, Glenn Little’s booming double, John Woychak’s sacrifice fly, Bob Newton’s RBI double, Holly Whitmire’s single, Dennis Horne’s walk, and Wayne Sheets’ RBI walk. Orange was blanked in the second and it was Orange 5, Red 4 after two.
The top of Red’s batting order was frustrated again in the third and Orange scored 4 on a string of hits by Steve Entrekin, Sid Hilton, Scott Wadsworth, Buddy Cannon, Harold Easterwood, and Harmon Turner. Both teams scored one in the fourth but Orange outscored Red 4 to 1 in the fifth on another string of hits by Sid, Scott, Buddy, Harmon, Duffy Vanderford, Keith Fredrick, and Mark Lilla. Orange led 14 to 6 after five innings and iced the game in the sixth by outscoring Red 5 to 1. Orange sent 8 batters to the plate in the sixth and only made one out. Harmon Turner drove in the last two runs with a sharp single, his fourth hit of the game. Red couldn’t score in the open seventh and Orange won, 19 to 7.
Orange batters were 25 for 39 with 6 walks for a .641 team batting average and a .689 on-base percentage. Harmon Turner was 4 for 4, Scott Wadsworth and Buddy Cannon were both 3 for 3 with a walk, and Sid Hilton was 2 for 2 with a walk and a sacrifice fly. Red hitters were 14 for 34 with 3 walks for a .412 team batting average and a .459 on-base percentage. Bob Newton was 3 for 3.
Handsome Herb took the loss in stride. “No way around it, we had a bad day offensively and Orange had a good one. That happens sometimes. Holly Whitmire subbed for us and played a great defensive game in left field, but it wasn’t enough. Some days you just have to face reality. For example, today is my wife’s eighty second birthday and she asked me if I wanted to go upstairs and fool around. I told her she’d have to choose one or the other.”