–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
May 12, 2026 (Liberty Park Sports Complex)
The sun was breaking through as players warmed up for the opening game between Red and Blue. Tom Wasmer smiled and said “I’m always glad to see the sun. A day without sun is, like, night.” Mike Jackson was sporting a big shiner where Holly’s foul tip hit him a week ago. “A lotta people have been askin’ how I got the black eye”, Mike said, “and I been enjoyin’ tellin’ them a woman gave it to me.”
Harold Fincher threw the game’s first pitch high and straight and Edwin Yergen hit the first of his 5 hits on a day when hitters dominated. Sid Hilton and Ken Sransky walked, and Mike Richards drove in Edwin and Sid. Steve Belcher drove in Ken and David Brasfield drove in Mike. Rel Underwood got another hit but Red got 2 forceouts at third and one at home to end the inning. Red didn’t waste any time in the bottom of the first, scoring 5 runs on 6 hits and 2 walks, highlighted by Finch’s 3-run homer.
Both teams scored 5 runs in the second inning in a game that counted 51 runs when it was over. Cece Washington walked for Blue, Brian G doubled to drive in the fleet Cece, John Remley drove in Brian, Edwin got his second hit, Sid drove in John, Ken Sransky walked and Mike Richards drove in the 4th and 5th runs. Red’s Ron Oliver and Wayne Pike got hits, Hootie Ingram walked, Finch drove in 2 with a single, Earle Dunn got a hit, Bill Lovell drove in a run with a bases-loaded walk, Wayne Graham drove in a run with a hit and Buddy Cannon drove in the fifth run. Blue scored 5 in the third. Steve Belcher got on base with a single and David Brasfield hit a 2-run homer. Then Rel, Tom Wasmer, and Harold Easterwood got hits and Rick Alston drove in 2 runs. Brian G got a hit and John Remley drove in the fifth run. Red answered with 4 more to tie the game at 14 after 3 innings. Wayne Pike, Hootie, and Bill Lovell drove in the Red runs. Then both teams scored 4 runs in the 4th and remained tied at 18-18. Edwin and Sid both doubled, Steve Belcher drove in Sid with a fielder’s choice, David Brasfield drove in Steve with a double, and Rel drove in David. Red’s runs came on hits by Buddy Cannon, Holly Whitmire, Hootie, and Finch’s out-of-the-park single.
Both teams cooled off in the fifth. Blue scored 2 on hits by Harold Easterwood and Rick Alston, Cece’s RBI fielder’s choice, and Brian G’s RBI double. Red got 1 run on Wayne Graham and Buddy Cannon’s hits and Ron Oliver’s RBI fielder’s choice. Blue 20, Red 19 after 5.
Then Blue got hot again and Red didn’t. Blue scored 5 runs in the 6th highlighted by Mike Richards’ grand slam inside the park homer, and 5 more in the 7th. Red scored 2 in the 6th and none in the 7th, and that was the ballgame. Blue won 30 to 21.
Blue hitters were 36 for 52 with 9 walks for a .692 team batting average and a .738 on-base percentage. Edwin Yergen was 5 for 5, Mike Richards was 4 for 4 plus a walk and 9 RBIs, Rel Underwood and Brian Gierlatowicz were 4 for 4, Sid Hilton was 3 for 3 with 2 walks, and Harold Easterwood was 3 for 3 with one walk. Red hitters were 26 for 41 with 9 walks for a .634 team batting average and a .700 on-base percentage. Earle Dunn was 5 for 5, and Hootie and Buddy Cannon were both 3 for 3 with 2 walks.
Sky Blue faced Green in the late game. Both started slow. Sky Blue scored one in the 1rst; Ronnie Muro hit a double and Jeff Tyler drove him in. Green didn’t score. Sky Blue got 2 more in the 2nd when Scott Wadsworth and Duffy Vandeford got hits and Glenn Little drove both of them in. Green was shut out again. Sky Blue scored 5 in the third. Harold Hagler led off with a hit, Dale McWhorter got a hit and Ronnie Muro drove them in with a 3-run homer. Chuck Killough got a hit, but it looked like he might be stranded after 2 fly ball outs. Then David Bedwell singled and Scott Wadsworth drove in the 4th and 5th runs with the inning’s second homer. Green finally got on the scoreboard with a run in the 3rd when Mark Brannin led off with a hit, Mark Lilla got a two-out hit, and Steve Entrekin drove in Mark Brannin with a double. Sky Blue 8, Green 1 after three.
Duffy walked and Clarence Kornegay drove him in for Sky Blue’s only run in the fourth and Bob Slanovits drove in Jerry Bevel with a triple for Green’s only run. Sky Blue added 4 runs in the fifth; Dale, Chuck, and Jeff all singled to load the bases. Charles Jones drove in Dale, David Bedwell drove in Chuck, and Scott drove in Jeff and David. Green could only get one hit in the bottom of the fifth and was shut out by a Sky Blue double play. Sky Blue was ahead 13 to 2 after five innings and scored another 4 in the sixth. Royce O’Donnell and Clarence K got hits. Harold Hagler drove in Royce and Dale drove in Clarence and Harold. Ronnie Muro got on with a fielder’s choice, Chuck got his third hit, and Jeff drove in Ronnie. Green scored 5 in the bottom half of the sixth. Mark Lilla singled, Steve Entrekin tripled, David Ferguson doubled, Jerry Bevel singled, Bob Slanovits hit a sacrifice fly, Mike Madden singled and Cecil Kwong hit a 2-run homer. But Green was down by 10 runs going into the open 7th inning and only scored one, and Sky Blue won, 17 to 8.
Sky Blue hitters were 22 for 40 with one walk for a .550 team batting average and a .561 on-base percentage. Scott Wadsworth was 3 for 3. Green hitters were 20 for 35 with two walks for a .571 team batting average and a .595 on-base percentage. Bob Slanovits was 2 for 2 with a sacrifice fly.
Bob Slanovits and his wife Ellen were talking after the game. Ellen said, “I saw a guy kissing his wife after the game. Why don’t you ever do that?” Bob looked perplexed. “I don’t even know his wife.”