Oct 2

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October 2, 2025 (Liberty Park Sports Complex)

Players and fans gathered for the penultimate regular season games of 2025. Dry fall air had crept in overnight and the air was cool under a blindingly bright sun. Blue manager Sid Hilton counted his players while they straggled into the dugout, while Red manager Wayne Sheets searched for a pitcher. “We were supposed to have our whole team here today, but two of ‘em didn’t show up. I made some adjustments but now I gotta find a pitcher.”  Wayne grabbed a bystander and offered him a one-day contract, and Jerry Bevel took the field with the team.

Red and Blue have played close games all season, splitting the outcomes. Today, Blue started out with a 5-run first inning. David Ferguson, back off the IRL, led off with a hit, followed by Sid Hilton, Cecil Kwong, Carl Hall, and David Brasfield along with David Bedwell’s walk. Red answered with 3 on five straight singles by Dale McWhorter, Rel Underwood, Jeff Tyler, Mike Richards and Glenn Little. Neither team scored in the second and Blue outscored Red in the third, 5 to 4, to take a 10 to 7 lead. Hootie Ingram, Doug Harper, Terry Lewis, and David Ferguson singled for Blue and Sid Hilton cleaned the bases with his 20th home run. Dennis Horne started Red’s third with a hit, and Dale and Rel followed with singles. Jeff Tyler drove them in with a homer.

Both teams were scoreless again in the fourth. Red blanked Blue in the fifth and then scored 5 in their half to take the lead, 11 to 10. Dennis Horne started the rally again for Red and hits by Dale and Rel, and Mike Richards’ 11th homer cleared the bases. Blue came back with 5 in the top of the sixth on hits by Hootie, Terry Lewis, David Ferguson, Sid Hilton, Rick Erdimer and David Bedwell, and Red could only answer with 2 despite hits by Jerry Bevel, Bob Slanovits, John Woychak, Jim Anderson, and Dennis Horne, and Blue entered the open seventh inning with a two-run lead, 15 to 13.

Beth Moore and Cindy Sewell got hits for Blue but a line drive to third, a fielder’s choice and a grounder to the pitcher shut them out. Red needed two runs to tie the game, three to win. Dale and Rel opened the inning with hits but Dale got cut down at third and Rel was forced out at second. Mike Richards singled and Glenn Little drove in Jeff Tyler with another hit, to put the winning run on base, but a line drive to third that Sid fielded in an act of self-preservation, ended the game. Blue won, 15 to 14.

Blue hitters were 20 for 36 with two walks for a .556 team batting average and a .579 on-base percentage. David Ferguson and Sid Hilton were 3 for 3, Hootie and Terry Lewis were 2 for 2, and David Bedwell was 1 for 1 with 2 walks. Red hitters were 28 for 45 for a .622 team batting average. Dale McWhorter, Rel Underwood and Mike Richards were 4 for 4, and Dennis Horne was 3 for 3.

The late game matched up Sky Blue and Orange, and was also decided in the last inning. Sky Blue started out slow with just 1 run in the first inning and gave up 5 to Orange when Steve Entrekin led off with a triple, Tom Wasmer walked, Ken Sransky drove in Steve, Jerry Bevel drove in Ken, Mark Lilla and Jim Hill got hits and Harold Easterwood drove them both in with a double. Neither team scored in the second, but Sky Blue scored 5 in the third and held Orange to 3 to get within 2 runs. Sky Blue’s runs came on six straight hits by Harold Hagler, Jerry Anger, Pete Manown, Larry Enzweiler, Bill Lovell, Royce O’Donnell and a three-run home run by Carlos Davis. Orange’s runs came on a hit by Ken Sransky, Jerry Bevel’s two-run homer, Mark Lilla’s single and Harold Easterwood’s RBI hit. Sky Blue 13, Orange 11 after five innings.

Orange blanked Sky Blue and pushed across 5 runs in the sixth to take a 16 to 13 lead. Duffy Vanderford led off with a walk but was forced out at second on a fielder’s choice. Mike Richards and Steve Entrekin singled and Tom Wasmer drove in Harmon Turner. Ken Sransky reached on a fielder’s choice when Steve was forced out at third base, and Sky Blue was down to their last out. Then Jerry Bevel drove in Tom Wasmer and Ken, who streaked around the bases without stopping, and Mike Madden drove in Jerry with a long double.

Sky Blue entered the open seventh needing three runs to tie and that’s what they got. Harold Hagler led off with a hit and Jerry Anger followed him with another. Pete Manown reached on a fielder’s choice forcing Jerry out at second and moving Harold to third. Larry Enzweiler drove in Harold with a single, but Orange got the second out with a strikeout. Carlos Davis strode to the plate with the game on the line and delivered a two-run double to tie the game, but another strikeout ended the Sky Blue inning. Orange needed a run to win. Mark Lilla walked, Jim Hill singled, Harold Easterwood got another hit to load the bases and Buddy Cannon drove in the winning run, 17 to 16.

Orange hitters were 27 for 44 with 4 walks for a .614 team batting average and a .646 on-base percentage. Jerry Bevel and Harold Easterwood were 4 for 4 and Mark Lilla was 3 for 3 with a walk. Sky Blue hitters were 20 for 33 with 2 walks for a .606 team batting average and a .629 on-base percentage. Royce O’Donnell and Carlos Davis were 3 for 3 and Larry Enzweiler was 2 for 2 with a walk.

Royce O’Donnell was happy the game was over. “The sun was blinding when we tried to catch fly balls in the outfield. One of ‘em hit me right on the head, but I couldn’t see it. Good thing it was soft.” Handsome Herb asked Royce if he meant the ball or his head. “Yep” was his answer.