Mother Nature finally decided to cooperate! The sun was shining, the humidity was fairly low, and it was a great day for Lakeland Senior Softball. The game didn’t disappoint either—especially if you were on the Visiting team.
The Visitors opened the first inning with two runs behind Jeff’s double and singles from Jack and Davis. The Home team answered quickly, bringing four runs across on base hits from Mark, Fred and Pat, capped by Danny’s home run.
In the second, the Visitors managed just one run when Bales crossed the plate. Their defense then took over, thanks to Skidmore’s heroics in the middle of the field. He recorded the defensive hat trick—and then added a bonus—accounting for four consecutive outs. Apparently, nobody told him he was supposed to let someone else have a turn!
The Visitors’ bats came alive in the third. Jeff, Jack, Jamie, Ralph, JD and Bales all singled as five more runs crossed the plate. The Home team wasn’t going quietly, however. Greg and Mark reached with singles before Fred launched a home run to bring home three.
Both defenses settled in during a scoreless fourth inning. The Visitors added just one in the fifth when Jeff scored following base hits from Jack and Ralph, while the Home team was held scoreless.
Then came the sixth—and the battle was on.
Bales led off with a single, followed by base hits from Mike, Bob S., Jerry, Vandenberg, Jeff and Jack, along with a double from Stu. Five runs scored, but the Home team came right back. Greg led off with a single, Fred and Pat doubled, and Danny, Doug and Herb followed with base hits. Five Home-team runs crossed the plate, trimming the Visitors’ lead to 14–12.
Close game, right?
Not for long.
The Visitors had no intention of letting the Home team catch them. Jamie and JD singled before Doug launched a bullet to center for a triple. Bales followed with another single, and Mike walked, moving Bales to third. Under the two-walk rule, Mike advanced to second. Stu then collected his second double of the game, followed by singles from Jerry and Vandenberg. By the time the dust settled, six more runs had scored.
With the Visitors now leading 20–12, the Home team needed a miracle.
Instead, they got four batters and three outs.
Final Score: Visitors 20, Home 12
It was close—until it wasn’t!