–FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—
August 12, 2025 (Liberty Park Sports Complex)
Bobby Watkins was greeting players cheerfully as they arrived but Chuck Killough hurried past to get to the restroom, having barely made it to the field. The sky was cloudy and rain showers were likely on a warm and humid day but the field was perfect and the fans were ready for the games to begin. Wayne Sheets was looking toward the parking lot for more Red players to arrive. “Some of our players don’t usually arrive before game time so it’s like the Perils of Pauline every week to see if we’re gonna have a full team. It’d be a lot easier on me if they’d plan to arrive a little earlier.” (As it happened there were a couple of trucks stalled on 459 and Glenn Little missed the first two innings)
Sky Blue batted first versus Red; eight Sky Blue players batted and Earle Dunn, the Red pitcher, only threw nine pitches. Bobby Watkins, Chuck Killough, Royce O’Donnel, Dean Farris, Steve Belcher, Rick Alston and Charles Jones all got hits and Sky Blue led 5 to nothing. But Red batters also started hot. Dale McWhorter, Rel Underwood, Ken Sransky, Sid Hilton (subbing for Glenn Little), Earle Dunn, Bob Newton, and John Woychak got hits and Jim Anderson walked and Red tied the game.
Sky Blue made two quick outs in the second but then scored another 5 runs. This time, Red couldn’t match them. After the first two batters were out, Wayne Sheets walked and Dale, Rel, Ken Sransky and Mike Richards got hits and 3 runs, but a put-out at third when Mike tried to stretch a double into a triple killed the rally. Sky Blue 10, Red 8 after two.
Neither team scored in the third, and Sky Blue added 3 in the fourth while holding Red scoreless again. Pete Manown led off with a hit and after two outs, Chuck, Royce and Carlos followed up with hits and 3 runs. Red went down one, two, three in their half and Sky Blue led 13 to 8 after four innings. Then Red turned the tables in the fifth, shutting out Sky Blue and adding 2 runs on Dale’s third hit, a couple of fielder’s choices and RBI hits by Mike Richards and Glenn Little, but the rally ended when Glenn got thrown out at home trying to score on Earle’s rocket to center field. Red shut out Sky Blue again in the sixth and added another run to cut Sky Blue’s lead to two. Sky Blue 13, Red 11 after 6 innings.
The roof fell in on Red in the open seventh. Sky Blue batted around and scored 11 more runs on 12 hits and Red faced a 24 to 11 deficit in their last bat. Two fly balls and a strikeout ended the game.
Sky Blue hitters were 30 for 49 with no walks for a .612 team batting average and on-base percentage. Chuck Killough and Royce O’Donnell were 5 for 5 and Steve Belcher was 4 for 4. Red hitters were 20 for 37 with 3 walks for a .541 team batting average and a .575 on-base percentage. Jim Anderson was 1 for 1 with two walks.
Dale McWhorter summed up the game. “We didn’t hit as well as we usually do but we kept the game close until the last inning. Then they got hot and we couldn’t get them out in the seventh. Sometimes this game treats you like a baby treats a diaper, but we love it.”
Orange played Blue in the second game and nothing happened until the third inning when both teams scored five runs. Dale McWhorter opened the Orange third inning with a hit, Harold Easterwood walked, and Buddy Cannon drove them both in with a double. Then Keith Frederick got a hit, Duffy Vanderford walked and Don Stueckler drove in two more runs with a single. Mark Lilla and Steve Entrekin followed Don with hits and Mike Madden drove in the fifth run. Blue matched Orange with a string of hits by Chuck Killough, Sid Hilton, Cecil Kwong, Carl Hall, Rel Underwood, David Brasfield, and Holly Whitmire.
Neither team scored in the fourth and Blue shut out Orange again in the fifth and surged into the lead by scoring a run. Hootie Ingram, Cecil Kwong and Carl Hall loaded the bases with three hits and David Brasfield drove in Hootie. Blue 6, Orange 5 after five.
Orange tied the game in the top of the sixth when speedy Steve Entrekin got a hit, Mike Madden moved him to third with a single and Ken Sransky drove him in with another single. But Blue took the lead again by scoring two in the bottom of the sixth on a hit by Bobby Watkins, a walk by Jennifer Martinez, a fielder’s choice by Doug Harper, a Chuck Killough RBI hit and Hootie’s RBI fielder’s choice. Blue 8, Orange 6 at the end of six innings.
Blue shut out Orange in the seventh, getting the third out on a perfect throw from Chuck Killough to Jennifer Martinez to cut down a runner at home and Blue won, 8 to 6.
Blue hitters were 18 for 33 with 4 walks for a .545 team batting average and a .595 on-base percentage. Chuck Killough was 4 for 4, Carl Hall was 3 for 3 and David Brasfield was 2 for 2 with a walk. Orange hitters were 16 for 32 with 2 walks for a .500 team batting average and a .523 on-base percentage. Keith Fredrick was 3 for 3 and Harold Easterwood was 2 for 2 with a walk.
Ken Sransky humbly faced the press. “I had a bad relationship with home plate today. I tried to throw runners out at home three times and missed on all of ‘em. Then I got thrown out at home myself when I tried to stretch a triple into a home run. I enjoy runnin’ all out and sometimes I just can’t stop myself. That’s why life is so hard. Being bold and courageous is knowing you might fail and doing the thing anyway. Stupidity is the same.”