Canada vs USA
February 25th, 2009

Team Canada			1 0 0				5 0 2				1 0 2				1 = 12
Team USA			3 0 3				0 2 0				3 0 0				0 = 11

The weather was absolutely gorgeous for the fourth annual Canada vs USA softball game challenge on Fred white Field at the DiamondPlex in Winter Haven.
Elmer Black managed the Canadian team & Fred Dampier was the skipper for the American squad.
Team USA was the home team for the game this year and a new pitcher was on the mound for the Americans. George Radlein toed the rubber against Team Canada veteran pitcher Dick Wilhelm. Dick has appeared in every contest as their pitcher.
Team Canada sent only four men to the plate in the first inning but one made it all the way around the bases. Ed Gazarek tripled with one out and was sacrificed home on a fly ball by Bill McEllister.
Team USA got off to a quicker start as the first three batters scored. Bob Lundquest and Don Witmer singled and the next batter reached base on an infield error. A base hit by Elmer Wilcox drove home the first run and that was followed with an RBI single by Chris Constantine. A double play ball initialized by third baseman Jerry Reminton drove in the third and final run of the opening inning.
Team Canada batted one over the minimum in the next two frames. The only hit was a single by Jerry Reminton. In fact, it took three innings for Team Canada to go all the way through the 11 man batting order.
The bottom of the third witnessed Team USA breaking out with their offense after a goose egg was placed on the scoreboard in the second. Lead off hitter Bob Lundquest began the rally with a single and scored on a Don Witmer triple. Russ King drove Don home before the second Canadian double play of the game cleared the bases. Chris Constantine singled with two outs and George Radlein knocked him in with a hit.
At the end of three innings of play, Team USA had a 6-1 lead but that all changed in the Canadian fourth.
The top of the lineup began the fourth frame for Team Canada. Harvey Rennie singled and was pushed to third when Ed Gazarek doubled. A blotched fielder's choice allowed the next batter to reach base with still no outs recorded in the books at the time. Doug McLellan made Team USA pay for their mistake when he banged a ball deep over leftfielder Cal Leigh for a warning track double. The next batter made it to first on an infield error and what should have been the second out in a perfect world. Bill Evans sacrificed a run in and the fifth and tying run scored on the third error of the frame.
Since Team USA was growing accustomed to leading in the score, it was a whole new ball game heading into the bottom of the fourth. The lead off batters both achieved base hits to get things rolling in the right direction. Floyd Welton and Cal Leigh each had singles. The next two batters grounded out before Fred Dampier was intentionally walked. The inning came to a close when the next batter also grounded out and Team USA was held scoreless. A good opportunity was lost.
Team USA took the lead in the fifth on a two run inside-the-park opposite field home run by Chris Constantine. He drove in the runner who had gotten on base when he forced Russ King at second base. Russ was patient at the plate and had drawn a walk.
The two run lead didn't last an inning. Team Canada managed two runs in the sixth to tie the game once again. Ed Gazarek singled and scored for the third time in the game. The inning was hampered with two defensive miscues. Before the single by Ed, the lead off batter reached base on a booted ball in the infield. A dropped ball in the outfield allowed the batter after Ed to get on base. Doug McLellan stepped to the plate once more and made Team USA regret their wayward ways as he knocked in two runs with his second consecutive double. After Team USA had an early lead, the two teams were battling tooth and nail.
Team Canada took a 9-8 lead going into the bottom of the seventh inning. Fred Dampier lead off for Team USA and immediately tied the game with a solo inside-the-park homer over the head of defending leftfielder Bill Evans. The shot ignited the team for two more runs. Bob Lundquest walked, advanced to third on a Russ King single, and scored when Elmer Wilcox got a base hit. Chris Constantine sacrificed Russ home and Team USA once again gained the lead. The score after seven innings of play was Team USA 11 and Team Canada 9. If Team USA had a crystal ball, they would see the team held scoreless for the remainder of the game.
Team Canada needed two runs to tie the game in the final frame of regulation play and their mission was accomplished. Pierre Boissonneault began with a double and scored on a Bill Evans single. An error in the outfield allowed the next batter to reach first base with still on outs recorded. A base hit by Ted Taylor knotted the game at 11-11 but that was enough to give Team Canada hope to see light at the end of the tunnel.
Needing only one run to finish the game off, the lead off batter got aboard on an booted grounder but two pop ups to the infield came next. It wasn't looking very positive for the Americans to polish the game off with their fourth consecutive victory. A single by Russ King advanced the runner to third but he was stranded there when the inning was completed. No runs crossed the plate for Team USA in the ninth inning.
For the second time in four contests between Team Canada and Team USA, the game was headed for the tenth inning.
Team Canada spark plug Ed Gazarek singled with one out. He scored on a misplayed ball in the outfield but that was a huge run and enough to take the lead.
Team USA hot batter Chris Constantine had his third hit of the ball game when he singled in the tenth. A fly out to right centerfielder Ted Taylor advanced Chris to second base and he continued to third when the ball was mishandled on the diamond. With one out and the tying run on third base, the next batter popped up to second baseman Ron Carrothers. When Ron made the catch on the edge of the infield dirt, the runner surprisingly tagged up at third and dashed home. A throw to catcher Elmer Black ended the game.
The final score was Team Canada 12 & Team USA 11. Oddly enough, Team USA won the 2008 game with 12 runs.
Team USA manager Fred Dampier relinquished the AmeriCanada Cup to Team Canada manager Elmer Black for him to proudly display all year. The trophy was named and donated by Elmer. Each year, a sticker is added to recognize the prior winners. Team USA won 17-15 in 2006, 26-16 in 2007, and 12-5 in 2008. The trophy will be adorned with a Canada sticker for 2009 and will await the winner of the game next year. Stay tuned.
Everyone in attendance was treated to pizza from a local business after the contest. Cold sodas were also available. Everyone had a nice time recapping the game and visiting before the day came to an end.
It is appropriate to give a big "Thank You" to home plate umpire Doug Chamlee and base umpire Bill Ayer. They are to be commended for volunteering their time to help out the Winter Haven Senior Softball Club and its members. Thank you Bill and Doug.


Team USA Picture              Team Canada Picture




Individual Pics

Boissonneault      Constantine      Dampier      Kline & Lewis      McEllister     Remington      T.Taylor     Wilcox


Inning over so here comes the outfield - Bob Lundquest, Fred Dampier, and Bob Lewis.
Team USA manager Fred Dampier presented the AmeriCanada Cup to Elmer Black, the manager for Team Canada.
A magnified version of the AmeriCanada Cup with the 2007 inscription on the trophy.