Pepper Martin Softball Day in Elk
The sun shone brightly on the 38th Annual Pepper Softball Day in Elk on June 4th, with only a slight wind blowing from the west. Ten kids aged 5-11 were divided into two teams, with parents filling in as pitchers, catchers, and outfielders. The Giants barely edged out the Dodgers, 20-19. All shared great fielding plays, hits, and learning curves. This is a unique opportunity for seasoned players to share knowledge and experience with the younger inexperienced players, some on the ball field for the first time. The Grelk Trophy was awarded to the Most Valuable Player, Dominic Ferrarese, for his consistent infield plays and base hits.
The adult game followed with some very high caliber playing by 22 players on the Bad News Bears and the Birds teams. Heavy hitting and bullet throws were consistent on both teams, with some spectacular leaps and dive for high fly balls and line drives. The final score was Birds 36 — Bad News Bears 24.
The Babe Didrikson Zaharias award for the Best Woman Player was presented to Liana Casciani for her double playouts on 2nd base, aggressive base running, line drive hits, and rolling attempts at fly ball catching. The Pepper Martin Guts and Guile Spittoon were awarded to Wyatt Wells for his dive into the tall grass and thistles in deep center field for an attempted fly ball catch, home run with a close slide into home plate, and spectacular jumping catches in center field.
A special plaque was presented to Lynn Derrick for her many years of umpiring the Pepper Martin games and for her 22 years of running Queenie’s Roadhouse Café, from where she retired earlier this year.
Many thanks go to the crew who served up barbequed hotdogs, pesto pasta, ice cream cones, biscotti, margaritas, beer, and wine, the proceeds of which go to the Greenwood Community Center’s Summer Children’s Program. Special thanks also go to Charlie Acker and Jonas Krog for transforming the muddied cow-trodden field into our Elk Field of Dreams for this year’s Pepper Martin Softball Day in Elk.