Larry Wolfe Originally from Boardman, Ore., a small town on the Columbia River near the Oregon-Washington border, Mandi Marchek graduated from Kennewick (WA) High School where she played basketball, softball and volleyball for the Lions. She was good enough at softball to be offered a scholarship at Marquette University in Milwaukee, but she decided to…
Larry Wolfe Our Lady Sluggers senior softball team completed a successful season with a record of 16 wins, 10 losses and two ties. The ladies compete in the 10-team Valley of the Sun League which includes teams from throughout the southeast valley. Mandi Marchek led the team with a .804 average. Four of her teammates…
Larry Wolfe With a week to go in the regular Winter Season, the A-1 Golf Carts-sponsored team, managed by Vern Rodgers, led the Lakes Division with a record of 12-4. Manager Gary Hillabolt’s Young Home Team was in second place with a 9-6 mark. In the Sun Division, Manager Marty Hobby’s Wolfe & Associates squad…
Larry Wolfe It takes more than just players to have a softball game. There’s the grounds crew, the scorers, the scoreboard operator, the team managers, and last but not least, the umpires. In senior softball, the umpire is a “one-man crew,” calling the balls and strikes and all the action on the field. Joe Byrne…
Larry Wolfe The Lady Sluggers, sponsored by Serene Solutions, opened their 2026 season by sweeping a doubleheader versus the Roadhaven Rebels. Their second twin bill against the Sunland Village East Panthers was rained out. So, at press time, the Sluggers were undefeated! Their remaining home schedule is shown below: Monday, Feb. 9 vs. the Sunland…
Larry Wolfe The Lady Sluggers will open their season with a home game at the Field of Dreams on Monday, Jan. 5. Below is their entire home schedule for the 2026 season. All games start at noon; doubleheaders are played against each opposing squad. Monday, Jan. 5, vs. the Roadhaven Rebels Monday, Jan. 19, vs.…
Larry Wolfe Our Fall Softball Season schedule of games was shortened due to the unusual amount of November rainfall. We lost a dozen games and several practice sessions due to the downpours and the resulting unplayable field. At the press deadline for this issue of the Splash, we had close pennant races in both divisions.…
Larry Wolfe Note: This article was first published in the November 2012 edition of the Sun Lakes Splash and is being republished in memory of Mike Core who passed in October. His career may have taken a divergent path from what Mike Core had planned, but it was a major success nonetheless. After earning a…
Larry Wolfe Our Fall Season is now well underway and will continue through Dec. 19. Opening day on Oct. 28 was enhanced by a hot dog cookout. Thanks to Vern and Janet Rodgers for organizing that event. As the legendary actor Humphrey Bogart said, “A hot dog at a ball game beats a steak at…
Larry Wolfe No, this article isn’t just about The Long Season, a book published in 1960, which chronicled pitcher Jim Brosnan’s candid personal diary of the 1959 baseball season when he pitched for both the St. Louis Cardinals and Cincinnati Reds. That book was one of the first “tell-alls” regarding what life was really like…