Softball Team Celebrates Senior Night With New Scoreboard

When asked if she thought the Farmington High School softball team would defeat Avon in their senior night game Tuesday evening, coach Betsy Harvey bellowed an unequivocal “Yes!”

Thanks to the help of several local businesses and individuals, spectators were able to see the outcome of the game for themselves on a brand new scoreboard at the Tunxis Mead softball field. In a ceremony before the game, the softball booster club dedicated the board and thanked contributors with flowers and certificates of gratitude.

“They contributed all the money we needed except for about $55,” said Pam Fisher, head of the booster club. “It was a miracle.”

The Electro-Mech scoreboard alone would have cost the club $5,841. Fisher said that to ship, erect, and wire it would have cost “thousands” more. The I-beams alone cost $612 each.

“I can’t believe I know what an I-beam is now,” Fisher joked during the ceremony.

The maroon scoreboard features a bright yellow softball and claims the Tunxis field as the “Home of the Indians.” Its LED lighting and 18-inch high digits provide easy visibility and a much-needed update to the previous board, said Highway and Ground Superintendent Scott Zenke.

“It uses less electricity and it’s a lot bigger,” he said. “The girls on the team really like it.”

Brian Hurlock, the former head coach of FHS softball, said the new scoreboard was a huge improvement over the old “rinky-dink Pepsi board” that once overlooked the field. Hurlock, who currently coaches the Farmington Men’s Softball League, donated $1,400, a portion of which came from that organization.

“It’s a good cause,” he said. “I was happy to do it.”

Hurlock was unable to attend the ceremony, but four other representatives of the contributing businesses were there to receive their gifts. Zenke was there, as was Ron Dahle of Farmington Ready Mix, which donated concrete for the scoreboard’s foundation. Engineer Jim Platosh created blueprints for the structure to ensure that it could withstand winds up to 90 miles per hour. Scott Borg of Yomo Consulting also attended and received special thanks from Fisher for his company’s assistance at the very beginning of the project.

Plans to replace the old scoreboard began about a year ago. The booster club initially considered commandeering an older board from the adjacent baseball field for their own use, but they soon found that the cost of moving the board would have been exorbitant.

“Scott Zenke pointed out that we could get a new board for about the same price,” said Fisher. “Then we got a very generous donation from Yomo Consulting that really got the ball rolling.”

Zenke said that construction took place over just a few weeks in March and April. The project was completed under a tight deadline so players could begin using it before the end of the season. Though the Farmington High School season ends in late May, the Farmington Men’s Softball League will continue using the facilities until early July.

Farmington defeated Avon 15-8, bringing their season record to seven wins and 11 losses. For many spectators, the addition of the new scoreboard represented another victory for the town and the future of its softball program.

“It just shows how fortunate we are to have such hardworking volunteers,” said FHS athletic director Jack Phelan. “It’s beautiful.”