By Morgan E. Maier

The City of Newburgh-Orange County Fast Pitch Hall of Fame welcomed 10 new inductees this summer, marking the first class since the organization expanded its scope to recognize players and contributors from across Orange County.

The 35th Hall of Fame class includes Newburgh Armory founder Bill Kaplan, Dan Clarino, Sam Cerone, Ricky Rivera and Bob McKnight, along with Ron Lewis, Terry Lewis, Nick Raimondo and Dave Scott. The inductees were honored for decades of excellence on the field and for helping preserve the area’s rich fast-pitch softball tradition.

For Ron Lewis, the induction recognized a career highlighted by one of Orange County’s most memorable pitching performances — a perfect game at age 59 on the Berea Field diamond that now bears his name.

Lewis began playing shortly after high school in Montgomery before competing in the Maybrook and Goshen leagues. His first taste of Newburgh’s highly competitive fast-pitch scene was a humbling experience.

“We were late teens, early twenties when we started, and it was an experience,” Lewis said. “It woke us up. And we might not have won any games that first year, but we learned from it.”

Nicknamed “Magic” for his ability to make the softball move unpredictably, Lewis later founded a co-ed slow-pitch league in Montgomery. That league eventually captured a state championship and earned a trip to a national tournament. Today, the center-field fence at Berea Field bears his name and his No. 13.

“When they dedicated that field to me that day, it was a great honor,” Lewis said.

Lewis said the game provided an escape from long workdays, with many players heading straight from their jobs to evening games before returning for weekend doubleheaders.

His younger brother, Terry Lewis, joined him in this year’s Hall of Fame class.

Terry Lewis fondly remembers playing alongside Ron and brother Mickey on a Goshen team managed by their father. He later starred in the Tri-County League, earning Pitcher of the Year honors in 1995 after leading his Class B team to a victory over a top-ranked Class A opponent.

“I was listed as a Class B pitcher, but we still played a lot of guys from the City League in Middletown,” Terry Lewis said. “We ended up beating that team, and that felt really good.”

He recorded the final out from a muddy pitching circle and was named the tournament’s most valuable player.
The Lewis family’s connection to the game continues today. Ron’s oldest son caught his father’s perfect game, while Terry still competes against his nephews in area slow-pitch leagues.

The Hall of Fame also welcomed one of its youngest inductees in Nick Raimondo, whose career bridged generations of Orange County softball.

Raimondo grew up watching players such as Ron and Terry Lewis and Dave Scott compete alongside his uncle before joining them himself as a teenager.

“I started when I was 10 years old watching these guys and about 16 when I started playing,” Raimondo said. “It’s just a marvelous game.”

Although many local fast-pitch leagues disappeared before Raimondo reached his prime, he continued his career in Middletown, facing elite competition from across the United States as well as teams from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and Canada.

“You could get right into a fast-pitch league right away,” Raimondo said. “Back when I started, it seemed like each town had a team. Montgomery, Walden had their teams. ... You grew up with those kids.”
At 90 years old, fellow inductee Dave Scott remains remembered for one of the area’s most deceptive knuckleballs.

Scott recalled watching hitters spin completely around trying to connect with the unpredictable pitch.
“One time I had a guy in Goshen, and he swung all the way around, then the ball finally hit him here,” Scott said, pointing to his chest.

Scott’s pitching career began in Montgomery and continued through Bloomingburg and Watkins Glen as local leagues evolved, leaving behind stories that remain part of Orange County softball lore.

With the Hall of Fame located near Delano-Hitch Stadium, this year’s class reflects the organization’s broader mission of preserving the history of fast-pitch softball throughout Orange County, honoring players whose accomplishments continue to connect generations through the game.