Soil additive helps keep field dry Turface used at Mansfield Stadium

Turface, a clay-based soil conditioner and modifier, is one of Ron St. Pierre’s favorite products.

It’s also how the Senior League World Series managed to avoid losing an entire day’s worth of play Tuesday.

Although the first and last games of the day were rained out Tuesday, they were able to get in the two middle games despite significant stretches of rain, some of which was heavy at times.

Bryan, Texas beat Willemstad, Curacao 3-0 and Boynton Beach, Fla. beat Makati City, Philippines 6-2 in a game that was called after 51/2 innings due to rain.

“We learned [about Turface] from the Major Leagues five years ago,” said St. Pierre, the field supervisor at Mansfield Stadium. “Instead of going out there and scarifying the field and trying to keep it soft by semi-roto-tilling the surface, what they surmised is if you put a lot of Turface on it and let it absorb the water and mix in with the top layer of soil, then it can take a lot more rain without becoming slimy.

“The minute it stops raining, you can go out there and walk on it and you won’t have mud,” added St. Pierre.

He and his crew began adding Turface to the dirt four years ago.

It costs $660 a ton but he said it is worth every penny of it.

“We’ve put five tons on it this spring and summer including two and a half tons for this tournament [alone],” said St. Pierre. “You don’t have to wait four or five hours for the sun to come out and dry it.

“I tell people if you have standing water, we can play in an hour and a half after the rain stops. If there isn’t any standing water, you can play in 45 minutes,” St. Pierre said.

Umpire Sandy Hoffman said it doesn’t surprise him that St. Pierre and his grounds crew were able to get the field ready for two games.

“They take great care of the field. It’s a wonderful facility. Turface is wonderful stuff. It works,” said Hoffman, a native of Southington, Conn.