Aces fall to Old Pueblo, 5-3

60-and-over-baseball

The Aces' Doc Thompson, a 69-year-old hard-throwing right hander, locked horns with another right hander today at Tucson Udall Park. Sixty-four-year-old Ernie Hernandez, pitching for the visiting Old Pueblo Club, threw 6 2/3 innings, struck out one and walked two batters en route to a 5-3 win over Thompson and the Aces.

Sometimes, baseball can be just plain cruel. Thompson pitched a complete game, all seven innings, did not walk a batter, struck out one, and allowed no earned runs, but unfortunately, the Aces committed three errors in the third inning, allowing Old Pueblo to plate all five of their runs.

Shortstop Vic Acuna led the Old Pueblo Club with three hits, scored a run and knocked in a run and then came on with two outs in the bottom of the seventh in relief of Hernandez to snuff out an Aces' rally.

Shortstop Dennis Crowley went 3 for 4, scored two runs and picked up an RBI to lead the Aces' hitting attack. Jerry Hamelin and Pete Peters also had two hits for the Aces, who banged out 12 hits, one more than the Old Pueblo Club.

Hernandez ran into trouble in the bottom of the seventh inning. He walked 82-year-old Billy Heiny and gave up a single to Hamelin and an RBI-single to Crowley before giving way to Acuna.

Acuna then battled 61-year-old Lloyd Barzell. Barzell, who had knocked in the Aces' first run with a double back in the first inning, couldn't get the key hit this time as Acuna struck out the Aces' third baseman to end the game. The Aces are back in action in two weeks when they travel across town to take on the Arizona Rattlers on Tuesday, July 31.