Crafty hurler and hard-hitting outfielder lead TOTS Blue to 8-2 win

TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)

60-and-over baseball

The call him an "off-speed pitcher." They call him "crafty." Some simply refer to his offerings as "slower than molasses," but whatever you say about 83-year-old TOTS' pitcher Billy Heiny, he gets the job done.

Today at Udall Park, Heiny allowed eight hits, but gave up just two runs as Team Blue beat Team White, 8-2. Heiny, as usual, relied on his defense and key hits by his teammates to record the victory, his third win in the month of March.

"I was able to get the ball where I wanted to today," Heiny said. "And I got a lot of support from my teammates."

Right fielder Bob Daliege supplied most of the punch at the plate for Heiny today. Daliege doubled in two runs in the third and cleared the bases in the sixth inning with another double. His two hits accounted for five of the runs, while Jesse Ochoa drove in two runs with two singles and Jerry Hamelin knocked in a run on a fielder's choice play.

Bob Royer, who at times is as crafty on the mound as Heiny, threw well for the first three innings, but Daliege's gapper to right-center field quickly turned a 1-0 game into a 2-1 lead for Team Blue.

It was another pleasant day at Udall Park with nothing but blue sky and a temperature hovering around 75 degrees. The TOTS go at again on Friday, the third of three games this week.