TOTS' trio fine tunes pitching arms for MSBL World Series

TOTS Senior Baseball Network (TSBN)

60-and-over baseball

Three pitchers for the Tucson Old Timers (TOTS), who will pitch in the 70-and-over division at the MSBL World Series in Phoenix on Oct 14-20, fine tuned their pitching arms this morning as all three allowed a total of just three runs on 10 hits in a six-inning 60-and-over baseball game at Udall Park.

Team Blue won the game 2-1 as 76-year-old right hander Ed Rife pitched the first three innings and got the win, while 75-year-old Chico Bigham came on in relief and hurled three shutout innings. Sixty-eight year old Ron Petersen pitched all six innings for Team White, allowing two runs on just four hits.

Rife allowed just four hits and Bigham allowed two hits in arguably the best defensive game of the summer. Both teams turned in fine plays, highlighted by a running catch by Team Blue center fielder Dave Rhoades, 69, and by Team Blue second baseman Mike Taylor, 61, who made an over-the-shoulder grab to snuff a Team White rally.

Team Blue scored all their runs in the top of the first inning on a two-run single by 66-year-old Ron Carlson, while Team White scored a single run in the bottom of the second inning as 67-year-old Ed Seelbinder doubled, Carl Brutovsky,77, bunted Seelbinder to third and 88-year-old Floyd Lance knocked in the run on a groundout to second.

The TOTS will be back at it on Friday morning. Game time 9 AM.

Photos: (top) Ed Rife, (middle) Chico Bigham, (bottom) Ron Petersen.