60-and-over Aces slip by Old Pueblo Club, 12-11

Southwest Old Timers League

60-and-over Aces

The 60-and-over Aces slipped by the Old Pueblo Club 12-11 today at Santa Rita Park in a Southwest Old Timers League Baseball game. The Aces banged out 19 hits as all 10 players on the roster played and hit safely.

Thunder Tim Tolson (above photo) led the way with a single, a double and a triple and walked once in four trips to the plate, while Pigpen Price chipped in three hits and reached base the fourth time when a hard hit ground ball bounced off the arm of Old Pueblo's shortstop Chris Carino.

Old Pueblo, with four players on the starting roster today from the 2012 60-and-over MSBL World Series championship team, finished with 17 hits on the day and had a chance to tie the game in the bottom of the seventh inning. With a runner on base, the Aces relief pitcher, Chico Bigham, coaxed the final three Old Pueblo batters into grounding out to end the game.

The Aces starting pitcher, lefty Ron Petersen, pitched into the fifth inning before giving way to Bigham. Petersen picked up the win and Bigham the save.

The win evened the Aces record in the Southwest Old Timers League to 3-3. The Aces will take on the other member of the league, the Arizona Rattlers, on the 10th of June.

The Aces manager Jerry Hamelin was a happy camper and gave his team a big pat on the back after today's game. "We hit the ball well today," Hamelin said. "We also played well defensively. We made the plays when we needed to."

The Aces big inning came in the top of the third when they scored five runs and collected eight straight hits off Old Pueblo's starting pitcher Mike Morales. Morales gave up all 12 runs and gave way to relief pitcher Joe Jimenez in the fifth inning. Jimenez played second base and Morales was the catcher and manager of the Tucson-based team which won the MSBL World Series in 2012 in Phoenix.

As for Hamelin, he loved the outcome of today's game. "I hope we hit like that in our next game against the Rattlers."

Aces Note: The hard-hitting Amazin' Aces: C- Mike Steele, 1B- Tim Tolson, 2B- Pete Peters, 3B- Pigpen Price, SS- Lloyd Barzell, LF/RP - Chico Bigham, LC- Dennis Crowley, RC- Bob Daliege, RF- Billy Heiny, P- Ron Petersen and manager Jerry Hamelin.