Team Blue edges Team White, 10-9

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Reed Palmer, 60, is known for his towering home runs at Udall Park. At 6-feet-6 inches, Palmer has knocked in many a game-winner in his first full year as a member of the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers.

Today at Udall, it was a pinpoint throw by Palmer from shallow centerfield to home plate which made the difference and preserved a 10-9 victory for Team Blue.

Team Blue took the field in the bottom of the seventh inning with a 10-5 lead, but Team White scored four runs to pull within one run and hard-hitting Bob Daliege stepped to the plate with two outs and the tying run on second base.

Daliege drilled a shot up the middle and the base runner at second, Danny Lundwall, headed for third and got the green light to continue to the plate. Newcomer Ray Garcia threw to Palmer, who was positioned just inside the outfield grass. Palmer caught the ball from Garcia and unleashed a rope -- a one hopper to his catcher, Chuck Sabalos, who caught the ball just a split second before Lundwall crossed the alternate plate for the final out of the game.

In 60-and-over baseball, there's two plates -- one, the normal home plate, and an alternate plate for the runners. If the throw to the catcher at the traditional home plate beats the runner at the alternate plate, the runner is out. It's a safety issue for the old-timers and over the years, there's been some dandy plays made, many of them deciding the outcome of the game.

Today was a perfect example. A walk-off win for Team Blue, thanks to the "golden arm" of Palmer.

Ron Carlson went 2 for 3 and drove in three runs for Team White today, while Brian Reilly went 3 for 4 for Team Blue. Jesse Ochoa, Pigpen Price and Sabalos collected two hits apiece for Team Blue.

The TOTS will be back in action on Monday at Udall. Game time: 10 a.m.