Wildcats reach century mark with easy win over Cougars

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


An easy win in Pullman.

Deandre Ayton, Allonzo Trier and Rawle Alkins were a combined 25 of 29 from the field -- including a combined 8 from 8 from beyond the arc at Friel Court tonight and rolled over the Washington State Cougars, 100-72.

Ayton finished with 11 rebounds and 25 points, while Trier netted 24 points and Alkins added 16. Dusan Ristic chipped in 12 points and just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.

The Wildcats shoot 61 percent from the field (39 of 64). Arizona hits 10 of 17 3-pointers as Trier and Alkins were a perfect 8 for 8 from long range.

Arizona, ranked No. 9 this week in the AP Poll, improves to 19-4 and remains in first place in the Pac-12 Conference with a 9-1 record.

Palmer hits 2nd homer in 2018

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Reed Palmer hit his second home run of the season and knocked in six runs, Doc Thompson went 2 for 4 and drove in four runs, while Ron Petersen went 4 for 5 to lead Team Blue to a 20-11 win over Team White at Udall Park today in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Palmer picked up the pitching victory, while John Mathews took the loss.

There were a lot of hits in this one -- even for the losing team. Arnie White went 4 for 5 for Team White, while teammates Tim Tolson and Mathews combined for six hits.

The TOTS will return to action on Friday at Udall with its first game in February. The temperature is expected to reach a warm 81 degrees on Friday.

Go, TOTS!

Arizona reaches No. 9 in AP Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats (18-4) comes in at No. 9 this week in the AP College Basketball Poll.

Way to go, Wildcats!

The top-10:

Villanova
Virginia
Purdue
Duke
Michigan State
Xavier
Kansas
Cincinnati
Arizona
Texas Tech

Fired-up Ristic leads Wildcats to 18th win

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


On a day when Duke and North Carolina lost on their home courts, the Arizona Wildcats survive with a heart throbbing 74-73 win over Utah at McKale Center.

Behind a career-high 23-points from Dusan Ristic -- including 3 of 3 from beyond the arc -- Arizona wins the game with star guard Allonzo Trier sitting on the bench in the final seconds with five fouls.

Trier finished with 16 points, Parker Jackson-Cartwright added 12 and Deandre Ayton scored 15 points to go along with eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

But tonight belonged to Ristic, who went over 1,000 points in his career at Arizona -- none more important then the final seven points of the game tonight. Ristic hit a jumper with 2:29 left in the game, a 3-pointer at the 1:41 mark and two free throws with 1:01 remaining.

Arizona improves to 18-4 overall and 8-1 in the Pac-12 race.

By the way, Duke lost to Virginia and North Carolina fell to North Carolina State.  

A 4-day trip to the unknown

Pigpen's post-op update

I've been gone for four days and I'm not sure where I went.

The best shoulder and hand doctor in Tucson, and probably in the Southwest, pounded away at a bone in my left arm on Tuesday, removed some crud from my left thumb and then moved a tendon, or parts there of, to the empty space at my thumb joint.

I'm not a doctor, but I think that is what happened.

There was a curtain between the rest of my body and my arm...my glove hand, if you will, and I thought I heard the doctor say, "this is a stubborn sucker."

I assume he was talking about the tendon, or the bone, and not about me. Who knows? I have been pretty much mush since I left the operating table with what was left of a block in the now injured arm and enough oxycodone to create some new friends for the next three days.

Yes, I had some...I mean a lot, of side effects. I tried to do things like turn the spare bedroom into a replica of the living room. I did not succeed, but I tried. I saw my arm floating around the room more than once.

What I thought would be a six-week recovery, may keep me off the baseball field for nine months. Plenty of time to have a baby. Well, I might be stretching it a bit, but the after effects of all the above felt like something similar. It was definitely a trip to the unknown.

Photo: That's me...currently a one-armed bandit.

Note: Update 1/31/18 -- Had the stitches (12 to 14, I think) removed today and now I have a thumb brace on. Report back to the surgeon on March 14. Operation a success so far. I thought originally the doctor needed to break a tendon to get the job done, but he needed to break a bone to get to the tendon and then move the tendon to the thumb joint. There's a screw (the fall-off kind) inserted somewhere. Anyway, glad that part is over. Depending on what the doctor says on March 14, there's a chance I might get back to playing ball by the summer.

Wildcats get payback over the Buffs

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Another tough game at McKale tonight with the Buffs.

But Arizona gets its payback with 80-71 win. Allonzo Trier scores 23, Deandre Ayton adds 20, Dusan Ristic fires up 15 and led the team in rebounds with eight, while Dylan Smith hits 3 of 6 from beyond the arc and finishes with 13.

Arizona, ranked #11, improves to 17-4 and 7-1 in the Pac-12.

Arizona reaches No.11 in latest AP Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The Arizona Wildcats (16-4) are ranked No. 11 this week in the AP College Basketball Poll.

Villanova (18-1) stays at No. 1 followed by Virginia, Purdue, Duke, Kansas, Michigan State, West Virginia, Xavier, Cincinnati and North Carolina.

Looks like a list of the usual suspects. The only other Pac-12 team listed in the top 25 is Arizona State (15-4) at No. 21.

Congrats to former Arizona QB Nick Foles for reaching the Super Bowl

Nick Foles was the quarterback for the Arizona Wildcats from 2009-2011.

He left Tucson to become a NFL quarterback seven years ago. Tonight, Foles led Philadelphia to a NFC title with a 38-7 win over Minnesota, sending the Eagles to the Super Bowl and a matchup with the AFC champion, the New England Patriots, winners today over Jacksonville, 24-20.

Foles threw for 352 yards and three touchdowns tonight in Philadelphia in front of a full house of cheering Philly fans.

Congrats, Nick. I'm pulling for you.

Note: Foles will become the first University of Arizona player to start at quarterback in a Super Bowl.

TOTS' team turns to basketball, garners 2nd place at Senior Olympics

The Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

3 on 3 Basketball team

The Tucson Old Timers (TOTS) can play basketball, too.

The TOTS 3 on 3 squad finished second today at the Tucson Senior Olympics.

Playing at the Old Pueblo Club in south Tucson, the TOTS' team of Reed Palmer, Tim Boyd, Lloyd Barzell, Mike Steele, Roger Beebe and Ray Garcia combined their efforts to finish runner up at the yearly tournament.

Way to go, TOTS!

Looks like we had some height this year with Palmer (6'6"), Tim Boyd (6'2") and Ray Garcia, a six-footer, or close to it, to go along with three peppery guards -- Barzell, Steele and Beebe.

Once again, great job guys!

Photo: (from left to right) Reed Palmer, Tim Boyd, Roger Beebe, Mike Steele, Lloyd Barzell and Ray Garcia.

Wildcats in first place in Pac-12...all alone!

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


The 14th-ranked Arizona Wildcats are all alone in first place in the Pac-12 Conference.

It wasn't easy. Of course, it's never easy when you are away from home and playing a hot Stanford Cardinal team.

Despite blowing a 12-point lead in the first half, Arizona battled in the second half and sent Allonzo Trier to the foul line just enough in the final minutes as the Wildcats escaped Palo Alto with a 73-71 win.

Arizona, down 57-46 midway through the second half, responded with a 11-0 run. It was nip and tuck  as the final minutes ticked away, but Trier hit 5 of 6 free throws down the stretch and finished with 21 points to lead all scorers.

Deandre Ayton, in foul trouble for most of the game, finished with nine points, eight rebounds and six blocks. Dusan Ristic finished with 18 points and nine rebounds, while Rawle Alkins also finished in double figures with 13 points and five assists.

Arizona improves to 16-4, but more importantly sit atop the Pac-12 with a 6-1 record.

Way to go, Wildcats!
.

6-run 7th inning lifts Team Blue to 10-6 win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Better late than never.

Team Blue scored six runs in the top of the 7th inning for a come-from-behind 10-6 win over Team White today at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game. Lefty Ron Petersen pitched the first four innings for Team Blue -- allowing only one run, while George Staas came on in relief and hurled the final three innings.

Bob Daliege pitched a complete game for Team White, but was saddled with the loss.

Ray Garcia (see info below) and Jesse Ochoa each went 2 for 3 for the winning team, while John Mathews went 2 for 4 with two doubles and three runs-batted-in. Roger Beebe was the hitting star for Team White with three hits in three trips to the plate.

The TOTS return to action on Monday at Udall. Game time: 10 a.m.

Photo above: Team White's Roger Beebe led all TOTS' hitters today at Udall with a perfect 3 for 3 day. Ray Garcia, mentioned above, is the newest member of the TOTS. He recently became the club's 255th player to play for the organization, which celebrates its 50th year this season.

Ayton's 13th double-double lifts Arizona to win over Cal

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Deandre Ayton set a freshman record with his 13th double-double and Dylan Smith, subbing for the injured Rawle Alkins, hit 5 of 5 from the field -- including four 3-pointers as Arizona beat California 79-58 at Berkeley tonight.

Ayton finished the night with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Smith scored 14 points as all five Arizona starters scored in double figures. Allonzo Trier contributed 15 points, Parker Jackson Cartwright netted 14 and Dusan Ristic added 10.

Despite 21 turnovers, Arizona had an easy time of it with the Golden Bears. The Wildcats led 36-26 at the half and built on their lead in the second half, finishing the night with a 62 percent shooting percentage (31of 50) -- including 11 of 19 from beyond the arc.

Arizona, ranked 14th this week in the AP Poll, improves to 15-4 and 5-1 in the Pac-12 Conference.

Team White rebounds from 4-0 deficit to win TOTS' game, 8-6

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

It was a come-from-behind, hard-fought win for Team White today at Udall Park.

Down 4-0 in the first inning, Team White chipped away at the deficit, regained the lead at 5-4 in the fifth inning and went on to beat Team Blue 8-6 in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

Team Blue's Tim Boyd went 3 for 3 with a double, while teammates Tim Tolson and Ron Petersen added two hits apiece, but Team White countered with a hard-hitting trio of their own as Joe Opocensky collected three hits in three trips to the plate, while teammates Bill Mishler and Dave Byars combined for three key hits and knocked in six of the eight runs scored.

Reed Palmer went the distance for Team White and picked up the pitching victory, while lefty John Mathews was saddled with the hard-luck loss.

The TOTS close out the week with a 10 a.m. game on Friday at Udall.

What a crazy ride to the NFL title games

NFL Playoffs

After all is said and done.

After all the passes have been thrown, all the runs have been recorded and all the scores have been posted, we finally have our final four NFL Super Bowl contenders: the New England Patriots, the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Minnesota Vikings.

And what a crazy ride it has been. From 32 teams, to eight... and now four teams are left to fight it out for a chance at a Super Bowl ring. The playoffs: Philadelphia 15-10 over Atlanta; New England 35-14 over Tennessee; Jacksonville 45-42 over Pittsburgh and finally, in a game for the ages, Minnesota 29-24 over New Orleans -- the Vikings' game winner coming on a 61-yard TD pass with no time left on the clock.

The home teams prevail in the playoffs -- except in Pittsburgh where the Jaguars held off the Steelers and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger, who completed 37 of 58 passes for 468 yards and a franchise-record five touchdowns.

Next up: Jaguars at New England and the Vikings at Philadelphia.

Tom Brady against Blake Bortles. Case Keenum against Nick Foles.

Go, figure!

Late 8-point run lifts Arizona to 90-83 win over Oregon

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


College basketball is a game of runs.

Fortunately, the Arizona Wildcats had the last run with eight straight points down the stretch and went on to a 90-83 win over Oregon today at the McKale Center.

Both team battled to the end, but the late run by Arizona and the fact the Wildcats hit 31 of 34 free throws was enough to dismantle the hard-charging Ducks. Allonzo Trier, who went 11 for 11 from the free throw line, finished with 25 points, while Deandre Ayton scored 24 points -- including 10 of 11 from the charity stripe, while hauling in a team-high seven rebounds.

Rawle Alkins finished with 13 points, while Parker Jackson-Cartwright and Dusan Ristic netted 10 points apiece as all the Arizona starters finished in double figures. Keanu Pinder was the bright spot off the bench for the Wildcats with six points -- including 4 of 5 key free throws, a steal and two blocks in 18 minutes.

The Wildcats connect on 25 of 46 from the field for a 54.3 shooting percentage and hit 40 percent (6 of 15) from beyond the arc. Arizona out rebounded the Ducks, 27-23.

Arizona improves to 4-1 in the Pac-12 and 14-4 overall.

The Wildcats take care of business at home with wins over Oregon State and Oregon.

And now it's back on the road with games at California on Wednesday and Stanford on Saturday.

Team White edges Team Blue, 8-7

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Back-to-back doubles by John Mathews and Bob Daliege led Team White to a 8-7 walk-off win in the bottom of the seventh inning this morning at Udall Park in a 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers game.

With one out, Mathews hit a Texas Leaguer to right field and scampered into second base with a stand-up double. Daliege followed with a blast to right to score Mathews with the game winner.

Daliege, a right-hander, pitched a complete game for Team White and picked up the win, while Team Blue's Pete Maldonado was saddled with the loss. The play of the day: A diving catch by Team Blue's  centerfielder Don Jorgensen, who raced to his left in the fifth inning and hauled in a sinking line drive  for the third out. The bases were loaded at the time and Jorgensen's snag kept the game close.

Team Blue took a 7-6 lead in the top of the sixth, but Team White tied the game in the bottom of the inning. Team Blue couldn't get a run across in the top of the seventh and the Team Blue players headed for the field knowing full well that the best they could hope for was a kiss-your-sister game.

Mathews and Daliege made sure that didn't happen.

Ray Garcia, 65, from New York, NY., received his TOTS' hat today and became the club's newest member.

The TOTS will take the weekend off and return to action on Monday at Udall. Game time: 10 a.m.  

Finally, Miller has his defense!

Arizona Wildcats Basketball


Allonzo Trier led Arizona with 21 points and Deandre Ayton collected his 12th double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds and the Wildcats slip by the Oregon State Beavers 62-53 tonight at the McKale Center.

Ayton, who played only 11 minutes in the first half, tied an Arizona freshman record with his double-double tonight. Rawle Alkins finished in double figures with 11 points.

Arizona held Oregon State to 39.3 percent from the field and the Wildcats came up with five steals in the second half. Down 22-21 at the half, Arizona responds in the second half and out scores the Beavers, 41-31.

Finally, a 40-minute effort on defense by the 17th-ranked Wildcats as they improve to 13-4 overall and 3-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. That should make Arizona coach Sean Miller a happy man.

The unfriendly rim

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

Bookemdanosports:

A summary of today's Colorado-Arizona game from a diehard Wildcat fan

Somehow the 14th-ranked Arizona Wildcats kept from being swept on their first Pac-12 Conference road trip of the year.

Arizona withstood a 50-point second-half shooting performance from Utah and picked up a 94-82 win on Thursday night in Salt Lake, but today in Boulder a 45-point first-half shooting effort from Colorado was just too much to overcome as the Wildcats fall to the Buffs, 80-77.

Still, the Wildcats, after shooting  a miserable 30 percent from the field in the first half, battled back and outscored the Buffs 48-35 in the final grueling 20 minutes.

The unfriendly rims for visitors at the Coors Events Center seems to be the norm -- especially during the last forty-eight hours as the 4th-ranked Arizona State Sun Devils lose to the Buffs in overtime on Thursday and the Wildcats suffer a three-point loss today.

It's amazing how the ball bounces on the road in Pac-12 play and it's a sure bet the home team will usually get the shots to go and the visitors will go through the pain of missed shots.

Today's game was a perfect example of such a phenomenon. Arizona shot 38 percent from the field (28 of 73) and made only 7 of 25 3-pointers. As for the home team, they shoot 54.7 percent from the field (29 of 53), while canning seven 3-pointers in just 16 attempts -- a 43.9 percentage.

In the end, Deandre Ayton did his best to bring the Wildcats back from a disastrous first half and the 7-1 freshman center ended up with 26 points. Rawle Alkins contributed 16 points and Dusan Ristic ended up with a double-double with a quiet 13 points and 11 rebounds.

Arizona coach Sean Miller said the Wildcats "lacked the effort" in the first half. As a diehard Wildcat fan who sits on the edge of my seat during every Arizona basketball game, I disagree. The "unfriendly rims" were a big part of it. Maybe you can put some of the blame on Ristic, who shot 16 times and made just six shots. Maybe the ball should have been in the hands of Ayton down the stretch. It's also asking too much for Allonzo Trier (only nine shot attempts today and no free throws) to consistently drop in 3-pointers down the stretch, or get to the line 13 or 14 times every game.

As far as I'm concerned, the effort was there and my Wildcats have plenty of fight in them.

Arizona falls to 12-4 and 2-1 in the Pac-12 Conference. It's not the end of the world and come March the Arizona Wildcats will be on the court in search of the Final Four. Colorado will not.

As an Arizona fan, I can't wait for Colorado to come to McKale Center in just a few weeks. They can't bring their own rims.  

Bobby D picks up another win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

They call him Bobby D and he's been called other names from time to time by his teammates.

His real name is Bob Daliege and he has become one of the more consistent winners when he toes the rubber for the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers.

Daliege, who turns 70 in May, is in his ninth season with the TOTS. The last couple of years, Daliege has improved his pitching skills. All TOTS' pitchers start out as "throwers" and gradually, after some experience, advance up a notch and are affectionately referred to as "pitchers" by the members of the club.

Today was another perfect example of how far Daliege has come as a pitcher. Daliege, who won 18 games in 2017 and 15 in 2016,  picked up his first win of 2018 at Udall Park as he led Team White to a 14-7 win over Team Blue.

Daliege has figured out how to win games. He works the corners and does his best to keep from throwing the ball right down the middle -- especially to the "big hitters" on the club like Reed Palmer,  a hard-hitting 61-year-old who led the TOTS in homers in 2017 with 21.

In today's game, Daliege helped his own cause with three hits in three trips to the plate, but it was his ability to pitch around Palmer for seven innings which helped seal the win for Team White. "Reed hits the ball hard. Today I got lucky," Daliege said. "I kept him in the ball park."

The only big blow off of Daliege today was a first inning RBI-triple from John Misiaszek, which gave Team Blue an early 1-0 lead. After that, Daliege settled down and most of the runs scored by Team Blue the rest of the way were unearned. Errors are part of the game with the TOTS and if you want to pitch for the club, well there's one thing you have to get used to: errors -- after all the guys who take the field Monday, Wednesday and Friday at Udall range in age from 60 to 90.

It certainly looks like Daliege has it all figured out. He knows you can't win 'em all, but he loves playing with the TOTS. "It's so much fun and it's the best deal in town."

Way to go, Bobby!

He'll be back on the mound soon. You can count on it.

Photo: Daliege

Arizona's Ayton, PJC, Alkins combine for 65 points in win at Utah

Ariona Wildcats Basketball


On a night when 4th-ranked Arizona State loses in Boulder to Colorado 90-81 in overtime, the 14th-ranked Arizona Wildcats withstood a 50-point second half from Utah and picked up a Pac-12 win in Salt Lake City 94-82 over the Utes.

Arizona led at the half 46-32, thanks to point guard Parker Jackson-Cartwright, who led the Wildcats with 13 points. In the second half, Utah came alive and started hitting 3-pointers and tied the game at 77-77 with 3:45 remaining on the clock, but Arizona scored the next 11 points to ice the game and go up 88-77 before Utah's Tyler Rawson canned a 3-pointer with 1:21 remaining.

Once again Deandre Ayton picked up a double-double with 24 points and 14 rebounds for the Wildcats, while Rawle Alkins finished with 22 points and PJC ended up with 19 points.That, of course, adds up to 65 points for the trio. Dusan Ristic added 11 points to go along with nine rebounds and Allonzo Trier dished out five assists and scored seven points.

Arizona shot 50 percent from the field (30 of 60) and grabbed 46 rebounds, while Utah ended up with 44.1 percent from the field (26 of 59) and hauled down 23 rebounds.

The Wildcats win their ninth straight game and improve to 12-3 and 2-0 in the Pac-12 Conference. As for Arizona State, they lost a tough one in Boulder and fall to 12-2 and 0-2 in the conference.

Way to go, Wildcats!

Tolson, Palmer shatter hitting records in 2017

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Thunder Tim Tolson and the power-hitting Reed Palmer rewrote the record books in 2017.

Both of them have a lot in common. They both swing from the left side, they both hit for power and they both can change a game with one swing. In 2017, the duo simply shattered almost all the Tucson Old Timers' hitting records.

For instance, Palmer set a new club record in home runs with 21, while Tolson finished second with five. Palmer played in 101 games, went 178 in 291 at bats for a .612 batting average. He was third on the club in runs scored with 134, second in doubles with 57, and led the club in walks -- most of them intentional -- with 57.

Now let's take a look at Tolson, who arguably had his best year ever as a TOT.

Tolson was second in games played with 125, just one short of Joe Aparicio, who led the club with 126. In his 125 games, Tolson broke the all-time hits record for one season with 259, was second in runs scored with 144, first in doubles with 85 and he also broke the all-time record for RBI with 212. Palmer, despite his 21 homers, was a distance second in RBI with 171.

Other notably performances in 2017, included John Mathews (82 games, 164 hits in 261 at bats, 50 doubles, six triples, 110 RBI and a .628 batting average) and Lloyd Barzell (108 games, 184 hits in 360 at bats for a .511 average and 152 runs scored, the most by a TOT in 2017).

Forty-nine players saw action with the TOTS in 2017. Floyd Lance, 92, in his final season as an active TOT, played in 23 games and batted .203 (12 for 59) and Jerry Smarik, 85, in his final season, played in 29 games and collected four hits. Hats off to Sir Floyd Lance and to Mr. Jerry Smarik on wonderful careers with the TOTS.

Ten Players on the TOTS reached at least 100 hits during 2017: The 100-hit club: Tolson (259), Barzell (184), Palmer (178), Mathews (164), Pete Peters (143), Bob Daliege (139), David Byars (138), Danny Price (123), Jesse Ochoa (119) and Dennis Crowley (108).

Next up: 2018! The 50th season for the Tucson Old Timers (1968-2018).

Photos: (top) Tim Tolson, (bottom) Reed Palmer (and he pitches, too!)

Hard-hitting Mathews top gun in December for TOTS

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

John Mathews lit up the scoreboard -- well, the score book anyway, during the month of December for  the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers (TOTS).

Mathews led all TOTS' hitters with 24 hits in nine games for the month. The hard-hitting right hander, who bats right handed but throws left, batted 34 times, scored 14 runs, hit six doubles and led the club with 13 RBI and finished the month with a hefty .706 batting average.

John Misiaszek sported a slightly higher average for the month. Misiaszek played in just seven games, but went 17 for 24 and a .708 batting average. But the nod, as always, goes to the player with the most at bats and games played.

Tim Tolson was third overall with a .629 batting average. Thunder Tim played in all 11 games for the month and went 22 of 35 with eight doubles, one home run and 12 RBI.

Photo: John Mathews

1st TOTS' game of 2018 a dandy

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

The Tucson Old Timers took a rare day off on New Year's Day, but quickly returned to action at Udall Park this morning for the club's first game of 2018.

And it was a dandy.

Down 6-4 In the bottom of the sixth inning, Team White regained the lead, thanks in part to a three-run opposite field triple from Lloyd Barzell. Barzell's hit hugged the first base line and went all the way to the right field fence, allowing Barzell to reach third with just one out. Team White ended up with five runs in the inning and held a 9-6 lead as the game headed into the top of the seventh inning and the final at bat for Team Blue.

Not to be outdone, Team Blue quickly scored four runs to regain the lead at 10-9. The highlight of the inning was a three-run shot over the right field fence by Reed Palmer -- his first home run of 2018. Palmer hit 21 round trippers in 2017, a new club record. An RBI-single by David Byars supplied the 10th and go-ahead run for Team Blue -- a blast down the third base line off of Barzell.

Team White still had a shot at winning the game in the bottom of the seventh, but two line drive outs to second base -- one by hard-hitting lefty Tim Tolson and the other from another hard-hitting lefty, Joe Opocensky, gave Team Blue a quick two outs. Team White's Phil Gordon grounded back to pitcher Pete Maldonado to end the hard-fought game.

Maldonado picked up the win and Barzell was saddled with the loss.

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

Arizona moves up to 14th in AP College Basketball Poll

Arizona Wildcats Basketball

The win at home over then third-ranked Arizona State last Saturday helped Arizona climb to No. 14 in the latest AP College Basketball Poll. The new poll came out today and has Michigan State (14-1) as the new No. 1, while the Sun Devils (12-1) fell just one spot to No. 4.

Duke (13-1) comes in at No. 2 this week and Villanova (13-1) slips to No. 3.

It looks like Arizona (11-3) will need to win a couple games on the road to climb back into the top-10.

Go, Wildcats!