Team effort leads to walk-off win for 73-and-over Red Sox

Men's Senior Baseball League World Series

73-and-over division

San Antonio Red Sox


A team effort led to a walk-off win at the MSBL World Series for the 73-and-over San Antonio Red Sox today in Surprise, Arizona.

The Red Sox, down 10-7 with two outs in the bottom of the eighth inning to the always tough San Diego Padres, put together a furious comeback when Pigpen Price (from the Tucson Old Timers) reached on a single to left and scored to make it 10-8. The Red Sox followed with another hit, a walk and a hit-batsman to load the bases and that brought up Wayne Westphal from Hunt, Texas, who already had three hits in the game.

Time had expired midway through the inning and it was do or die for the winless Red Sox. The Red Sox decided to do and not die.

Westphal made it a perfect 4 for 4 day with a slashing liner to the gap in left-center field and all three runs scored -- included the tying run from pinch runner Bill Burgess, from Adkins, Texas and the winning run in the person of Jimmy Fleming, from Shohomish, Washington, who scampered all the way from first base for the game-winner.

It was a good day for everyone in the Red Sox lineup -- including Reese Wellmann, from Cub Hill, Maryland and Pigpen Price. Wellmann went 2 for 4 and drove in two runs, while Price, still nursing muscle spasms in his right leg, doubled in the fourth and started the rally in the eighth with a single to left.

David Sweeten, from Kerrvile, Texas, matched Westphal with another perfect 4 for 4 at the plate. Two defensive plays in the seventh inning -- a grab at first by Westphal on a hard hit ball and a diving catch by Price at third -- helped snuff out a Padres' rally.

The Red Sox play another top team tomorrow as they go up against the South Dakota Rushmores at 12:45 p.m. at Fitch Park in Mesa. Chances are slim for the Red Sox (1-3) to advance to the playoffs, but a win tomorrow over the Rushmores could makes things very interesting. By beating the Padres (1-3) the Red Sox have the upper hand with a head-to-head tie breaker. But chances are the 0-3 start at the senior World Series by the Red Sox will probably keep them out of the playoffs.