Garcia's sacrifice fly gives Team White walk-off win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Ray Garcia, 66, hit a one-out, bases-loaded sacrifice fly to center field to score the winning run for a  walk-off 3-2 victory for Team White over Team Blue today at Udall Park.

The game turned into a pitching duel for seven innings between Team Blue's Pete Maldonado and Team White's Mike Dawson. Both pitchers walked just one batter during the well-played game.

Team Blue jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the third inning thanks to a home run over the center field fence by hard-hitting lefty Tim Tolson. Team White battled back with a lone run in the fifth to cut the Team Blue lead in half and both teams headed into the seventh inning in hopes of putting together a winning rally. Unfortunately for Team Blue, they failed to score in the top of the inning and Team White quickly tied the game in the bottom of the seventh on a fielder's choice play and then loaded the bases with just one out.

Garcia stepped to the plate to face Maldonado. Both players are life long friends and went to the same high school in da Bronx more than 50 years ago. So, the bottom of the seventh inning turned into a New York minute for the two players and one of them would likely end up the game's hero.

Maldonado tried to pitch carefully to his former high school classmate, but Garcia got just enough on the ball to send a fly ball to Team Blue's center fielder Pete Peters. At third was the TOTS' tallest player, the 6-foot-5 Reed Palmer, who tagged up and scored easily with the game winner.

Catcher Mike Steele led Team White with three hits today and a walk. Tolson knocked in all of Team Blue's runs, while Peters collected two hits in a losing cause. Floyd Lance, 92, saw three innings of action for Team Blue at first base -- his first action of the year at the position.

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

Photo: Garcia