Tucson Toros come up a little short at MSBL WS

 Men's Senior Baseball League World Series

Playoff rounds in the 70-and-over Central Division

The Tucson Toros needed one more win to advance to the championship game at the Men's Senior Baseball League World Series. The Toros won 1-0 in the first round of the playoffs this morning at Fitch Park in Mesa and took on the Kansas City A's this afternoon in the semi-finals.

Kansas City had picked up a 19-8 win on Wednesday over the Toros in Game 4 of the round-robin, but this time it was a battle to the wire. Unfortunately for the Tucson boys, their chance to reach the title game didn't pan out as they lost to the A's, 7-4.

According to Doc Thompson, who along with Ernesto Escala are the two players on the Toros' roster from the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers, felt the team played well all day. "In the morning game, we played our best game and we played the entire game without an error," Thompson said.

Both Thompson and Escala batted twice and collected one hit apiece. "We only play seven innings in the playoff rounds," added Thompson. "It's good to get ahead and stay there." As it turned out the only run of the game was unearned. 

Thompson went 2 for 2 against Kansas City and ended 3 for 4 on the day. Escala unfortunately suffered a hamstring injury and will not play with the Paladins from Albuquerque in the 65-and-over division of the senior World Series, which gets underway on Saturday.

Arnold Mares, from the Tucson Old Pueblo Club, went the distance in the morning game and picked up the well earned pitching victory, while Joe Jiminez, also from the Old Pueblo Club, pitched a complete game against Kansas City.

The Toros were down five runs early during the Kansas City game and tried their best to battle back. Bottom Line: The Toros are heading back to Tucson after finishing 4-3 at the World Series. Kansas City moves on and faces the Colorado Cardinals Saturday morning at Fitch Park for the title.

Good showing, guys!

Photo: Ernesto "Doc" Escala pulled a hamstring in the Kansas City game and will not be available to play for the Paladins from Albuquerque in the 65-and-over division of the MSBL World Series, which gets underway today.

MSBL Alert:  Change that! Ernesto "Doc" Escala (photo below) took a few days off and returned to action with the Paladins. Ernesto hurled six playoff innings and went 2 for 4 down the stretch as the Paladin team went all the way to the 65-and-over Cactus 2 championship game before losing to the Benbrook Cubs, 10-3.

Ernesto is the big fella standing in the foreground.