Palmer hits No. 7 in TOTS' Memorial Day win at Udall

 Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Memorial Day Game at Udall

Reed Palmer hit his seventh home run of the season and was the winning pitcher today as the 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers played baseball this morning at Udall Park in honor of all the service men and women who have put their lives on the line to keep our country safe and free.

Palmer's three-run homer in the sixth inning gave Team Blue a 9-7 lead over Team White and a hard-fought 10-8 win.

Team White had taken a 7-3 lead in the bottom of the fourth inning. The inning highlighted by a bases-clearing triple from Team White's Mike Dawson.

Team Blue added an insurance run in the top of the seventh, while Team White could muster up just one run down the stretch. Dawson pitched all seven innings for Team White and was saddled with the loss, while Palmer pitched seven innings as well and picked up the pitching victory.

The TOTS close out their May schedule and open up their June schedule with games at Udall on Wednesday and Friday as they close out the week. Game time for both games: 9 a.m.

The month of May hasn't been kind to the TOTS as far as "the injury bug" is concerned. Pitcher Ernesto Escala is recovering from a knee operation and was at the game today and is still weeks away from returning and catcher Mike Steele is out indefinitely with a hand injury. X-rays forthcoming. The youngest player on the TOTS, Ron Ryan, is trying to bounce back from foot surgery, but is still out indefinitely, while Pigpen Price, who turns 76 in July, popped an upper hammy last Wednesday and tried to play again today only to re injure the left leg on a play at third in the fourth inning.

It looks like Price will be a "couch potato" for the month of June.

"I have no choice," Price said.  "I need to stay off the field."

"Another injured player on the TOTS is 65-year-old Rick Bitzer, who pulled a hammy three weeks ago and has had sense enough to stay off the ball field." Price added. "There are certainly a lot smarter guys on the team than me."

Injuries are part of the game when you play 60-and-over baseball.