TOTS' Memorial Day game a walk-off win for Team White

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

TOTS' Memorial Day game goes down to the wire at Udall Park 
today

After close to two hours of play, the game was deadlocked at 8-8 as the two teams headed into the seventh inning.

First up: Team Blue in the top of the seventh.

With two outs and runners on first and second, John Cooke, who had tripled in the fifth inning off Team White's right-hander Larry Abramson, stepped into the batter's box.

Cooke, 65, was looking for one of Abramson's patented sliders, similar to a pitch he saw back in the fifth. Another triple and a two-run lead would be nice. Instead, Cooke swung at a Abramson fastball up and in and popped out to Team White's shortstop Tim Tolson for the final out.

Team White came to bat looking for a walk-off win.

They got just that, but it wasn't a walk-off hit that got the job done.

Ken Nebesny, 65, singled off Team Blue's Randy Livingston to get things started in the bottom of the seventh. Nebesny, who had four hits on the day, reached third, thanks to two force out plays, and then  scampered home with the winning run when Livingston tried to pick off Tolson, the runner at first base. The ball got by first baseman Carl Schwanbeck and Team White won the game, 9-8.

A strange ending to a hard-fought contest.

Twenty three players played in the game and it looked like Team Blue would have the upper hand in this one with three runs in the first inning and three more in the third for a 6-1 lead, but Team White battled back with two runs in the fourth, three in the fifth and two more in the sixth.

Team White ended up with 17 hits on the day. Ron Ryan, 64, was a perfect 3 for 3, while Reed Palmer,  Sam Dean and Abramson contributed two hits apiece. Rob Morse and Jimmy Kinion also singled for Team White.

Team Blue finished with 13 hits with Mike Steele, Phil Ahern and Livingston contributing two hits apiece.

Photo: Nebesny goes 4 for 4 to lead Team White to 9-8 win at Udall today.