Palmer's double in 5th inning lifts Team Blue to 7-5 TOTS' win

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

Independence Day tussle at Udall Park

Team Blue edges Team White 7-5 on 7/4

Reed Palmer, 65, drilled a two-run double to right field in the top of the fifth inning to break a 4-4 tie and Team Blue went on to a 7-5 win over Team White at Udall Park this morning in a 60-and-over Tucson Old-Timers' Independence Day game.

Palmer ended up with three RBI on the day, while teammates Mike Dawson and Ernesto Escala each went 3 for 3 and drove in two runs apiece.

Down 7-4, Team White scored a run in the sixth, but went quietly in the bottom of the seventh inning. Ron Ryan and Mike Steele led   Team White with two hits apiece and both players knocked in two runs apiece. Joe Opocensky went 3 for 3 and knocked in a run.

Escala pitched four innings for Team Blue and picked up the win, while Larry Abramson earned the save. Opocensky was saddled with the loss.

The plays of the day went to Team White's centerfielder John Jarboe, who made two running catches, and to Team Blue's centerfielder JB Bulawin, who made a shoestring grab to end a Team White rally. The assist of the day came from Team Blue's right fielder, Rob Morse, who threw out a runner at first base.

Twenty-two players played in today's Independence Day game. Bulawin was the youngest player on the field today at 61, while Danny "Pigpen" Price was the oldest player at 77.

The TOTS return to action on Wednesday at Udall. Game time: 8:30 AM.