TOTS continue to sizzle during the summer months

Tucson Old Timers (TOTS)

60-and-over baseball

TOTS' Blue wins July opener 12-7 over Team White

July 4th game set for 8:30 AM at Udall Park

June stats are in: Opocensky, Escala top hitters for the month

The 60-and-over Tucson Old Timers continue to sizzle on the diamond, despite the hot summer months.

The TOTS opened the July schedule last Friday with Team Blue scoring in every inning and outlasting Team White, 12-7. Team Blue's leadoff hitter Roger Beebe led the way with a 3 for 4 day, while John Cooke, Mike Steele and Frank Garcia knocked in two runs apiece. Mark Rupert pitched the first four innings for Team Blue and picked up the win, while teammate Glen Vann hurled the final two innings. Rupert allowed four runs and Vann allowed three runs.

Team White's Ernesto Escala had two hits and drove in three of the seven runs. Bob Daliege, back from a lengthy vacation, took the mound today for Team White and was a bit rusty, allowing 12 runs on 17 hits.

July 4th game set for *8:30 AM at Udall

The TOTS will celebrate July 4th with a game at Udall Park. Start time: 8:30 AM. Plenty of time for the old-timers to get home by High Noon and rest up for the fireworks. Another humid day is expected with the temperature reaching 95 by mid afternoon.

June stats are in

The June individual batting statistics are in. Thirty-seven players braved the warm temperatures and saw action. The players combined for 286 hits during the month, while maintaining a club batting average of .435 and a slugging percentage of .503. The old-timers can hit!

Joe Opocensky collected the most hits (21) in June edging Escala, who finished with 20 hits. Opocensky went 21 for 35, a .600 batting average, while Escala went 20 for 31, a .645 clip. Escala led the club in RBI for June with 19. 

Reed Palmer hit his fourth homer of the year and has 98 career home runs for the TOTS. Palmer played in eight games and went 10 for 19, but was second in RBI for the month with 16.

Ken Nebesny,  Rob Morse and Mike Steele were the only players to play in all 11 games. 

Other top hitters for June included Tim Tolson and Steele with 17 hits apiece. Tolson went 17 for 31, a .548 average, while Steele went 17 for 39, a .436 average. Mike Dawson went 15 for 23, a .652 average in just eight games, while John Mathews, Jimmy Kinion, Nebesny and Rupert were next in line with 14 hits apiece.

In the 75-and-over group, 77-year-old Danny "Pigpen" Price saw limited action, but went 6 for 18, a .333 average, in seven games. 

Ten pitchers toed the rubber in June with Opocensky leading the way with three wins and just one loss. Opocensky logged 26 innings for the month, Escala was second with 25 innings.

Way to go, TOTS!