2025 60+

Salt Lake Bees 20, Mustangs Baseball Club 14

Submitted by Randy Miles, manager

Utah can be really cold in the winter, and usually, snow covers the ground from December through February, so typically, we hit the Palm Springs Desert Classic and Vegas Kickoff Classic tourneys rusty.  But this year, we have been able to get outside quite a few times and take BP and play over the line, which turns out to be great practice for over 60+.

The Salt Lake Bees averaged nearly 20 runs per game in this tourney, and just like Palm Springs, we had to come from behind several times to win the championship.

In the championship game, the Mustangs jumped on starting pitcher Danny Pawelek, going up by four runs after two innings.  We fought back and tied it 4-4 in the fifth, but then the Mustangs got four runs in the top half of the fifth.  Down by four runs, we then proceeded to score six runs in the bottom of the fifth to go up by two.

But the Mustangs came storming back in the sixth to score six runs and retook their four-run lead.   Anthony Duran replaced Pawelek in the sixth to stop the bleeding, but once again, we had to rally.   The Bees scored one in the sixth, five in the seventh, and four more in the eighth.  Duran shut down the Mustangs, only allowing one run in the final three innings to get the win.

It was a cold, windy game, which led to some errors and wind-driven balls, but it was an intense/fun back-and-forth battle.

Brett Blackburn went 5-5 and had seven RBIs and was the offensive MVP for the game.   Dave Carter went 4-4, and Brady Field was 4-5.   Offensive stars for the Mustangs were D. Seale, 3-5; G. Davis, 3-4; and P. Pena, 3-5.