2026 65+ Cactus
2026 65+ Cactus
Sacramento SMSBL Royals 9, Motor City Firebirds 8
Submitted by Jim Tygrett-DeNuzzi, manager
The Sacramento SMSBL Royals won the 65+ Cactus World Series Championship with a dramatic bottom-of-the-ninth, 4-run come-from-behind walk-off victory against the tough Motor City Firebirds. Trailing 8-5 in the bottom of the ninth inning, we scored four straight runs without recording an out.
Wayne Weinberger, the 10th batter in the lineup, started off the ninth inning with a single to left field, followed by a single by leadoff batter Darryll Foster. A passed ball moved the runners to second and third, and Bobby Booth’s 2-RBI single to left scored Foster and Weinberger, making it 8-7 Firebirds. Jack Bradley then hit a line drive single to right field, moving Booth to second.
Bob Wood singled and Booth scored, making it 8-8 and moving Bradley to third. With Bradley at third and Wood at first, Steve Welch was intentionally walked, loading the bases, while the Firebirds brought the infield and outfielders in to prevent any more runs.
Ricky Mejia, the next batter, singled to right field, and Bradley scored for the walk-off victory.
Weinberger started the championship and was relieved by pitching/bench coach Gary Stonebrook, who shut down the Firebirds in the last two innings and earned the win.
Bradley went 4-for-5, scored three runs, drove in an RBI, and made an amazing catch on a fly ball down the left-field line that saved two runs. Weinberger and Mark Weathers were 3-4 in the championship.
During the tournament, our pitching was outstanding after a first-game loss due to unearned runs. Tom Foote went 2-0 and hit .481 for the tournament; Billy Clouse went 2-0 in back-to-back starts; and Stonebrook, starting two games, went 3-0, winning and preserving that championship game.
Scott Stevens played three positions (1B, 2B, 3B) and hit .421. Scott Reeves threw out five runners while sharing catching duties with Welch, and hit .462. Wood provided the power with three doubles and a triple, and Weinberger, Foote, and Welch led in RBIs with 10, 9, and 9, respectively.
Mejia finished with the walk-off and hit .538. Foster led in stolen bases and played every inning of every game in center field. Booth was a vacuum at shortstop.
Tim Burkitt, the pitcher, came up lame during the tournament but still managed a couple of hits, two walks, and RBIs, making no outs in his at-bats.
Player/coach Dan Pearson kept the runners alert, coached first base, and hit .600 with a .750 on-base average, while Tom DeFazio added two RBIs in a limited role after missing some early games.
Having Royals championships in both ’24 and ’26 reinforces the Royals’ commitment to the right players at the right time. Credit to Steve Welch, who had the invisible bungee cord attached to me just in case my Billy Martin surfaced.
All in all, an outstanding team victory. Tom Foote and Jack Bradley were named co-MVPs, with each having an outstanding World Series.