2019 55+ Cactus Consolation

Dallas Rangers 13, Seattle Blues 2

By Steve LaMontia, Director of Communications

October 24, 2019, Maryvale, AZ – Jerry Castaneda is the manager of the Dallas Rangers and though happy they finally put a game together, he was of course disappointed that they weren’t playing for a ring.  “The week started bad for us,” lamented Jerry.  “We lost a couple of games right away, we had some injuries, we lost to a team that only won one game, against us, but we stayed focused and stuck together.”  As I watched and scored this game, I can attest that Jerry’s Rangers team is a very, very good team and with a couple of breaks they could have easily been in the Cactus division ring game.

Through three innings it appeared that the Seattle Blues and the Dallas Rangers were in a real tussle for the 55-over Cactus Consolation title.  They were tied at two apiece and a good game was on the brew.  Then something happened: the fourth inning, which was immediately followed by the fifth.

The home team Rangers started the fourth inning with singles by Pete Harrison and Donnell Harris and walks to Carlos Penaflor and Mauricio Rubio.  Three stolen bases later, combined with an RBI single by Jose Zapata, it was 5-2 going into the fifth.  The fifth also got ugly very fast.

As MVP Sefrino Sierra was shutting down the Blues offense, the bats were just getting started.  The bottom of the fifth started with a single, a walk, another single, a double and a triple before the Blues could record an out.  After five more runs scored, the score stood at 10-2 after five and the rout was on. 

Stu Johnson relieved starter Alan Gibson in the sixth for the Blues and he did a good job of taking control, shutting down the Rangers in the sixth and seventh.  Unfortunately for the Blues, Sierra continued to match Johnson pitch for pitch and didn’t allow a run for the rest of the game.

The bottom of the eighth saw another outburst for the Rangers as Rick Oden, James Woodruff and Randy Lash started the inning with two singles and a double and a couple more stolen bases, part of the dozen steals they would have on the day.  After a fielder’s choice by Pete Harrison, Donnell Harris, Carlos Penaflor and Mauricio Rubio strung together three more hits, resulting in three more runs.  After a scoreless top of the ninth for the Blues, that capped the scoring and the final score of 13-2.

Rubio led the Rangers at the plate with a 4 for 4 day, including a walk, while Rick Oden, Randy Lash and Pete Harrison chipped in three hits apiece.

The Blues from Seattle were led by one of the best hitters in this or any division, Ron Scruggs, who totaled two doubles and a walk, while David Pearce and Phil Smith added two-hit games.

Jerry added, “The positive is that at the end of the week we salvaged a win and we had some fun.  It’s always fun.  We won the Kickoff Classic in Vegas this past March so we know we can play.  But that’s baseball.  We look forward to getting back there in 2020 and defending the title.”