MARQUETTE – The Marquette Oldtimers softball team held home field in its series against Negaunee this season, pulling out an exciting 7-6 victory at Lions Field in Marquette Township on Saturday afternoon.

Now in its 19th year, Negaunee still leads the all-time series 21-17 after the west enders won 10-6 in Negaunee on July 8.

Officials with the teams, whose players must all be at least 62 years old, are looking at possibly playing a third game later this summer, with a Marquette-Gwinn matchup also possible.

Negaunee and Gwinn already have a second game in their series scheduled for 4 p.m. on Thursday, Aug. 27, at LaCombe Field in Negaunee.

On Saturday, Marquette led all the way but had to hold on with a sterling defensive play to keep Negaunee from scoring the tying run in the top of the seventh inning.

The visitors scored three times in the seventh to trim a 7-3 deficit to just one run. Gerry Pirkola and Roland Koski each singled while Steve Parkkonen and Edsel Syrjala followed with two-out RBI hits.

Then Reuven Romback slapped a double to left-center and Syrjala tried to score from first base with the tying run. But perfect relays from the left fielder to shortstop to catcher Leo Smith cut down the speedy Syrjala at the plate and ended the game.

Marquette was outhit 13-5 but used some pitching wildness and a few fielding errors to build an early lead.

The hosts opened the scoring with five runs in the second as losing pitcher Gary Anderson walked four and was victimized by an error. Marquette’s Dan Forrester also hit a two-run single and Joe Stupsky an RBI single.

The score remained 5-0 until the fifth, when Negaunee plated two runs after an error and run-scoring doubles by Syrjala and Hank St. Aubin. The visitors cut it to 5-3 in the top of the sixth as player-manager Don Trudell doubled and scored on a Jim Ghiardi single.

Marquette added what proved to be a needed two runs of insurance in the bottom of the sixth as Negaunee committed a pair of errors and Stupsky hit an RBI triple.

There were several other good defensive plays in addition to the one that ended the game, most notably by each third baseman – Fred Hume for Marquette and Koski for Negaunee – taking hits away. And Negaunee infielders Fred Van Luven and Mike Nelson were each credited with completing double plays.

Roger Daugherty went the distance on the pitching rubber for Marquette to get the win, walking just two. Anderson had nine walks and a hit batsman during his stint for the visitors.

Stupsky was 2 for 2 at the plate for the winners, while for Negaunee, Syrjala went 3 for 3, Don Williams 2 for 3 and eight other teammates each had one hit.

Information compiled by Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee. His email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.