Courtesy Photo | Jason Umiamaka (left), Old Skool player, attempts to score as he runs through Matt...... read more read more
By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff Writer
RUCKER, Ala. - In a game close enough to be worthy of a championship match, two teams battled head to head for the Fort Rucker post softball championship title.
The 6th Military Police Detachment team, “Old Skool,” won the title of 2013 Fort Rucker Intramural Softball champions July 9, 2013 as they beat the D Company Sluggers 7 to 6, finishing the tournament undefeated.
“Winning is vindication of four out of five years as champions,” James Parris, co-coach of Old Skool, “Some of us have been together for all four of those years. It just feels sweet because (the other team’s) guys are young and we just had to play old school fundamental ball, and that’s what we did.”
The game started as Old Skool won the coin toss and elected to bat second.
D Company came into the game as the underdogs, needing two wins in a row to steal the championship. They started off strong with a base hit and a walk to get players on base.
A line drive into the right field gap allowed for an RBI and the first score of the game, putting the Sluggers ahead.
Another shot to left field allowed another run, but Old Skool’s defense went to work. Old Skool ended the Sluggers run with a fly out.
Although the 6th MP Detachment had the advantage going into the game, their opponent’s weren’t going to make it easy for them to take home the title.
As they took to the plate, Old Skool didn’t get off to a good start and weren’t able to keep the ball on the ground. Their first three batters hit pop flies to collect three outs without gaining on their opponents.
Things were looking up for the Sluggers going into the 2nd Inning, and just like before, the team was able to find the gaps in the outfield and get players on base.
As strong as D Company had been playing early on, they weren’t able to make further advances as Old Skool’s defense tightened up to keep them from scoring during their time at the plate.
The 6th MP Detachment team had their chance to catch up, but just like in the previous inning, three consecutive pop flies sent them back into the field scoreless.
The Slugger’s offense came into the 3rd Inning strong and Old Skool’s defense didn’t seem to have enough stopping power to keep D Company from bringing in two more runs during the inning and lead, 4 to 0.
Old Skool had their work cut out for them as they took to the plate determined to get on the scoreboard, and base hit after base hit gave them hope.
With two outs already on the board, a player stole home to get the team its first run and spark some motivation. Another clean shot to center field allowed for an RBI and Old Skool was back in the game.
The Slugger’s defense seemed to falter as the team had multiple errors during the inning, but tightened up before allowing any more runs and sending their opponents into the field.
D Company’s momentum seemed to wane by the 4th inning as they were unable to keep the ball on the ground and racked up three outs in a row.
Old Skool, however, seemed to find their stride as they got players on base with repeated singles, which allowed for a player to steal home before a two-run shot to center field allowed them to take the lead.
The team continued to keep the ball on the ground and brought in another run before succumbing to their third out to end the inning 6 to 4.
The Sluggers needed to step up their offense to get back in the game, but a 4 - 3 double play and a pop fly to center field quickly dashed their hopes of advancing in the 5th.
Old Skool was able to keep their momentum going and brought in another run before ending their time at the plate and extend their lead.
D Company wasn’t finished yet going into the 6th inning as it started with a double and a base hit to get players on base, followed by an RBI that allowed them to creep up on their opponents.
The Sluggers managed another run before heading into the field to trail their opponents by only one run.
Their defense seemed to tighten up as well and didn’t allow their opponent’s to bring in a single run to give them some hope in the final inning.
Two pop flies and one strikeout later, Old Skool took the championship.
“We just played good defense and timed the hitting, and we just came to have fun,” said Parris. “It can get difficult when you don’t make it fun … we just play fundamental softball.”
| Date Taken: | 07.10.2013 |
| Date Posted: | 07.10.2013 11:53 |
| Story ID: | 109979 |
| Location: | FORT RUCKER, AL, US |
| Web Views: | 46 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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