Army vs. Air Force: 1-13th's Foul Play beats 23rd FTS' Nite Nailers, advance to final

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterJuly 13, 2015

Army vs. Air Force: 1-13th's Foul Play beats 23rd FTS' Nite Nailers, advance to final
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (July 13, 2015) -- The Fort Rucker Intramural Softball season nears completion as two of the teams left standing took to the field to see who's got what it takes to make it to the championship game.

The C Company, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment team, Foul Play, took on the Air Force 23rd Flying Training Squadron's Nite Nailers during a semi-final bout July 7 that kept players and spectators on the edge of their seats.

Foul Play would come out victorious, edging out the competition, 3-2.

Despite having a few errors that allowed the Nite Nailers to bring in a couple runs and get runners on base, Foul Play was able to rally and tighten their defense to keep their opponents from advancing any further as the Army Aviators achieved victory, which, according to Christopher Weber, coach of Foul Play, was no easy feat.

"That was the best team we've played all year. We played them earlier in the year and we beat them, 15-3, but this was the closest game we've played all year," he said. "We had a couple small errors, but we kept them to a minimum and we pulled out a win -- now it's time for redemption."

The game started as Foul Play took to the plate first and started strong with a two-base hit. Another ground ball to second base allowed the runner to advance to third, but gave the Nite Nailers their first out with the play at first.

Despite their efforts, however, the 1-13th couldn't get past their opponents defense and were sent to the outfield without any runs.

The 23rd FTS didn't fare much better with their time at bat, as they hit two pop ups directly into the hands of Foul Play. Although they managed a ground ball, they weren't quick enough to beat the play at first for their third out, giving the 1-13th their chance at the plate once again.

Going into the second, Foul Play came back with an aggressive offense, managing base hit after base hit to get runners on base, before Russell Smedley, Foul Play player, hit a ground ball through the hands of the opposing short stop to bring in the first run for the team.

Although they managed to continue to put runners on base, they weren't able to beat the throws to first and were soon sent back in the field, up 1-0.

Determined not to fall too far behind, Nite Nailers picked up the pace and managed to keep the ball on the ground to get some base hits, but as things were looking up, three consecutive pop ups stopped the 23rd FTS in their tracks as they went into the top of the third, scoreless.

Foul Play now had a chance to further extend their lead, but Nite Nailers weren't having it as their defense remained tight, quickly racking up three outs to get back up at the plate.

Foul Play followed suit with an aggressive defense, including a diving catch and a double play to take the game into the fourth.

The 1-13th started the inning strong with a triple, bringing in a run, but the Nite Nailers wouldn't allow their opponents to pull too far ahead, catching two pop flies to go back on offense, trailing 2-0.

The 23rd FTS were able to keep the ball on the ground in the bottom of the fourth to get runners on base, and errors by both Foul Play's shortstop and outfielders allowed the Nite Nailers to bring in two runs and tie the game. A walk by Foul Play allowed their opponents to load the bases, but a play at home, followed by a pop fly, stopped the Nite Nailers in their tracks.

Now anybody's game, the 23rd FTS team's defense remained tight as Foul Play took to the plate, racking up two outs early into the inning, but determined, the 1-13th team managed to keep the ball out of their opponents hands to bring in another run to retake the lead before a play at home ended their time at bat.

Nite Nailers tried desperately to bring in runners, but despite getting multiple runners on base they couldn't break through their opponent's defense.

Although they managed to hold off Foul Play's advance in the final inning, the 23rd FTS hit the ball directly into the hands of their opponents during their final at bat, ending the game 3-2 and sending Foul Play into the championship game.

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