FORT RUCKER, Ala. (July 26, 2012) -- As the summer heat bears down harder than ever, intramural softball season is still going strong on Fort Rucker as it builds up to the final tournament.
The 1st Battalion, 223rd Aviation Regiment Spartans beat the 1st Bn., 13th Avn. Regt. Copperheads during a game at the Fort Rucker softball fields July 19.
"It was a good win for us," said Mike McHugh, coach for the Spartans. "We hit the ball well and we fielded well, so all in all, it was a good win."
"We played pretty well even though we had to ask around for players to fill our team," added Lucas Ferguson, catcher for the Spartans.
The Spartans started the game strong during their first at-bat by bringing in a 3-run shot early in the 1st inning and consistently kept players on the bases throughout their time at the plate, despite having racked up two outs early in the inning.
Their constant base hits allowed them to bring in run after run before letting the Copperheads take their turn at the plate. The 1-223rd ended the inning leading 7-0, leaving their opponents with plenty of work cut out for them if they were going to get into the game.
The 2nd inning wasn't the Copperhead's time to shine however, as their first three batters were all tagged out running to first base.
The Spartans didn't fare much better in the inning as their first three players hit three pop flies in a row, sending their team into the outfield and giving the 1-13th a chance to close the 7-run gap between them.
As they took their time at the plate, the Copperheads got themselves into the game and on the scoreboard with a base hit that brought in the team's first run. They weren't able to keep the momentum up and the ball on the ground, and were unable to bring in any more runs before allowing the Spartans to take to the plate.
The 1-223rd was able to keep pressure on their opponents as they put some players on the bases, but were unable to bring any of them in, keeping the score 7-1 going into the 4th inning.
Although they maintained a healthy lead, they weren't able to extend their lead against the Copperheads, which gave them a chance to close the now 6-run gap during their time at bat.
The 1-13th started the 5th inning strong by placing two runners on the bases with their first two at-bats, but their opponents countered with a double play.
Although the Copperheads had two outs, they managed to bring in a run and break the no-scoring streak that both teams had managed in the previous innings, and bring the score to 7-2 as their opponents took to the plate.
The Spartans showed they didn't want to be left out of the scoring fun as they brought in a run early during their time at the plate. They continued this trend with multiple base hits and eventually loading the bases making it easy for them to repeatedly bring in runs during the inning.
The 1-13th were unable stop their opponents and the 1-223rd brought in their final run with a base hit, leading the Copperheads by 10 runs, which ended the game in the 5th inning, 12-2.
The Spartans' win gave the team hope at winning the tournament, but also shows them how far they've come as a team, according to Ferguson.
"We've gotten a lot better [as a team]," he said. "We used to have a lot of problems throwing to first base. It was something we've worked on and now we're able to get the ball directly to first base."
Because of the teams ability to work together and progress, McHugh feels that his team has a good chance to come out on top.
"We're hoping to do well in the tournament and I think we actually have a good chance of winning it," he said.
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