FORT RUCKER, Ala. (August 9, 2012) -- Despite heavy rainfall over the past week, the Fort Rucker Intramural Softball playoff tournament continued on wet clay and soggy fields.
The 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment Misfits took down the U.S. Army Aeromedical Research Laboratory's Double Tap 11-6 during a game Aug. 7 at the softball fields.
"I feel good about tonight's win because we beat them three times this year and they won the post championship last year," Staff Sgt. Brad Mort, coach for the Misfits. "We were the Showstoppers last year and they beat us twice in the championship game. We saw them this year, though, and we got them."
The double elimination softball tournament began July 31 and the final game will play tonight at 6 p.m. at the softball fields.
Double Tap was first to take to the plate and started off strong with two consecutive base hits early on followed by a 3-run homerun by one of their power hitters, Marcus Prichard, to put them on the scoreboard early.
Their offense remained strong as they put more players on the bases by hitting multiple ground balls, but were unable to maintain the momentum they had gathered as their opponent's defense went to work to catch two line drives and make a play at second base to send Double Tap into the field.
The Misfits first at bat started with a base hit as a player hit the ball to a pocket in center field to try and match their opponent's offense.
They were able to keep the base hits going to bring in their first run of the game with only one out. The 1-145th team was eventually able to load the bases, giving them the opportunity to bring in more runs, which they managed before getting their third out to end the first inning, 3-2.
The USAARL team went back on offense by sticking to their base hit strategy and managed to get players on the bases to bring in a run, but only managed a single run before their opponent's defense stopped them.
As the game remained close, Double Tap's defense continued to keep the Misfits at bay with a play at second base followed by a double play to keep the 1-145th team without any runs for the inning.
Double Tap had the advantage going into the 3rd inning as they continued their aggressive play style by finding the gaps in their opponent's defense and getting their players on the bases.
As aggressively as they were playing, however, it wasn't enough to break the Misfits' defense and they were unable to bring in any runs during their time at the plate.
The Misfits took to the plate two runs down determined to bring in runs to surpass their opponents, which is what they accomplished by keeping the ball on the ground and out of the hands of their opponents to bring in two runs and tie the score 4-4 with only one out.
As their morale soared, they were able to keep their momentum going and managed to bring in two more runs before succumbing to Double Tap's defense to end the inning, 6-4.
Double Tap went into the 4th inning down by two runs to add pressure on the team to retake the lead. Their offense seemed to fizzle, however, as they racked up two outs during their first two at bats of the inning followed shortly by their final out to send them back into the field without adding to the scoreboard.
The 1-145th team's offense came back as aggressively as their defense was playing during their time at the plate and managed to bring in run after run to take a substantial lead over their opponents before ending the inning, 11-4.
The USAARL team now had their work cut out for them going into the 5th inning and they tried to place the ball in the gaps of their opponents defense, but the Misfits' defense remained too strong and Double Tap was unable to bring in any runs during their time at the plate.
The Misfits took to the plate with the 10-run rule within their grasp as they tried to mimic their offense in the previous inning, but Double Tap's defense stepped up to the challenge and kept their opponent's from scoring any runs, giving them a chance to close the gap.
As strong as the USAARL team's energy was in the previous inning, they brought the same energy into the next inning in their offense, and showed promise as they hit consecutive base hits and managed to load the bases.
A ground ball to center field brought in two runs for Double Tap, but they were unable to keep up the pace during their time at the plate and were soon sent back into the field.
The Misfits offense seemed to tire as they went scoreless for two straight innings, but hoped to end the game by playing their defense hard in the 7th inning, which they were able to accomplish by keeping Double Tap from scoring in the final inning, ending the game 11-6.
"I think we have the best team out here," said Mort. "It shouldn't be too hard for us."
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