FORT SILL, Okla. -- It was the battle of the brigade.
Soldiers in 428th Field Artillery were split into two teams: 2nd Battalion, 2nd Field Artillery and 1st Battalion, 30th Field Artillery. Armed with gloves and bats, they went to the Cannoneer Complex Aug. 6 to fight for the post intramural softball championship title.
"They were the first one that gave us a loss in the season," said team co-captain Sgt. Bersuhs Mora, 2-2nd FA section chief. "I just told my players, 'Let's just play our game. Win or lose we still come from the same brigade.'"
One inning is all it took for the 2-2nd FA batters to pull too far ahead for 1-30th FA to catch up.
It came in the second inning when the Big Deuce Soldiers ran through home plate nine times versus their opponent's zero. It was looking more hopeful for the 1-30th in the third and fourth innings when they tallied some runs on their side, but Mora said the 2-2nd FA Soldiers kept their heads about them and kept pushing the pace.
Big Deuce was victorious with a final score of 17-13.
"We weren't worried about it at all," said co-captain Staff Sgt. Joshua Lawrence, 2-2nd FA section chief. "We were swinging the bats really good. Defense was on point. We switched it up a little bit in the outfield to make it work better for us. Had some wheels out there some arms. All around we just played our game."
Mora received some boos from the opposing team in the last couple innings after walking two of their batters. He said it was all part of their strategy.
"We pretty much knew who their hitters were, and we could get a nice play on the guy coming up to bat after loading the two on there," said Mora.
Lawrence said his teammates have been busy not only on the diamond, but in the field shooting 155 rounds as part of their mission.
"They've been out in the field the last two days, barely making it back in the hundred degree heat and then coming right back out here."
If they were fatigued it wasn't apparent. Soldiers in 1-30th FA tried to come back and only came as close as a four-run difference.
When asked what it felt like to win, Lawrence said, "It feels a lot better than second place last year."
They lost to a team from Dental Activity Command in 2014, but were showing no signs of hurt feelings as they accepted their trophy from Maj. Gen. John Rossi, Fires Center of Excellence and Fort Sill commanding general.
"Last year, they gave out trophies for second and third. I stopped it that day. We don't reward the best loser. We focus on winning," said Rossi.
He said he was proud of the team coming together and likened it to their day-to-day workings in the Army.
For more photos from the game, visit www.flickr.com/fortsillcannoneer.
The Cannoneer Complex will be home to more softball action Aug. 22 with the Co-op Softball Tournament.
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