FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- It was a rough night for the 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group intramural softball team the Warhawks as it lost to its battalion unit, the 597th Maintenance Company Gamecocks, 22-14.

Even with some help from members of the 6th Military Police Detachment team, Guns and Hoses, the team was unable to keep the game close after the second inning.

While the final score reflects the one-sided nature of the second half, the first half of the game was too close to call.

The Gamecocks set the tone early by going up four runs in the top of the first. The team seemed to be under the impression it wasn’t going to have much of a battle on its hands until the Warhawks took up the bats.

After the team managed to score one run, Jeremy Sanders, Warhawks coach, helped keep things going with a single and was followed by two more singles to load the bases.

Then, Matt Custer, Guns and Hoses player and shortstop for the Warhawks, stepped to the plate and let the Gamecocks know it wasn’t going to be that easy with a grand slam, putting the team up 6-4.

Not to be outdone, the Gamecocks came back to the plate ready to take its lead back.

The combined efforts of the Gamecocks lineup, lead by Sam Carter, coach, and Jeremy Stephan, shortstop, helped gain a 10-6 advantage in the top of the second inning.

However, the Warhawks managed to answer two of those runs and lessened its deficit to 10-8 by the end of the second inning.

Unfortunately for the Warhawks, that’s about where its potential comeback train derailed.

In the top of the third, the Gamecocks proceeded to slam the Warhawks outfielders with one deep hit after another, getting several doubles and triples, eventually making its way through the entire batting roster one-and-a-half times, putting the score at 21-8.

When the Warhawks came back to the plate, the bats were eerily quiet as the team went scoreless for the inning.

The Gamecocks offense eased off in the fourth and final inning, only managing one run before the Warhawks defense finally started to show signs of life again.

Upon returning to the plate, the Warhawks seemed to want another shot at getting back in the game as a rally ensued complete with a second homerun from Custer.

Unfortunately for the team, it wasn’t enough to get it back in the game as it could only muster six runs before the Gamecocks finished the job it started in the previous inning.

Carter said he was happy with the victory, but thinks some things still need to be worked on in practice.

“Our bats really showed up tonight,” Carter said. “We were pretty lazy out there because we knew we had the upper hand, and we probably should have worked a little harder. We’re just going to keep the bats going and start taking the games a little more serious and we’ll just run through the rest of the season.”

Sanders said the lack of his regular players definitely hurt the team, but he was appreciative of the help he got from the MPs.

“We just didn’t have enough time to make the comeback,” he said. “If we can get our players here and on time, it would be better. We did get some great help, but our people who were here had to play positions they weren’t used to and it made things even more difficult.”