Intramural softball kicks off

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterApril 23, 2015

Intramural softball kicks off
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RUCKER, Ala. (April 23, 2015) -- With almost a full week of rain, it wasn't looking great for scheduled outdoor activities, but the clouds parted just in time to allow Fort Rucker's Intramural Softball season to kick off without a hitch.

Two of the teams that went head to head were the C Company, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment Foul Play and the Headquarters Headquarters Company, 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group Guardians, but it was Foul Play who came out on top, 12-11, during a close game that had both teams on the edge of their seats.

"We were rusty, very rusty, but we worked together to bring it together," said Staff Sgt. Christopher Webber, Foul Play team captain. "Tonight was the first chance we've actually gotten to get together to play together. It took a minute to get the rust off, but we got it together and played like a team. We've got a lot of speed and diversity."

The game started off slow, but things heated up as the teams made the competition interesting with multiple in-the-park home runs, RBIs and a few errors.

The Guardians were the first to take to the plate and weren't off to the best start with a pop fly to left field for their first out. They followed up with two base hits, but Foul Play's defense held them off at second for another out, followed by another pop fly that sent the HHC team into the outfield.

The 1-13th wasn't fairing much better during their time at bat, making two outs with their first two batters. Their next batter managed to find a hole in left field to get on base, followed by another base hit, but a pop fly sent them back into the outfield with both teams scoreless.

As the Guardians took to the plate, their opponent's defense wasn't letting up and Foul Play managed to gather three outs within minutes.

With a walk on their first batter, the 1-13th had an early advantage in the inning and took full advantage with a two-base hit and an RBI by Rece Wiggins to get their first run.

Although Foul Play managed a few more base hits, the Guardians weren't allowing any more runs in the inning as their defense tightened and sent the C Co. team packing.

HHC managed to find their footing with a base hit to start, followed by an in-the-park home run to bring in two runs and take the lead before heading back into the outfield.

Not to be outdone, Foul Play's offense came back aggressively and managed to keep the ball on the ground to get runs on base, and Brandon Woodson, player for Foul Play, managed a three-base hit to bring in a runner and tie the game.

Going into the 4th inning, both teams seemed evenly matched and it was still anyone's game.

The Guardians continued their streak of base hits, bringing in two runs during their time at the plate to keep their opponents on their toes.

Foul Play tried hard to keep up by keeping the ball on the ground, even managing to load the bases with no outs, allowing for an RBI to help inch closer to their opponents.

The HHC team's defense tightened up, however, and managed to hold the 1-13th back to head into the fifth with the Guardians up, 4-3.

The HHC team kept the base hits coming and an error by Foul Play's shortstop allowed the Guardians to bring in a run, but the 1-13th rallied to hold off their opponents and managed a huge turnaround with their time at the plate.

Foul Play was able to find the gaps in the Guardians' defense to get runner after runner on base, and Wiggins came in with a three-run in-the-park home run to take the lead during the inning, but the runs didn't stop there.

The 1-13th finally hit their stride and RBIs were king as they continued to put runners on base before Joey Rivera, player for Foul Play, managed to hit another in-the-park home run to bring in an additional two runs before their time at the plate ended, commanding a 12-5 lead.

All seemed completely hopeless for the Guardians as they had their work cut out for them going into the 6th inning, but they didn't get discouraged, despite being down two runs early on.

An error turned things around for them, allowing for an RBI, which fueled their motivation. They managed to keep the ball on the ground and bring in run after run to get right up behind their opponents, 12-11 before heading into the outfield. But time wasn't on their side as the game clock winded down, ending the game with Foul Play as the winners.

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Fort Rucker, Ala.

U.S. Army Aviation Center of Excellence