FORT RUCKER, Ala. (July 17, 2015) -- After 20 teams competed for months, the 2015 Fort Rucker Intramural Softball Season championship ended up being decided by one run.
The D Company, 1st Battalion, 145th Aviation Regiment Settlers beat the C Company, 1st Battalion, 13th Aviation Regiment's Foul Play, 10-9, in the championship game July 8.
Early on, it looked like the Settlers would romp their way to the championship, but Foul Play managed to get things together enough to create a nail-biting finish.
"It was a good game. We came out here and we just wanted to have fun, and we did that," said 2nd Lt. Bryce Thompson, coach for Settlers. "This is a good way for us to come out here and get away from studying for a little bit, and have fun."
That fun translated into a win for the Settlers, who got off to a relatively slow start as Foul Play started things off at the plate.
The 1-13th team started strong, getting players on base and scoring the first run of the game.
Already down by one run just minutes into the game, the Settlers tightened up their defense and were able to rack up three outs to get their chance at bat.
The 1-145th went to the plate confident and showed off their offensive prowess as they managed to get base hit after base hit, and errors by their opponents allowed for two runs to cross the plate and put the Settlers up 2-1. Despite the errors, Foul Play managed to pull their defense together for an inning-ending double play.
As they took to the plate, Foul Play were determined to turn things back around in their favor, but the Settlers were having none of it and quickly ended the 1-13th's turn at the plate.
The Settlers came up to the plate aggressively, quickly loaded the bases and brought in two runs to extend their lead. Foul Play couldn't seem to find their defensive footing as they fumbled the ball at every turn, allowing the Settlers to bring in more runs, with the onslaught eventually leading to a 7-1 Settlers lead.
The 1-13th team's offense didn't fare much better during their time at bat as they continued to put the ball directly into their opponents hands, getting three outs after just four batters and it looked like the route was on.
But Foul Play found its defensive footing, as they stopped the Settlers from bringing in anymore runs, including catching a foul ball, a line drive to center field and getting a play at first to get their chance to get back in the game.
That defensive stand perked up Foul Play's offense a bit, as well, as the team managed to get multiple runners on base to bring in another run and close the gap before heading back into the field down 7-2. The Settlers followed up with an in-the-park home run to make up for lost ground, but Foul Play's defense remained tight for the remainder of the inning to make it 8-2.
Going into the fifth inning, the 1-13th team had their work cut out for them, but they weren't able to get any players on base. Their opponents, however, fared much better, able to find the gaps in Foul Play's defense and bring in two more runs before the end of the inning to lead 10-2.
With the game seeming all but over for Foul Play, they went into the seventh and final inning. With one final chance to get back in the game, the 1-13th managed to rally and put runners on base and keep the ball in play.
They brought in run after run with multiple hits as they worked to close the scoring gap. Their onslaught continued through most of the inning until they were just one run shy of a tie game, but despite their efforts, the Settlers managed to halt Foul Play's turnaround and win the game, 10-9.
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