Skyhawks ground Warhawks, 11-0

By Nathan Pfau, Army Flier Staff WriterJune 1, 2017

Skyhawks ground Warhawks, 11-0
(Photo Credit: U.S. Army) VIEW ORIGINAL

FORT RUCKER, Ala. -- Fort Rucker intramural softball teams continue to battle it out through the regular season as they prepare for the playoffs.

The 164th Theater Airfield Operations Group Warhawks took on the 1st Battalion, 11th Aviation Regiment Skyhawks at the Fort Rucker Intramural Softball Fields May 30, but the Skyhawks would come out on top with superior offense and defense to dominate their opponents, 11-0.

"We just played our game and put our runs on the board and everything fell into place," said Spc. John Mason, Skyhawks team captain. "We've got good team chemistry, and we're able to make subs in and out and we never miss a beat. Once we're playing our game, we're pretty solid."

The Warhawks took to the plate first and got off to a decent start with a base hit, but followed up with a pop fly to first for their first out. They managed to keep the ball on the ground, but couldn't beat it to the bag as the Skyhawks kept a tight defense, leading to the next two batters out at first, sending the 164th TAOG into the outfield and the 1-11th up to the plate.

The Skyhawks didn't get off on the right foot with a pop up to center field for their first out, but made up for lost ground with a base hit to get their first runner on base.

They followed that up with a double, and managed to keep the ball on the ground and out of the hands of their opponents for a 2-run shot to get on the scoreboard first.

The 1-11th continued with a string of base hits to bring in an additional run, but a play at first ended their time at bat, leading 3-0.

The Warhawks needed to pick up the pace if they wanted to stay in the game, and they got off on the right foot with a shot to left field to get a runner on base, but a pop up to center field followed by a play at first slowed their progress.

Though they managed a string of base hits, they couldn't seem to get through the 1-11th's defense and were sent into the outfield, scoreless again.

The Skyhawks seemed to lose a bit of offensive momentum and didn't fare much better with their time at bat, quickly racking up three outs with a pop up and a play at second and first, giving the Warhawks a chance to catch up.

They didn't have much luck with their time at the plate, though, as the Skyhawks defense remained tight and didn't let a single runner slip through.

Neither team was able to make much headway during their times at bat as each team went scoreless for nearly four innings, although both teams managed strings of base hits, neither seemed able to get through the other's defense.

The Skyhawks finally managed to break the stagnation with an in-the-park homerun, followed by another homerun, extending their lead.

The 1-11th found their stride as they managed to continue to bring in more runs with base hits and a string of home runs, both in the park and out of the park.

They managed to bring in 8 runs during their time at the plate to lead 11-0 going into the fifth.

The Warhawks had one final chance at redemption going into the fifth and needed to score at least two runs to remain in the game before the 10-run rule took effect.

Try as they might, though, the 164th TOAG couldn't get through the opposing defense and the Skyhawks took the win, 11-0.

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