10th MDG intramural softball team takes championship

  • Published
  • By Dave Castilla
  • 10th Force Support Squadron
U.S. AIR FORCE ACADEMY, Colo. --  
Hospital No. 1 became the 10th Air Base Wing's latest intramural champions when they beat Fire Department 28-17 Aug. 12 for the competitive softball championship.

Hospital (13-3) finished the regular season in first place while the Fire Department finished third with a record of (7-8).

In the first round of the post-season tournament, The Retirees beat Fire Department 37-20; Hospital No. 1 beat Security Forces 23-18 and defeated the Retirees 29-23 to reach the championship bracket.

Fire Department beat Security Forces 39-23 and the Retirees, the two time defending champions 32-10 in the Loser's Bracket to get to the championship game.

In the first inning, Fire Department's Hans Barkley and Anthony McMurtry each hit two-run homeruns and Ryan Moriarty drove in a run with a single. Hospital came back in the bottom of the inning to score six runs. Brian Hauptman tripled in a run, Ken Rojas walked with the bases loaded and Caleb Bingham double-drove in two homeruns.

Fire Department scored four runs in the second inning. Ken Helgerson hit a three-run homerun over the left field fence and Moriarty doubled and drove in another run.

Hospital exploded in the bottom of the inning to score 16 runs. Mike Hauptman hit a solo homerun, Ryan Hendrickson hit a three-run homerun, Ken Rojas single-plated three runs and Carlos Gonzalez, Jonathon Marx and Brian Nawn drove in two runs each on a double and two singles. Hospital's final runs of the evening were driven by Carl Blackston on a sacrifice fly and Caleb Bingham's fielder's choice.

Hospital added to their lead in the third inning with six more runs. Gonzalez hit a three-run homerun, Marx and Nawn drove in runs with a base hit and George Harmes hit a sacrifice fly.

Fire Department put up four runs in the fourth inning. Ryan Moriarty, Hans Barkley and Sergio Galvan walked and McMurtry cleared the bases with a grand slam over the left-center field, taking the score to 28-13.

In the fifth inning, Fire Department scored four runs. Dan Garcia drove in a run with a double, Moriarty double-drove in two runs and Hans Barkley drove in the final run, taking the score to 28-17 and giving Hospital the championship.

When a team leads another by 10 runs in the fifth inning, the game is over, according to official intramural rules.

"It was a good season," said Hospital coach Ken Rojas. "We've been in the championship game the past five years, finally winning and making up for the past two years we lost to the Retirees."

Fire Department coach Dan Garcia said his team's defense left a lot to be desired.
"The bottom of the second really hurt us as (Hospital) hit the ball hard and far, but we didn't help the situation with some costly defensive plays," he said. "We will be back next year."