RANDOLPH AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The intramural softball season is halfway complete and a pair of teams has put some distance between themselves and the rest of the league.
In the Monday-Wednesday Division, 562nd Instructors carried a perfect 6-0 record into the first week of August. The Instructors topped 562nd Students by a 23-7 margin in a game this past Monday night on Rambler Field and were scheduled to play Wednesday against Air Education Training Center/A2/A3.
"It may be a little bit of luck but basically we've had some really solid playing throughout our lineup," said Ed Pickrel, Instructors' head coach. "Our pitcher has had one bad night, but other than that he's been excellent."
In the Tuesday-Thursday circuit, Air Force Personnel Center is also undefeated and has overpowered its opponents by an average score of 24-7 each game. AFPC took the overall softball title last season and has won four of Randolph's most recent six diamond championships.
"We've got a lot of stability and a huge base from which to build our team," said Chief Master Sgt. Gregory Hastings, AFPC head coach. "It's a huge building (AFPC) where we work and there is a lot of seniority there. A lot of these guys have been with the team for several years."
AFPC showed its strength in a key game against the Randolph Fire Department this week, topping the Firefighters 33-7. That win moved AFPC's record to 6-0 and the squad had a game set for Wednesday night against last-place 12th Mission Support Squadron. It was the second win over the Firefighters for AFPC, which had to score six runs in the last inning to top the RFD in the season opener.
"We came up on the time limit and we had one more at-bat, in which we scored those runs to win that first game 14-13," Sergeant Hastings said. "In Tuesday's game, the Fire Department had only nine players and they really weren't the same team we played earlier. When they have everyone there, they are a good team."
RFD had won four games in a row before falling to AFPC and will still earn a high seed in the playoffs with a strong finish.
Other teams with hopes for the postseason include 563rd Instructors, Air Force Recruiting Service, 12th Medical Group and 563rd Flying Training Squadron, though the final placements in the middle of the standings are up for grabs in both divisions.
A possible playoff format would include as many as six teams from each division and there is the outside chance that all 14 will be invited. The regular season ends Thursday, Aug. 21 and the postseason will begin the following week.
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Softball Schedule
(All games at Rambler Field)
Monday 8/11/2008
6 p.m. AETC/A2/A3 vs. 12 MDG
7 p.m. 12 Services vs. 563 FTS
8 p.m. 562 Students vs. AFRS
Tuesday 8/12/2008
6 p.m. 99th vs. AFOMS
7 p.m. 12 MSS vs. 563rd Instructors
8 p.m. Fire Dept. vs. 12 SFS
Wednesday 8/13/2008
6 p.m. AFRS vs. AETC/A2/A3
7 p.m. 12 MDG vs. 562 Instructors
8 p.m. 563 FTS vs. 562 Students
Thursday 8/14/2008
6 p.m. 563rd Instructors vs. AFPC
7 p.m. AFOMS vs. Fire Dept.
8 p.m 12 SFS vs. 12 MSS