Lackland Air Force Base, Texas –
Two Division I teams faced off in the second round of the Intramural Softball Base Championship July 23.
The game turned out to be a hitting clinic as the 651st Munitions Squadron, "Ammo," defeated the 37th Mission Support Squadron 16-10 in evening's final game.
Ammo started the first inning with three runs scored by left fielder Tim Egg, shortstop Travis Moore and extra hitter Jason Barton.
Ending up on his back, Egg made a falling catch to end the third inning.
Ammo would produce two more runs, giving them a 5-0 lead in the second inning before MSS would score a run.
"Well, we had a pretty good start in the first inning," said Ammo catcher Chris Lando. "From then, we kind of put it on cruise control, but we turned it back on at the end and held them off."
Ammo had a four-run binge in the third inning led by Barton, with second baseman Adam Albrut, first baseman Mike Moore and third baseman Neil Boduha also scoring.
While MSS would score three runs in the third, cutting the lead to 9-3, Ammo began a 7-0 run, putting MSS in a difficult situation.
Egg, Travis Moore and Barton would all score in the fourth inning, while right-center fielder Robert Hernandez, left-center fielder Richard Villario, catcher Chris Lando and Egg would earn runs for Ammo in the fifth inning. Ammo burned through nine batters in the inning, leaving two men stranded on base.
"We are pretty excited," Lando said. "We haven't lost yet. I think we have a shot at winning this thing."
Ammo would remain scoreless in the final inning of the game.
Ammo flirted with the run rule in the fifth inning, leading 16-4 with one out and needing just two more to end the game early when MSS got hot at the plate.
MSS produced five runs in the fifth inning, the most scored by either team, to bring them back within striking distance. First baseman Eddie Black and Gardner led the scoring charge for MSS.
All 12 members of the batting rotation hit in the inning, as MSS left two hitters stranded on base.
MSS would score one more run in the final inning, but it was not enough to mount a serious comeback.
"We are just going to play as hard as we can, and if it does rain, hopefully we are ahead at that time," Lando said.
The night's games were in jeopardy of being postponed when a light rain and lightning warning came over Lackland around 4:30 p.m.
"The field is surprisingly good," Lando said. "And I'm glad that we missed the rain. It looked like we were about to get some for a while, but the field was nice."