LACKLAND AIR FORCE BASE, Texas –
The 59th Medical Operations Group won the Men's Intramural Softball Baseball Championship Tuesday evening, defeating Cryptologic Systems Group "Hitmen" 17-3.
In the process, 59th Med Ops kept the Hitmen from repeating as base champions.
59th Med Ops saved their best for last, scoring six runs in the seventh inning. Pitcher Jason Stroude, second baseman Derrick Weese, first baseman Jim Quirk, right fielder Rick Salvado, extra hitter Will Lapoza and left fielder Jerry Izu all reached home plate in the final inning.
While Med Ops' scoring was impressive, holding the Hitmen to only three runs was the most surprising part of the game.
"With all our deployed members coming back, we got some speed back in the outfield and our infield has been solid all year," said 59th Med Ops shortstop Mike Jenkins.
Right centerfielder Mike Case and second baseman Gary Pagan scored two runs for the Hitmen in the sixth inning and pitcher Cecil Rodriguez earned a run in the second inning.
Rodriguez, usually a prolific base hitter, was having trouble reaching first base against 59th Med Ops.
Jenkins scooted into an open gap between first and second base, fielding many of Rodriguez' hits and throwing him out at first base.
"Sometimes the left handers have a hard time crossing over, especially in the wind, so I wanted him to try to do something he wasn't comfortable doing," Jenkins said. "Luckily, he still hit it that way and we were able to get a couple of outs."
59th Med Ops scored four runs in the fifth inning, two of which came off of a home run hit by Jenkins. The four runs gave 59th Med Ops a commanding 11-1 lead.
"I just played the wind," Jenkins said. "You hit the ball high to the right side of the field and it will keep going."
Jenkins' hit brought in third baseman Will Goung. Weese and catcher Matt Shmitz also scored in the inning.
"It's rewarding," Jenkins said. "A lot of these guys worked hard all year. We were able to get some guys back in time for the play offs and a lot of guys came up big and we were able to pull through."
59th Med Ops was seeded fifth in the 16-team single-elimination tournament. They scored 32 runs, while only giving up nine runs in the first two rounds.
The Hitmen were seeded 10th and played consistent defense to get to the championship round.