Tigers roar to intramural softball championship

  • Published
  • By Johnny Bustos
  • 17th Force Support Squadron
GOODFELLOW AFB, Texas --  The 17th Training Support Squadron Tigers shook off a first-round loss to roar their way to the base intramural softball crown, defeating the 17th Communications Squadron Bats 28-8 in the title game, Aug. 19.

The Tigers, who entered the six-team, double-elimination tournament as the number four seed, dropped a 14-1 decision to the 315th Training Squadron Rattlers in the first game of the tournament before winning their next five contests in the losers' bracket to earn the tournament title.

The Rattlers took little time in dispatching the Tigers in that opening game, scoring three runs in the first inning and 11 runs in the third inning to coast to a 14-1 victory.

In Game 2, third-seeded 17 CS Bats made short work of the sixth-seed 312th Training Squadron Fire Dawgs, 18-5.

Game 3 found the Rattlers taking on the number one seed, the 17th Mission Support Group Junk Yard Dawgs, who earned a first-round bye thanks to its 10-1 regular season record. The Rattlers got on the board quickly by scoring two runs in the first inning, but the Junk Yard Dawgs came back quickly, scoring seven runs in the bottom of the first inning and adding three in the second and fourth innings to defeat the Rattlers 13-2.

The First Responders, who also earned a first-round bye after a 10-1 regular season record, took on the Bats in game four. However, the First Responders could not respond, dropping an 8-3 decision to the Bats, which sent the number two seed First Responders to the losers' bracket.

The First Responders looked to bounce back in the first losers' bracket game as the team rallied for 10 runs in the bottom of the fourth inning to turn a 7-1 deficit to an 11-7 lead over the Tigers. Facing an early exit, the Tigers came right back in the top of the fifth inning, scoring five runs to take a 12-11 lead. The First Responders threatened to retake the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as their first batter of the inning smacked a double. But the Tigers' tenacious defense kept the runner at bay and retired out the next three batters and held on for a one-run victory which eliminated the First Responders from the tournament.

The Fire Dawgs quickly followed the First Responders out of the tournament due to a 6-5 loss at the hands of the Rattlers.

The Junk Yard Dawgs and Bats, both of whom were still unbeaten in tournament play, met in Game 7 to determine who would earn the first slot in the base championship round. The Bats were as hot as the weather, scoring 13 runs in the top of the second inning and sent the Junk Yard Dawgs to the elimination round with an 18-2 loss. Game 8's contest continued the "loser, go home" theme in the elimination bracket, but the Tigers and Rattlers were determined to play on. The teams traded runs for the first three innings, and the Rattlers clung to a one-run lead after four innings. But the Tigers pounded in four runs in top of the seventh inning to take the lead for good and eliminated the Rattlers from the tournament with a three-run victory.

The Tigers faced elimination for the third time in their next contest against the Junk Yard Dawgs. With the chance for the winner to take on the Bats for the base championship at stake, neither team would give in to the other as they battled to a 9-9 tie after six innings. The Tigers took a 13-9 lead in the top of the seventh inning and were still at bat when a play at second base turned sour. Game officials ejected two Junk Yard Dawgs players from the game, thus ending the game and sending the Tigers to the championship round against the 17 CS Bats.

Having won three games in the losers' bracket, the Tigers would have to win two more times to earn the base championship, while the Bats, who had not yet lost in tournament play, needed to win just once.

At first, the tournament's 10th game was a seesaw affair with the Tigers trying to upend the Bats and force the tournament into an 11th contest. The Bats held a 12-11 advantage over the Tigers after three innings, but the Tigers' bats come alive in the fourth. They pounded in seven runs to take the lead went on to defeat the Bats 18-12 and force the winner-take-all game.

The winner of the 11th and final game of the tournament would decide the base champion and both teams wanted to prove they deserved to be crowned "champions." The Tigers took little time in making their intentions known as they scored seven runs at the top of the first inning. The Bats responded with two runs in the bottom of the first to cut the lead to 7-2. The Tigers continued to have their way in the second inning as they put eight additional runs on the board while the Bats could only muster three runs, which made the score 15-5. The Tigers' red-hot offense continued its momentum as the team pounded out 13 more runs in the next five innings, while their 17 CS' bats cooled and could only put three more runs.

The 17 TRSS Tigers, despite scoring just one run in their first tournament game, averaged nearly 20 runs per game in their final three contests. The base runners-up Bats outscored their winners' bracket opponents by an average of more than 11 runs per game.