Cops handcuff APS 11-7

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Walker
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  In his eight years as a member of the 436th Security Forces Squadron softball team, Rick Barker had never pitched a game.

Barker has now found a new niche.

Combined with Barker's pitching and his team's solid defense and timely hitting, the Cops defeated the 436th Aerial Port Squadron 11-7 in an American League game at the base softball field on June 21.

Barker and his teammates now move to 1-0 on the season in his newly earned role as pitcher.

"This was my first game ever pitching," Barker said. "They really bailed me out a couple of times. I've been playing with the team for eight years now. It was good to get the win."

Early on it looked as though neither team was going to generate enough offense to pick up the win.

In the top of the third inning, Barker had a RBI triple and John Quick hit a run-scoring double to put the Cops out front 3-0.

After a solo home run by Adam Fike and an RBI fielder's choice by Sean Sipe gave the Cops a 7-1 lead heading into the bottom of the sixth inning, the APS offense finally woke up.

Tyler Bettini hit a two-run double and Branen Straughan blasted a two-run triple to help APS cut the Cops lead to 7-5 heading into the seventh and final inning.

The Cops, however, added four insurance runs, thanks to a two-RBI single by Barker and a run-scoring triple by Quick.

"We're a notoriously slow starting team," Barker said of the Cops' lack of offense early on. "It usually takes about two to three innings to get our bats warmed up. In this game, it took us until the third inning to get going. We have a lot of power in our lineup top to bottom. The new 4-to-10 foot pitch rule allows for a lot more offense, and we took advantage of it."

Cops coach John Dickinson said he was happy not only with his team's defensive play, but its smart play as well.

"Our defense was solid," said Dickinson. "We allowed no runs for the first four innings. This was the first game Barker pitched. Our infield was solid, we only had two errors. We didn't allow runners to advance. We made smart plays. It was just a good first win."

For APS (1-1) it was simply a matter of not enough hitting. When APS had to have base hits, most went straight at a Cops defender and big swings turned into harmless pop-flys.

APS coach Derek McLeland said his team is getting better with each game, despite the loss and despite the team's youth.

"We've just got to hit," said McLeland of the loss. "We had good defense, we just need to get more hits. We're still young, but we're doing better. We're getting better every time we play."

Dickinson said he feels good about his team after one game, especially since they've had a lack of practice.

"We're missing a couple of big bats in our lineup and we have guys coming back from deployment, but we're good to go," Dickinson said of his team. "We've only been able to have two practices. But we did very well for the first game without much practice. We're going to have a solid team."