News

MXS holds off Cops 11-10 to reach base championship

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Chuck Walker
  • 436th Airlift Wing Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  For the past two years running, the 436th Maintenance Squadron has won the Dover Air Force Base intramural softball championship coming out of the winner's bracket of the tournament.

Now, the Maintainers will try to make it three years in a row.

The Maintainers scored 10 runs in the first inning and held on to defeat the 436th Security Forces Squadron 11-10 in the winner's bracket final of the Base Softball Playoffs at the base softball field Aug. 31, 2010.

With the victory, the Maintainers move to the Base Championship game, while the Cops move to the loser's bracket finals to see who will face the Maintainers for the championship.

Anthony Arguello, Maintainers shortstop/coach, said the difference for his team was defense.

"We have a solid defense," Arguello said. "I think we have the best defense on base. We are very diverse, we stay up, we are a positive team. We pick each other up, we back each other up. We have fun and we play ball."

The Maintainers jumped out on the Cops early. Roger Parsons had a two-run double, while Arguello, Jim Goerss and Randy McDonald each added RBI doubles and Chris Zubrick, Andrew Gross and Shane Hierlmaier each added a run-scoring single to push the Maintainers out to a 10-0 lead.

But the Cops would not go down easy.

Adam Fike belted a two-run homer in the second inning to trim the lead to 10-2. Mike Marsters hit a three-run double in the third inning as the Cops cut the Maintainers lead to 10-6.

John Quick blasted a two-run homer and Marsters added an RBI double in the fifth to cut the lead to 11-9.

The Cops, however, couldn't quite get over the hump, adding a run in the top of the seventh on a throwing error by Arguello for the final of 11-10.

For the Cops, it was all about that one bad inning.

"It's very frustrating," Cops coach Joshua Dickinson said. "We just had first inning jitters. We had people making bad throws. After that first inning we were able to get our composure and calm down, but by then it was too late."

Arguello led the Maintainers offensively going 4-for-4 with a double and an RBI. McDonald went 3-for-3 with a double and an RBI, Goerss went 3-for-4 with a double and three RBI, Parsons went 2-for-4 with a double and three RBI and Gross went 2-for-3 with an RBI as the Maintainers move to the Base Championship game.

The Maintainers now look to win the base championship for the third year in a row.

Ironically, the past two seasons, the Maintainers have defeated the Cops for the title, a situation that could repeat itself again if the Cops make it out of the loser's bracket final.

"This is our third year in a row in the championship," Goerss said. "Every single time we play (the Cops) it's a matter of who comes out and hits. We hope they make it to the championship. Every time we play them it is a great game. Other than that, we are going to take a break and prepare (for the championship game)."

The Cops hope to repeat history by making it back to the championship round, but hope to change history once it reaches that point.

"We did it the past two years," Dickinson said of reaching the finals out of the loser's bracket. "Each time we have lost, but we plan on changing that this year. We're used to doing it."

Arguello said the rest before the championship game will come in handy. He also said the rest will allow his team to focus on its ultimate goal of winning another base title.

"We are a singles and doubles hitting team," Arguello said. "We all have to get focused and understand what we have to do to win. We have a big advantage in that we have to lose twice in order for the other team to win the championship. When a team has to come in and beat us twice, that is very hard to do."