31st TES goes foul against 412th AMXS

  • Published
  • By Airman 1st Class William O'Brien
  • 95th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
EDWARDS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  The 412th Aircraft Maintenance Squadron started slowly, falling to an early deficit, but once they were able to get their bats going, they were able to steamroll their competition 32-19.

"Slow pitch softball is a game of hitting," said John Miller, 412 AMXS coach. "Once we were able to get our batters on track and get a lead, our confidence rose and we began fielding the ball better and we were able to pull out a victory."

The 412th AMXS opened the first inning scoring two runs on three hits and stranding a batter on second.

After the 412th AMXS stumbled out of the gate the 31 TES saw its opportunity to pounce quickly and put the game out of reach. And following eight consecutive hits and seven runs to start the inning, it seemed as if they had. But they too hit a bump in the road, getting their first two outs of the inning on consecutive at bats. They were able to recover, scoring five more runs before the 412th AMXs closed the inning.

Down by double-digits and fresh off an effort that saw only three batters get on base, the 412th AMXS started the second inning similar to the first, with a single followed by an early out. It seemed as if they were finished before they were even able to begin. Then an RBI double follow by 15 more hits put the 412th on the inside track of what once seemed like a lost cause.

"Even after we fell behind early we didn't doubt our ability to make a comeback," said James Miller, 412th AMXS pitcher.

"They batted well in the second inning," said Travis Buckner, 31st TES coach. "What seemed to swing the game in their favor was a homerun they hit late in that inning, I saw a lot of players get discouraged when that happened and we weren't able to recover from that."

Their newly acquired lead and confidence followed the 412th into the bottom of the second inning, as they were able to send their opponent back to the dugout following a routine double play, closing an inning that yielded no runs for the games former powerhouse.

"We've got a good pitcher our outfield is decent and our infield is good and we bat well," added Coach Miller. "Once we put all that together were tough to beat."

In the third inning, the 412th AMXS continued to add to their lead and the 31st TES continued losing ground.

The fourth and final inning the 412th AMXS scored four runs, bringing their total score to 32 and leaving the 31 TES with one final chance to win the game.

To even pull off a tie, the 31st TES would need to score 15 runs in this final inning. The first batters quick out seemed to bury their chances, but five hits and two runs gave the team a glimmer of hope. Then two outs quickly brought their comeback hopes to a screeching halt, closing out the game 19-32.

"The 31st TES is a premier team and was a great test for us," said Coach Miller. "Playing the 31st (TES) helped us to gauge how well our team is doing and how we compare to some of the best teams in the league."