MARINE CORPS AIR GROUND COMBAT CENTER TWENTYNINE PALMS, Calif., -- For weeks, eight teams have met on the field of dreams. The final showdown was between Chicks & Sticks and last year’s defending champions, OutKasts, during the Commanding General’s Intramural Co-Ed Softball championship game at Felix Field Nov. 29, 2011.
After all the weeks of season games, both teams brought their A games and kept the final match an interesting one.
“The competition gets better every year, and this was a close game until the last inning,” said Jesse Silvas, coach, OutKasts.
It was a low scoring game with both teams keeping a strong defense. The game was tied at the bottom of the fifth, 8-8.
With the game so close and a championship at stake, there was tension in the air.
The teams playfully dispersed the negativity as they heckled each other throughout the night.
“All the teams are really close because they play tournaments together. The women played together in the Women’s Softball league and (the men during the) regular softball league in the spring,” said Randy Husted, sports coordinator, Sports Department, Marine Corps Community Services.
OutKasts made their move during the sixth inning, doubling their runs and gaining a huge lead, 16-8.
Chicks & Sticks pushed hard during their last two times up at the plate, but couldn’t close the score’s gap.
The game ended with OutKasts going home as the victors and the score set at 16-10.
“It was a relief to finally win,” Silvas said. “It was stressful all year to defend the title of the champions for a second year.”
The Co-Ed Softball league might be over, but there are more opportunities for Combat Center personnel to walk onto those dusty, rust-colored fields as players.
The Commanding Generals Intramural Softball League will start up in April. For more information on upcoming leagues offered by the Sports Department call, 830-4092 or visit www.mccs29palms.com.