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Thumpers win second base title

  • Published
  • By John Stuart
  • Tinker Public Affairs
TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. --  The Thumpers earned their keep in the sixth. With a long-expected championship game upon them, they were up against their reserve counterpart Okies. Only one team could earn the softball trophy and bragging rights for the next year. The Thumpers wanted it, but things weren't looking good.

The rain began falling in the third inning and showed no signs of stopping. The ball was slick and the field progressively more sodden. But both teams had waited too long for this game. They weren't about to call it for rain.

The Okies jumped to an early lead and were out in front 7-4 after the first. But the Thumpers found a rhythm with their bats and made it 8-7 after two innings.

They'd keep the lead until the fourth, when the Okies started their bid for the trophy in earnest. Okies' Bob Atkins nailed a tater over the left center fence. Then, on defense, a double play by third baseman TJ Melliken and his brother Jeff held the Thumpers to only one run. It was 17-13 and the rain kept falling.

Thumpers' Jim Gasaway found the sweet spot for a two-run homer in the fifth. Both teams scored two and held the differential at 19-15.

Then, the fateful sixth. It was get tough or go home for the Thumpers. They let their bats do the talking. Holding the Okies scoreless, the Thumpers found their rally caps and didn't look back. Matt Portno scored two on a double. Gasaway took the intentional walk and Randy Schell scored three with a double of his own. Joe Beck rocked a frozen-roper for an in-park homer and Tommy Clark whacked a double during the blitz. The Thumpers scored 10 to take the lead 25-19 with one inning to play.

With stand-out fielding, Thumpers held the Okies to only one run in the seventh and claimed the victory 25-20 after six and a half innings. It's the second consecutive base title for the Thumpers and comes on the heels of the Thumpers co-ed team winning their league.

"We had a big inning like we always do," Thumpers captain Joe Brown said. "We're down in a lot of games but we do what we need to. It feels good to win the trophy - that was the goal at the beginning of the season."