Recruiters rally for sweep

Published June 18, 2009
By John E. Banks
Tinker Public Affairs

TINKER AIR FORCE BASE, Okla. -- The 349th Recruiting Squadron and the 31st Combat Communications Squadron took to the softball field June 11 ready for action. The 349th RCS rallied in both games and swept the doubleheader 9-7 and 10-9.

The teams exchanged runs over the first six innings of play in the first game. The 31st CCS held a slight 7-6 lead heading into the top of the seventh inning.

The 349th RCS rallied with three consecutive singles in their half of the inning. The game-winning hit came off the bat of team captain James Couch, who lined a sharp hit down the third base line clearing the bases and giving his team their first win of the season.

Shortstop William Mitchell of the 349th RCS was the hitting star of the game. He went 3-for-4 with three RBIs.

"That was an exciting victory for our team," Couch said. "It was the first victory and we sure needed it."

"I thought we had that one," said Matthew Szaban, 31st CCS head coach. "My hat's off to the 349th for their hard-fought victory."

The second game started off much the same as the first. The teams went back and forth on the scoresheet, keeping the players and fans on the edge of their seats.

The contest came down to the bottom of the seventh inning, with the 349th RCS trailing by one run. Couch led off the inning with a single and the next batter, catcher Jimmy Spears, singled up the middle to put runners on second and third with no outs. First baseman Dave Stewart stepped to the plate and hit an infield single. Two throwing errors by the 31st CCS defense allowed the game-winning runs to score. The final score was 10-9.

"These were some very exciting games," Couch said. "You come to play the game and ultimately win."

With the win, the 349th RCS improves to 2-0, while the loss drops the 31st CCS to 0-2 on the year.

Batter up