Comm impressive in intramural softball blowout

  • Published
  • By Kevin Gaddie
  • Team Eglin Public Affairs
The 96th Communications Squadron walloped the 33rd Maintenance Group 23-14 in their first game of the intramural softball season here.


Comm’s hot bats established their dominance in the first inning and the Maintainers never came close to catching them.

Cody Gunton, batting second, smacked a line drive to center field for a double.  Ryan Kirkpatrick, the lead-off batter, cruised from first base to home plate for the first score.

Gunton was brought home by Russ Hodge who belted one to left field for a 2-0 lead.

Dale Sowers slid a grounder past third base for a single that brought home three runs to increase Comm’s lead to 5-0.

Jacob Edwards’ ground ball to left field drove in Sowers for a 6-0 lead as the first inning ended.

Maintenance answered with only three runs in the bottom of the first.

David Frost’s line drive to left field at full count scored two of Maintenance’s first three runs.

Frost tagged up from third to close in on Comm, 6-3, after Michael Truchanowicz’s left field sacrifice fly.

The Communicators kept the momentum in the second inning, notching eight runs off the bats of Russ Hodge, Albert Flores, Jordan Rumfeld and Jacob Edwards, to stretch their lead to 14-3.

Josh Hamel, the Maintainers’ coach, tried to stay positive as his team struggled through their opening game.

“We’re feeling each other out right now,” he said.  “We’re trying to find a spark.  I’m optimistic.”

The 33rd rallied in the fourth inning, posting six runs behind solid batting.  They narrowed the deficit to 17-10.

Will Collier, Comm’s coach, called this year’s opening performance ‘fantastic.’

“We started the last couple of years on the downside,” he said.  “We’ve got some new ball players this year and it makes a difference.  This first game is going really well.”

In the fifth and sixth innings, Comm scored six more runs, while Maintenance scored two.  Comm sealed the victory, 23 -14 as the game was called for time.

“It’s just the first game,” Hamel said of their opening loss.  “We have an idea of what we need to do.  We’ll have a better showing next time.”

Collier was elated by Comm’s first win.

“We had good hitting and good fielding,” he said.  “If we keep playing like this, I believe we can go all the way this year.”