Support unit holds off NORTHCOM rally for first victory

Published July 15, 2008
By Walt Johnson
21st Space Wing sports reporter

PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. -- When two winless teams show up for a softball game, the last thing anyone's expecting is an exciting, close-fought and fun contest.

That was not the case July 10 as the 21st Mission Support Squadron and the NORTHCOM J34 softball teams came to the Peterson softball complex and played as good a game as any you'd want to see.

In the end, the 21st MSS hung on to win a 15-14 decision and claim its first victory of the season. But this game had a story that went well beyond the final score.

The NORTHCOM team was first to bat, and it got two runs on the board before being retired in its half of the first inning. The 21st MSS team came to bat in its half of the first inning and showed right away it was not about to let the two early runs affect its game. The MSS team scored seven runs in its half of the first inning to take a 7-2 lead, and, judging from the way the team hit the ball, it appeared a rout could be in the making. But that wasn't what NORTHCOM had on its mind.

NORTHCOM showed it could hit the ball also, as it scored five runs in its half of the second inning to tie the game at seven runs apiece. MSS came up in the bottom of the second inning and scored three runs to regain the lead at 10-7 heading into the third inning and ensuring the contest would be one for the ages.

Great games are measured by the way teams are able to rally back from adversity to regain success. Even if this game ended after three innings, it would already have qualified as a great game. But there was more to come in this classic matchup.

NORTHCOM scored one run in the third inning to pull within 10-8 and then held the MSS team without a run in the third inning. Coming up to bat in the fourth inning, NORTHCOM had a chance to do something it hadn't done since the first inning, take the lead, and it proceeded to do just that. NORTHCOM pushed across three runs to take an 11-10 lead into the bottom of the fourth inning and now it was the MSS team's turn to come back from adversity.

It took two innings, but MSS regained the lead in the bottom of the fifth inning as it pushed across five runs after allowing NORTHCOM another run in the fifth inning to take a 15-12 lead into the sixth inning. In the sixth inning, NORTHCOM pushed across two more runs to pull within one run of the MSS team at 15-14.

The bottom of the sixth inning was critical for the NORTHCOM team if it was going to have any chance of regaining the lead. NORTHCOM would have to hold the MSS team to as few runs as possible so the deficit would not be too great to overcome. It turned out the best possible scenario for NORTHCOM unfolded, as it held the MSS team scoreless in the sixth and needed just two runs to take a lead into the bottom of the seventh inning.

MSS was just as hungry to win its first game of the year and was able to get two quick outs to start the inning. After NORTHCOM put a runner on base, the tying run came to the plate, but the MSS pitcher got the batter to fly out to left field to end the game and give the MSS team its first win of the season.

After the game NORTHCOM coach Mike Leehan said he had nothing but praise for the way his team battled and fought until the end. He said the team is not the youngest in the league, but it comes out to play the game and have some fun - and fun is exactly what the game was for them.

"I'm probably the youngest guy on this team, and I am 43 years old," Coach Leehan said. "I gave up a bunch of those early runs (Coach Leehan started the game as the pitcher), and then when I brought in our other pitcher, it kind of kept them in check for the rest of the game. We started picking up our hitting after the first couple of innings where we hit a number of balls off our fist. We got to be a little more patient and waited for something good to hit. This is the first time we have had nine players (because of duty commitments) so we hope this is the start of us getting better and playing better the rest of the season."

Brent Regan, 21st MSS spokesman, said his team needed the victory it got because frankly the team wanted to feel the thrill of victory after losing its first four games of the season. He said the way the team fought back after losing its lead was a good sign for it and possibly a momentum builder for the rest of the year.

"Everyone on this team just likes to come out and have fun," Mr. Regan said. "We always have a good showing and we like to come out here and have fun. When those guys were up two runs on us, our goal was to get three runs so we could take the lead. We have been on a big losing streak and everyone in this dugout was extremely motivated to get a win. We changed our outfield alignment to play a rover instead of four outfielders, and it worked for us. The hits to the outfield would have been hits anyway, and our rover was able to take some of those hits that would have fallen in and made them outs."

NORTHCOM team battles against MSS