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SFS dominate the diamond, defeat LRS for championship

  • Published
  • By Airman Whitney Amstutz
  • 36th Wing Public Affairs
ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam - --  In a nail-biting battle that lasted well into the evening, members of the 36th Security Forces Squadron and the 36th Logistics Readiness Squadron competed for bragging rights and the base intramural softball championship title August 2.

Dozens of family members, squadron members and friends of players came out to cheer on their respective teams and after seven innings of intense play, the 36th SFS came out on top with a 19-16 victory over the 36th LRS.

The 36th SFS drew first blood in the first inning when Staff Sgt. William Townsend, an assistant flight chief in the 36th SFS, knocked one out of the park for a grand slam.

"The game was awesome," Sergeant Townsend said. "It was just what a championship should have been. We had two really good teams that fought their way through many other good teams to get to the big game."

Sergeant Townsend attributes the success of the 36th SFS team to their ability to pull together and overcome obstacles.

"The entire season was a complete team effort from everyone," Sergeant Townsend said. "Whether it was a normal starter or if we had to send a runner to the dorms to grab some players to fill the roster, the 36th SFS showed true team-work this season and everyday on duty."

In addition, the 36th SFS team is made up of individuals who have both experience and talent on their side.

"Our team consists of a lot of players that have been playing softball for quite some time," said Staff Sgt. Kareem Morton, coach of the 36th SFS softball team. "The majority of us have been part of a squadron team for the last three years. So we are a group that understands each other's strong and weak points."

In addition to physical preparedness, the 36th SFS maintained a positive mind-set and expected nothing less than victory.

"From the start of the season we were determined to make it to the championship game," Sergeant Morton said. "We played together as a team from game one and that continued to the championship game. We had outstanding individual performances, but we also continue to do what we did all season: play good defense."

The 36th SFS team put a stop to several scoring attempts made by the 36th LRS with effortless precision.

"Without a doubt defense was our strongest area of play," Sergeant Morton said. "I stressed to the players the importance of making the routing plays. We played good defense on a consistent basis, which limited teams from ever really getting the chance to capitalize on errors."

Now that the season has come to an end, the players and coaches have a chance to reflect on months of hard work and old fashioned competition.

"After three long months of playing softball, it feels good to know that we are considered the best softball team on Andersen Air Force Base, especially with the amount of good teams that participate each year. It feels really good," Sergeant Morton said.