MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- El Unit pummeled the Vikings 15-0 during the preseason softball tournament championship game at Penny Lake Field here Saturday.
Throughout the entire tournament, El Unit only played three games compared to the Vikings’ seven.
El Unit’s ease to the top was a result of its ability to win every game.
The Vikings, on the other hand, ironically lost their first game to El Unit, putting them in the loser’s bracket.
The Vikings clawed their way back into the winner’s bracket by winning five games back-to-back.
“Compared to the first game we played (May 1) against El Unit, we are coming to this a lot more tired,” said Viking’s player Josh “Pretty Boy” Flores before the game. “This will be our sixth game today, so we are pretty worn out, but at the same time, we have a lot of momentum coming off of five wins. Plus, we want revenge.”
If the Vikings wanted revenge, they were going to have to play hard not only once but twice in order to win the tournament.
“They don’t need to worry about playing us twice tonight, because like the first time, we are going to beat them,” said El Unit player Justin “The Squeeze Box Man” Rodriguez.
El Unit’s confidence was daring considering the first game it played against the Vikings went into extra innings.
The Vikings were no doubt deserving of making it to the finals, but unfortunately for them, they let fatigue get to them. Like their previous games, El Unit started
and ended strong with each player smashing the ball.
By the end of the first inning, El Unit racked up a total 10 runs while the Vikings
enjoyed a large goose egg.
Going into the second inning, El Unit amped up its defense in an effort to keep its
opponent’s score at nil.
Halfway through the second inning, Flores encouraged his teammates to not lose focus, shouting, “Come on, don’t give up. This isn’t about winning anymore. This is about pride.”
With the large gap in the score, the Vikings seemed to switch their focus off winning and onto getting a couple of runs.
El Unit continued to smash the ball, racking up five more runs and bringing them to a final winning score of 15-0. Despite their efforts, the Vikings had failed to get a run on the board.
The Vikings quickly returned to their dugout as El Unit gathered in celebration around home plate.
While walking over to congratulate his opponents, Flores said, “They hit the ball.
You’ve got to give it to them. They simply played better than us. Don’t worry though, we will be back — just wait until the real season starts.”
After a long day of softball it seemed as though both teams were already thinking about the future.
“Everybody now knows we won the tournament, so they are going to be gunning for us,” said Rodriguez. “Let it be known that we are the team to beat. We are going to dominate.”
The regular softball season is scheduled to slam into action May 11.
For more information, contact the Varsity and Intramural Sports office at 253-3067.