MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- Another week of the Intramural Summer Softball season came to a close May 29 with Combat Logistics Company 36 Dragons narrowly losing to the Swingn Styx, 11-10, in the bottom of the seventh at the main softball field here.
With the win, Swingn Styx improved to a 1-1 record while the Dragons fell to 0-2 with a long season ahead of them.
Swingn Styx started off strong, scoring the first few runs of the game and getting off to a 5-2 lead by the bottom of the third, but it was the fourth inning where the Dragons came alive and gave Swingn Styx a run for their money.
After giving up three runs in the third, the Dragons stepped up their play in the fourth by hitting in five runs in the top to take their first lead of the ball game, 7-5.
Swingn Styx didn’t have as good of an inning as the Dragons, only getting two hits and bringing in one run to narrow the lead down to one.
The fifth inning didn’t bring much hope to either team. Neither team got a hit. They both proved it was going to be defense that would win the game.
The sixth inning, however, did bring some light to the end of the tunnel for the Dragons as they extended their lead to three, bringing in two runs before being retired to the dugout.
“I wasn’t really sure if we were going to come back, being down three or four,” said Swingn Styx left center fielder Darrell Campbell.
Swingn Styx answered the Dragons two runs with three of their own to tie the game, 9-9.
“Never get your hopes up in softball. Four to five runs is never enough,” said Dragons’ pitcher Aaron Marsh.
His words of wisdom proved to be true. At the top of the seventh, it was clear that this game could go anywhere.
The Dragons got a pair of hits which was enough to bring in one run, take the lead once again and possibly the win.
Once again, it was up to Swingn Styx to decide their fate and they did as they scored two runs to take their first win of the season.
“My team played through the mistakes and came through in the end,” said Campbell.
“We did it the hard way, but we did it.”