MARINE CORPS AIR STATION IWAKUNI, Japan -- The chili might have been hot, but it was the competition on the field that was heating up.
Softball teams from around the station competed in the annual Chili Slip-N-Slide Softball Competition at Penny Lake Fields here Oct. 2.
Six teams went head-to-head throughout the day beginning at 10:30 a.m.
The final game was between Team Torii and Marine Aircraft Group 12.
Team Torii won the competition, beating out MAG-12 with a score of 19 to 16.
Right out the gate Torii took an 11-run lead in the first inning.
The next few innings were stale with neither team getting much action.
Torii began having trouble stringing together enough hits, allowing MAG-12 to creep up the scoreboard making a couple of runs each inning.
According to Torii’s captain Rodney L. Buentello, their troubles on the field were not so much human error as it was for the sake of entertainment.
“The last game was good. We took an 11-0 lead. We knew we had it in the bag so we started playing around, you know, because we could. We tried to make it interesting for the kids to come out here and watch us play, but other than that, we knew we were going to win,” said Buentello. “No team out here competes with us, so we knew we had it in the bag.”
In the seventh inning, MAG-12 gave them a run for their money, racking up back-to-back runs.
Unfortunately, it was not enough to make them champions, ultimately leaving Torii as the Chili Slip-N-Slide victors.
“They played well … They played up to their level; we played below ours,” said Brandon Mumme, left center fielder for MAG-12. “If we had played to our level like when we got that really nice rally going, maybe the outcome would have been different.”
MAG-12 was particularly proud of themselves for making it so far in the competition considering Torii’s background.
“Everyone on our team is from one unit, MAG-12 headquarters, and from my understanding, their team is made up from all the best players around the station,” said Mumme. “For us to come in second place and almost beat an all-star team, if you will, is really cool.”
Once the competition came to an end, both teams held informal ceremonies, handing out trophies to each player, courtesy of Marine Corps Community Services.