Grease Monkeys rally past SOCSOUTH to win championship

  • Published
  • By Senior Airman Erik Hofmeyer
  • 482nd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
HOMESTEAD AIR RESERVE BASE, Fla. --  A late inning rally lifted the Grease Monkeys to a 5-4 victory over Special Operations Command South during the Homestead Air Reserve Base championship intramural softball game on Jan. 22.

The Grease Monkeys, a hodgepodge of 482nd Maintenance Group and 93rd Fighter Squadron life support personnel, entered the bottom of the 6th inning down 4-3, but quickly answered with three consecutive singles to load the bases.

Staff Sgt. Michael Tincher, 482nd Maintenance Squadron propulsion technician and team captain, then stepped to the plate and drilled a bases loaded, 2-run double into right field to score the go-ahead runs.

"I was just trying to get a base hit because base hits are the key to the game," Sergeant Tincher said as a nearby teammate doused him with water.

The matchup featured all the excitement of a championship game with three lead changes in the 7-inning game. The Grease Monkeys struck first when Senior Airman Jason Rogers drove in Staff Sgt. Stephen Hagerman with a single in the 1st inning, and the team added two more runs in the 2nd inning to carry a 3-0 lead into the 4th inning.

SOCSOUTH's batters heated up in the 4th inning with two runs, but Grease Monkey Senior Airman Jermaine Clark ended the inning abruptly after a diving catch in left field. 

A second 2-run SOCSOUTH rally kicked off in the 6th inning after four straight singles to storm into a 4-3 lead. The team threatened again in the 7th inning with two singles and a walk, but two runners were stranded on base after a solid defensive fielding by the Grease Monkeys.

"We've got a great group of guys and girls, and it's been a pleasure to serve as team captain," Sergeant Tincher said.