MARINE CORPS BASE HAWAII -- With the sun setting on another day at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, the bright stadium lights of Riseley Field illuminated the grass for a showdown that ended with 2nd Battalion, 3rd Marine Regiment Island Warriors bringing down the Patrol Squadron 47 Golden Swordsmen, 8-4, March 5, 2013.
Guillermo Fargas, the player coach for the Island Warriors, said the season is going well so far, despite the challenge of having enough players come to practice and games. Because the battalion is in the midst of predeployment exercises, the Warriors have to balance work with play. The Island Warriors are now 2-2.
“We’re just here to have fun,” Fargas said.
The feeling was mutual with the Golden Swordsmen, who are now 1-3.
According to Golden Swordsmen centerfi elder Sean Tolbert, the team must also endure a shortage of players. The team lost to their previous opponent, Patrol Squadron 9, missing two of their pitchers and subsequently the catcher to an arm injury during the game. Like Fargas, Tolbert said the end goal is “to have fun no matter what, have good sportsmanship and try our best.”
“We work together, we play together, we feel like a team no matter where we are,” said Golden Swordsmen player Bill Ellis.
The field was quiet, save for a few words of encouragement from the audience and a chirping symphony of crickets. The Golden Swordsmen stepped up to the plate first. The Island Warriors quickly shut them down and scored seven runs in the bottom of the first inning.
The Island Warriors and the Golden Swordsmen rapidly traded places in the dugout and the field as pitchers on both sides zipped the ball clear past batters. On two occasions, eyes were on the sky as stray popup balls plummeted from the heavens to open gloves.
By the fifth inning, Ellis’ son and Mark Zematis, made their way home, granting the Golden Swordsmen two points. In the seventh and final inning, the Island Warriors were still winning, but the Golden Swordsmen weren’t going down without a fight. With a swift crack, Tolbert sent the ball soaring and made it to fi rst. The last inning brought the Golden Swordsmen two more points, but still four shy of a tie.
“It was a rough start,” Ellis said. “We played a good game after that. Unfortunately, we were not able to catch up.”
On the other end of the field, the Island Warriors walked away with another win, though Island Warriors pitcher Joseph Wambach said the Golden Swordsmen were indeed competitive. This was the very first intramural baseball game for Wambach since recently being stationed aboard MCB Hawaii.
“I think I got all my expectations blown away,” Wambach said of the overall game.