Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling had the hot bats on Sept. 18 as they downed Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall 23-10 during the Battle of the Bases Championship at Nationals Park in Washington, D.C.
Family, friends, and fans had the chance to watch the two bases display their athleticism and skill on the diamond. Sgt. First Class John Parks put on a show making not one, but two incredible catches in left field for Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall on his birthday.
The Williamsburg, Va. native has served in the US Army for eleven years and is the Drum Major for the Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Incredibly Parks almost missed the championship game since his wife was due with the couple’s second child and went into labor the morning after the game.
See video footage here.
The Battle of the Bases softball tournament serves as an extension of the intramural season at each of the military bases in the National Capital Region, which featured 20 teams. The preliminary rounds of the tournament were held on Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling on Aug. 28 and 29, and each base was invited to enter two teams to compete in the double-elimination tournament.
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Teams of active duty service members from all six branches, playing across all National Capital Region installations, participated in the tournament. Participating bases included:
· Joint Base Andrews
· Joint Base Anacostia-Bolling
· Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall
· Fort Belvoir
· Fort McNair
· Marine Corps Base Quantico
· Marine Barracks Washington
· NSA Annapolis
· NSA Bethesda
· NSF Dahlgren
· Fort Meade
· USCG Base National Capital Region
Through the Nats on Base initiative, the Nationals aim to provide year-round experiences that contribute to the quality of life for service members and their families in the Washington D.C. region, reaching them where they live and work, as well as in-park. The team works with regional and base leadership to develop programming and identify outreach opportunities at local installations.
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In addition to Battle of the Bases, the Nationals support military intramural programs by providing, at no cost to the service branches, a Nationals-branded jersey and cap to each man or woman participating in the base-affiliated intramural softball league. Teams are differentiated through the use of a variety of styles and colors of jerseys and caps.
The game was played after the conclusion of the Nationals-Rockies game on Saturday afternoon.
Reach Julia LeDoux at Julia@connectingvets.com.
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