CAMP FOSTER, Okinawa — Call this week’s Marine Corps Far East Regional Softball Tournament the stuff of dreams for Daniel Alvarez.

Alvarez had five hits in eight at-bats with two home runs and five RBIs as 1st Marine Aircraft Wing pounded 3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force 16-4 and 10-2 on Thursday for the tournament title.

The 26-year-old third baseman from Seattle finished the week 14-for-31 (.452) with nine RBIs, earning Most Valuable Player honors and a trip to the All-Marine tryout camp Aug. 25-Sept. 14 at Marine Corps Air Station Cherry Point, N.C.

Not a bad haul for a guy in his first year of Marine varsity ball.

"You have no idea," said Alvarez, a lance corporal assigned to Camp Foster. "This is the highest level I’ve ever played at. I’ll learn some things, that’s for sure."

Alvarez’s performance capped a title run during which Wing won four games in one day, after losing its first game Wednesday in the double-elimination playoffs.

"The sticks came together at just the right time," Wing coach Larry Borum said after he captured his second Far East Regional gold medal.

One of those sticks was brandished by Meaty Hinkhouse, who was 4-for-6 with a homer and six RBIs in the two final games.

It was Hinkhouse’s second time to turn the four-victories-in-a-day trick; he did the same when Marine Corps Base Hawaii won the 2001 tournament.

"A champion comes out in the face of true adversity. That’s what we did today," Hinkhouse said.

"He stepped up when it counted," Borum said.

At the All-Marine camp, Alvarez will be joined by fellow first-time selectees and Wing teammates Bob Willard and Tim Dawsey; 2003 camp selection Luther Gibbs of Marine Corps Base Camp S.D. Butler; 2007 camper Travis Adams of Division and Harris Ryerson of Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni. None have made an All-Marine team.

One woman Marine based at Iwakuni also got the nod for the All-Marine camp at Cherry Point, bringing the final total of Pacific selections for their respective All-Service camps to 29.

Rachael Simons, a 19-year-old lance corporal assigned to American Forces Network-Iwakuni, was a four-year varsity fastpitch player in her hometown of Alton, Ill., and is headed to her first All-Marine camp.

"It’s a privilege to do this. It’s an experience I never thought I’d get," Simons said.

The Far East seven will vie for berths on the All-Marine teams playing in the All-Armed Forces tournament Sept. 14-19 at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Fla. The All-Armed Forces teams then play in the Amateur Softball Association national Class A tournaments Sept. 25-28 at Oklahoma City.

Marine Corps Far East Regional Men’s Softball TournamentAt Camp Foster, Okinawa

Wednesday’s games Game 1—Marine Corps Base Camp S.D. Butler 13, U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Lester 1 (6)Game 2—3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force 10, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni 9 (8)Game 3—Camp Butler 4, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing 3Game 4—MCAS Iwakuni 16, U.S.N.H. Camp Lester 0 (5); U.S.N.H. eliminatedGame 5—3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force 11, Camp Butler 7

Thursday’s games Game 6-1st Marine Aircraft Wing 14, MCAS Iwakuni 0 (5); MCAS Iwakuni eliminatedGame 7-1st Marine Aircraft Wing 14, Camp Butler 9; Camp Butler eliminatedGame 8-1st Marine Aircraft Wing 16, 3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force 4 (6)Game 9-1st Marine Aircraft Wing 10, 3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force 2; 3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force eliminated

Awards

Most Valuable Player-Daniel Alvarez, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing

All-Tournament coach-Larry Borum, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing

All-Marine tryout camp selectees-Tim Dawsey, Daniel Alvarez, Bob Willard, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing; Travis Adams, 3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force; Harris Ryerson, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni; Luther Gibbs, Marine Corps Base Camp S.D. Butler.

All-Tournament team-Tim Dawsey, Daniel Alvarez, Bob Willard, 1st Marine Aircraft Wing; Travis Adams, Courtney Jackson, 3rd Marine Division/III Marine Expeditionary Force; Harris Ryerson, Damon Wilson, Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni; Luther Gibbs, Lee Smith, Marine Corps Base Camp S.D. Butler; Anthony Gourley, U.S. Naval Hospital Camp Lester.

Thursday’s summaries

Wing 14, Iwakuni 0 (5) Wing..........051 17—14 20 1Iwakuni ..........000 00— 0 3 4Batting-Wing, Dave Long 4-for-4, 3B, 3 RBIs; Thomas Harris 3-for-4, 3 RBIs; Jesus Reza 2 RBIs; Daniel Alvarez, Christopher Vann each 3-for-4.

Wing 14, Base 9 Wing ..........215 042 0—14 17 3Base ..........004 002 3— 9 12 6Batting-Wing, Tim Dawsey 3-for-5, 2 2B, 2 RBIs; Jesus Reza 3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBIs; Barry Brown 2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBIs; Thomas Harris 2-for-4, 2 RBIs. Base, Todd Harding 4-for-4, RBI; Luther Gibbs, Mike Muller each 2-for-4, RBI.

Championship Game 1

Wing 16, Division 4 (6) Division ..........112 000— 4 8 8Wing ..........251 134—16 19 4Batting-Wing, Daniel Alvarez 3-for-4, 2B, 3B, HR, 4 RBIs; Meaty Hinkhouse 2-for-4, HR, 4 RBIs; Barry Brown 3-for-4, 2 RBIs; Jesse Knight 2-for-2, HR, SF, 2 RBIs. Division, Travis Adams 2 RBIs; Jimmy Moody 2-for-2.

Championship Game 2

Wing 10, Division 2 Division ..........100 010 0— 2 5 2Wing ..........011 260 x—10 17 1Batting-Wing, Tim Dawsey 3-for-4, HR, 3 RBIs; Meaty Hinkhouse 2-for-2, SF, 2 RBIs; Daniel Alvarez 2-for-4, HR, RBI. Division, Courtney Jackson 2-for-3, RBI; Tyrell Hicks 2-for-2.

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