By Alden Gonzalez

MEMPHIS, Tenn. – It seems like three innings is all you can hope for when trying to tame the Tomateros de California’s offense.

Going into the championship game of the 10-and-under division in the first-ever National Youth Baseball Championships, the Tomateros had outscored their opponents, 54-10, in their previous four contests. In the finale on Saturday night, they found themselves down early, but the Tomateros rallied back in the fourth and held on late in a 7-6 win over the Chet Lemon Juice 10s, which earned them the trophy.

Down, 2-0, heading into the bottom of the fourth, the Tomateros started the inning with four straight hits and ended up with five runs thanks to RBIs by Bryan Duenas, Isaak Gutierrez, Jose Ruiz, Gabriel Anaya and Henry Martinez.

The Juice 10s (4-1), from Orlando, Fla., cut the deficit to one thanks to a two-run, opposite-field homer by Juan Hillman. But the Tomateros (5-0), from Paramount, Calif., flexed their muscles once again with two runs in the bottom of the fifth. In the sixth, after the Juice 10s cut it to one with an RBI double by Andrew Baker and a two-out, RBI single by Chase Cheek, Gutierrez struck out the final batter with the tying run in scoring position to clinch it.

"It feels great [to win it all] – like we have new life," said Tomateros head coach Joe Ruiz, whose team was the No. 2 10-and-under squad in the nation according to Travel Ball Select, mostly because they lost in the championship game of the Elite 24. "Sometimes, your offense comes out lagging, and it takes a little bit to get it going, and they were able to do that [in the fourth inning]."

The NYBC, held at Gameday Baseball’s First Tennessee Fields, brings together eight teams in each of the two age groups – 10-and-under and 12-and-under. The teams earn the right to compete in the four-day tournament by winning their respective youth baseball organization. The Tomateros represented the USSSA, and the Juice 10s were champions of the Amateur Athletic Union.

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