By Robert Thomas

                FLOWER MOUND -- The road to the 10 and Under Platinum 'A' finals hasn't been an easy one for the SIII All Out (Corpus Christi, Texas) squad at the AAYBA World Series at Bakersfield Park, but they now find themselves nearly there after a 7-6 semifinals win over the Arlington (Texas) Heat.                                                            The game was the second-straight comeback win for All Out, as the team rallied from an early two-run deficit and held off a late rally from the Heat to get the win.

                All Out will now face the Texas Barracudas (Cypress, Texas) in the 10 and Under Platinum 'A' title game on Saturday at Bakersfield Park in one of the tournament's final games.

                "These guys are playing with a high level of confidence right now," said SIII All Out coach Lupe Caballero. "Everyone on the team is helping each other out and backing them up to make whatever plays we need to win."

                All Out showed plenty of power in the win as well, clubbing a pair of home runs that five of its seven runs. Three of those runs came off the bat of Ryan Flores (3-for-3, two runs) in the first inning, as he blasted a three-run home run to score R.J. Galvan and Jacob Flores for a 3-0 lead.

                The Heat answered back and cut the lead to 3-1 in the bottom of the inning on an RBI single by Mason Hooper (2-for-3, 3 RBIs) to plate Ford Spigener.

                The Heat then kept the pressure on in the bottom of the second inning, scoring four times to grab a 5-3 lead.

                The inning saw the Heat sent nine players to the plate, with Brett Bostat starting the scoring with a groundout to plate Bryce Hackett. Creighton Witt followed with an RBI single to score Chase Estrada (2-for-3), with a fielding error sending Witt home two batters later.

                The Heat closed its scoring in the frame on an RBI grounder by Hooper to bring in David VanVooren.

                But the All Out squad rallied back in the bottom of the third, scoring four times to reclaim the lead at 7-5.

                The long ball also played a big part in the rally, as Brandon Marshall blasted a two-run home run to dead center field to score Ryan Flores. The slam came after Galvan scored on a throwing errors, putting All Out ahead, 6-5.

                Jeffery Boggess then wrapped up the inning's scoring with an RBI single that brought in Justin Hernandez for a two-run edge.

                The Heat cut that edge to 7-6 in the fourth inning, as Hooper crushed a run-scoring double to plate Garrett Merryfield. However, All Out got a pair of ground out and a strikeout to stop the game-tying run from crossing the plate.

                All Out pitcher Boggess (five innings, eight strikeouts, eight hits allowed) then pitched a scoreless final frame to close the game, striking out the final two batters he faced.

                "Jeffery just did the job today for us," Caballero said. "He hit his spots when we needed him to and just big pitches in those last two innings."

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