SURPRISE, Ariz.- In a spectacular all-around performance, MVP Hustle defeated Canyon Thunder, 8-3, to claim the title in the 16U Gold Medal Game at Surprise Stadium on Friday.
Led by Mario Tostado, Hustle scored four runs in the first three innings to push out to an early lead. Tostado went 4-for-4 with three runs batted in and three runs scored.
"My teammates were helping me set up," Tostado said. "It was easy to see the ball and I was getting a lot of fastballs up."
Hustle did not wait to get the scoring started, putting a run on the board in the first on Tostado's first hit of the day, scoring Ricky Tiedemann following a leadoff walk.
Thunder put their first runners on base in the second after Ragan singled and Wallace walked with two outs. Hustle starter Figueroa struck out Desiderio to end the frame with no damage being done.
In the top of the third, Hustle expanded the gap to four after Tiedemann and Tostado both singled. Favela then drove a sacrifice fly to left to score Tiedemann before Michael DeHaro doubled to score Tostado. Almaraz cashed in DeHaro, lining a single of his own to left to increase the lead to 4-0.
"They were hunting the fastball," Hustle Head Coach Robert Prieto said. "Our guys were on time with it and they didn't miss those pitches."
A dropped third strike and back-to-back walks in the bottom of the fourth brought the game's next scoring threat for the Thunder, loading the bases for Jimenez. He took advantage with a ground ball single through the second baseman, scoring Frees and Wallace and shrinking the lead to two.
The Hustle offense responded in the top of the fifth with two runs of their own. Gonzalez led off with a triple before Tostado added his third hit, this one a double to center that scored Gonzalez. Thunder then turned a double play on a DeHaro ground ball, but a second run scored on the fielder's choice to set the lead back to four.
Frees represented the first baserunner for the Thunder in the bottom as a perfectly placed drag bunt allowed him to reach first. A double by Ragan followed by a Webb walk loaded the bases and forced a pitching change for Hustle. Reliever Justin Rios walked his first batter, forcing home a run, but that was all Thunder would score from the threat, as Workman grounded into a fielder's choice.
In the bottom of the sixth, it appeared as though Duffalo had a ground ball single to right, but Tostado threw him out at first base to kill the chance and keep the momentum in Hustle's favor.
"I felt like we had the momentum since the first inning," Tostado said. "Our pitchers did really well the whole game."
Hustle would go on to add two insurance runs in the seventh thanks to a Tostado double and DeHaro single before Rios would seal the victory in the bottom of the inning, sitting the Thunder offense down with a pair of fly outs and a ground out.
Anderson was solid in the start, going 4.2 innings. He allowed six hits and three runs, walking five and striking out five.
"I'm extremely happy," Prieto said. "All these kids have been playing for me since they were seven years old. It feels good to come out here and be able to compete with teams from all over the country and just not give in."
MVP Hustle finishes the 2018 National Team Championships at 7-1, outscoring their opponents 51-32 along the way.