PEORIA, Ariz. - After going down 1-0 in the top of the first inning, NorCal Baseball 2022 Blue immediately responded with nine runs in two innings and locked down defensively to defeat the GBG Renegades, 9-3, on Saturday morning at the Peoria Sports Complex. With the victory, the squad takes home their first-ever USA Baseball National Team Championships gold medal.
The Renegades opened up the game on a high note, getting their first three batters of the game on the base path. A walk, two singles and a fielder's choice later, they got on the board first, 1-0.
NorCal immediately responded with three runs to take the lead, taking advantage of a leadoff error by the Renegades. Jaron Nevarez followed the free base with a single, setting the table for Joe Brown's RBI-double to tie things up at one. Malcom Moore manufactured a run with a sacrifice fly and Cutter Coffey did the same to make the score 3-1.
Robby Snelling started on the bump for NorCal, tossing a gem in his second start of the tournament. He scattered five hits and five strikeouts while allowing two earned runs in his complete game for his team.
The offense came alive again in the bottom of the second spearheaded by another leadoff baserunner by NorCal. Brandon Larson put up a leadoff single and an error during the next at-bat put runners on the corners with none out. A solid piece of hitting by J.R. Ritchie scored two runs and NorCal added a triple, two singles and wild pitch with just one out to crack the score wide open at the final of 9-1.
The Renegades fought back in the top of the fourth, notching two singles and taking advantage of an error and balk to put up two runs and take away the potential run-rule for NorCal. However, Snelling got a batter swinging to limit the damage at 9-3.
Ivan Gutierrez of the Renegades came in to pitch in the second inning and easily took care of the NorCal offense from there on out, giving up just one hit of scoreless ballgame in 4 2/3 innings of work.
Both teams kept each other off the board in the final three frames, as Snelling came out for an easy final inning. He notched two ground outs and a fly out to secure his complete game victory.