Submitted photos – The Northern Humboldt Steelheads celebrate their first tournament win of the year this past weekend.

By Ray Hamill — Last weekend’s Rumble in the Redwoods youth baseball tournament was a huge success with two local teams taking first place in their respective brackets.

The tournament was hosted by the Six Rivers Kings and played in Eureka over two days.

And it was a memorable two days for the Northern Humboldt Steelheads 10Us and the Redwood Giants 12Us, each of whom took first place.

And that makes them our co-Teams of the Week, an award sponsored by College of the Redwoods Athletics.

The Giants won three of their four games on the way to the championship, including an exciting 10-9 win over the Steelheads 12Us in the final.

The young Giants players showcased their resilience by coming from behind in the decider and scoring five runs in the top of the sixth and final inning to help seal the victory.

The Steelheads 10Us, meanwhile, were equally impressive and won all four of their games in tournament play, including two huge wins over the Giants 10Us and handing them their first two defeats of the year.

And they also had to battle back against their rivals, rallying from an 8-3 deficit in a 10-9 semifinal victory.

Individually, no player was more impressive over the weekend than Brody Gaser of the Giants 12Us, and that makes him our Athlete of the Week.

The outstanding Gaser led his team at the plate and finished the tournament 10-for-13 with a triple and two doubles, as well as throwing 1.1 innings for the win in the final.

ATHLETE OF THE WEEK 

Brody Gaser

Redwood Giants

Gaser was instrumental in his team’s second tournament championship of the year, with some big contributions at the plate, on the hill and in left field.

“Brody Gaser has been our clean-up hitter this year and has turned into an absolute hitting machine,” team manager David Sharp said. “He stepped up big time on the mound in a pressure-packed championship game to get the win in relief. I’m very proud of him.”

For good measure, the young Gaser also scored the go-ahead run in the sixth inning of the final, scoring on a Jackson Sharp triple.

For more on Gaser’s big week, see Giants edge the Steelheads in exciting Rumble championship …

TEAMS OF THE WEEK 

Northern Humboldt Steelheads 10Us

The Steelheads swept all four of their tournament games on the way to their first tournament championship of the year.

And Sunday’s semifinal win over the Giants was particularly sweet because of the manner in which they won it.

“They never gave up,” manager Dusty McCullough said of his players. “They came back in the semifinal and had a never-say-die attitude.”

For more on their big week, see Strong defense lifts Steelheads to Rumble championship …

Submitted photo – The Redwood Giants celebrate their tournament championship on Sunday.

Redwood Giants 12Us

After falling to the Steelheads in pool play, the Giants responded in perfect fashion, winning two games on Sunday on the way to taking the championship.

“Our boys came ready to battle against an always tough, well-coached Steelheads team,” David Sharp said. “We got behind early but these guys didn’t panic. They fought through the end and were rewarded with their second 12U tournament championship in 2023.”

For more on their big week, see Giants edge the Steelheads in exciting Rumble championship …