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The Northern Humboldt Steelheads 13U completed a hat trick of championships for the travel club with a thrilling come-from-behind win in the final of Sunday’s WCP Arizona Spring Training tournament.

After watching the club’s 10Us and 11Us win their tournament brackets earlier in the day, the 13Us faced off against North Valley in their decider, with members of the younger teams cheering them on dressed in their blue uniforms.

The 13Us, however, trailed by a run going into the final inning.

But with their backs to the wall, the Steelheads dug deep and rallied for a 6-3 victory to secure the championship.

“I could tell our team was beginning to feel a lot of pressure until the wave of blue showed up to support, and that’s when I knew we couldn’t lose the game,” head coach Jaime Arredondo said, referring to the 10U and 11U Steelhead players and families.

The Steelheads quickly loaded the bases, which helped inspire their fans, and then tied the game on a Blake Carper RBI single.

With tournament MVP Jared Brunner up to bat and the bases still loaded, Steelheads third base coach Caleb Carper then called a suicide squeeze and the players executed the play to perfection to take the lead.

Surprisingly, the coaches then called another suicide squeeze play and they quickly added to their lead.

“I honestly couldn’t believe he called that play once, let alone twice,” Arredondo said of the risky play.

The game, however, wasn’t over and North Valley had the bottom half of the inning to attempt a rally, but the Steelheads pitching and defense would hold on, with Jake Brunner coming in to pitch and showcasing why he is the team’s “stud,” according to his coach.

“Our crowd was going insane at this point,” Arredondo said.

Jake Brunner struck out the first batter and then back-to-back fly balls were caught by right fielder Everett Gruetzmacher to end the game.

Remarkably, most of the Steelhead players were playing up an age group and they still managed to secure the championship.

Rylan Kees, whom Arredondo describes as “arguably our No. 1 pitcher,” got the start on the mound in the final and worked well with standout catcher Cabella Carper, who rarely disappoints behind the dish. 

“Those two work so well together and are usually unbeatable,” the coach added. 

Leading up to the final day of the tournament, the Steelheads had gone 4-1 while outscoring their opponents 45-18, with Kees, Tyson Marshall and Breyden Brock leading the way at the plate.

They went into the final day as the No. 2 seed in their bracket and faced the No. 3 Clash from Idaho in the semifinal.

The Steelheads quickly took care of business, running out to a comprehensive 12-2 win in four innings with Justin Noga pitching a complete game for the victory and giving up just one earned run on two hits and striking out four.

The highlight of the game was a two-run home run to right field by Hudson Kapko, who led the way at the plate in that game along with Cabella Carper and Blake Carper.

Defensively, the ever-reliable duo of Carson Hicks and Teoh Arredondo helped set the tone throughout the tournament.

“Our defense led by our middle infield Carson Hicks and Teoh Arredondo is just unstoppable,” Jaime Arredondo said. “These boys make every play.

“(Coaches) Clay Hicks, Caleb Carper and I have been with this same group of players since they were 8 and 9 years old and we honestly have become like family. I am so proud of each and every one of them.”