The 9U Delta Dawgs Baseball Club claimed another championship trophy by winning the Baseball Classic III tournament at the recent Big League Dreams in Manteca. Playing in the 9U Premier Division, the Dawgs defeated the Norcal Titans 11-5 in front of an enthusiastic crowd. It was the Dawgs’ third championship title of the season and their second in a row.

In the earlier semifinal game, the Dawgs defeated Livermore’s Headfirst Gamers 13-5 on strong pitching by Alex Merchant. The Dawgs scored runs in every inning and many Dawgs crossed the plate several times, including Adam Smith, Merchant, Ryan Jackson, Cameron Brossard and Mateo Humphreys. The Dawgs got support throughout their batting order off key RBIs from Ryan Pierce, Casey Turturici, Justin Lund and Jared deFremery. Outfielders Kobe Mengenhauser, Adam Smith and Humphreys made outstanding plays in outfield to keep the Gamers from scoring any additional runs.

The championship game featured a matchup of local rivals displaying outstanding pitching, hitting and fielding. The Norcal Titans led 5-4 at the end of four innings. With two outs in the top of the fifth inning, the Dawgs exploded for five runs to put the game out of reach.

Brossard and Pierce’s outstanding performance in the infield resulted in 11 Titans putouts. The game also featured strong pitching by the Dawgs’ Jackson, who allowed only four hits in five innings. Ryan Pierce led players on both teams with three extra-base hits, including a home run. Smith and Jackson added two hits of their own.

The 9U Delta Dawgs are managed by Matt Turturici with assistance from Jim Merchant, Mike Sides and Galen Smith. For more information on the Delta Dawgs Baseball Club, visit www.deltadawgsbaseball.com.

Contributed by Galen Smith