The Fountain Hills Little League Diamondbacks team won the Little League District 6 Championship on Thursday, May 18. The single majors team beat the Cubs from McCormick Ranch Little League 6-3 thanks to a five-run comeback in the fifth inning.

According to Michael Pameditis, the DBacks finished the regular season with just two losses. They fought their way through the playoffs, and then ran into a rival team and the defending champions in the championship game.

Joey Romo started the game on the mound and pitched 2 1/3 innings. The Cubs went up 3-0 but never scored more than one run per inning thanks to great defense by the DBacks, and then some light rain caused a rare delay in the third inning.

After several minutes, the game resumed, and Jacub Petrick relieved Romo. Petrick and the defense did not allow another run, but the DBacks needed to generate some offense.

“With the tension increasing, Fountain Hills scored one run in the fourth inning, setting the stage for a very memorable fifth inning,” Pameditis said in his emailed submission. “With the bottom half of the lineup due up, Fountain Hills rallied with a string of pivotal at-bats, many resulting in either hits or walks with the batter down to their final strike.”

Fountain Hills sent 10 batters to the plate in the fifth inning, and they scored five runs to take a 6-3 lead.

The defense continued to do its job in the sixth and final ending, where Angel Rivera turned a hard ground ball to shortstop into a double play. That play cut off any momentum the Cubs had, and the DBacks got the final out to win the championship.

“Once the final out was made, it was celebration time for Fountain Hills, with players and coaches, and then supporters, flooding the field to relish their hard-earned championship,” Pameditis said. “For nine of the thirteen players, this was their final official Little League game, making the victory that much more special.”

The DBacks’ roster included Cullen Bratcher, Ry Challman, Cole Johnson, Lee Milashoski, Landon Ostrander, Trenton Pameditis, Rylee Pena, Jacub Petrick, Angel Rivera, Joey Romo, Sam Schaber, Brody Simonson and Matthew Walters. Head coach Dave Petrick was assisted by Dennis Bratcher and Frank Romo.

According to the Fountain Hills Little League Facebook page, at least six members of the Fountain Hills High School baseball team attended and cheered on the next generation of Falcon players. They included but are not limited to, graduated seniors Alex Fessenden, Devyn Hernandez and Tim Lamar, as well as juniors Tyler Flynn, Nathan Hughes and Lucas Williams.