A group of 12-year-old baseball players from Snoqualmie and Fall City traveled to Gilbert, Ariz., to compete in the Spring Championships NIT, held April 1-3.

Playing in their first tournament of the year, the Snoqualmie Crush struggled to get things going in pool play on Friday and Saturday losing their first three games, two by a single run. Heading into bracket play on Sunday, the Crush 12U team held the sixth seed. Playing against the third seed in the first game, the Crush came back from a four-run deficit to win, 8-5. In the second game of bracket play, the Crush surprised everyone by beating the second  seeded team, 10-7. In the championship game, they faced a very tough T-Rex Baseball Club team from Scottsdale, Ariz., and lost 3-1.

According to the Crush coaching staff, the boys showed a lot of heart, turning things around on Sunday. “They could have just as easily mailed it in when they were down by four in the first bracket game. They dug deep as a group and have a lot to be proud of.”