The semifinals started out as a classic pitchers duel, going 0-0 into the third inning before the Lightning broke through for a 1-0 lead. The lead then shifted to 2-1 in favor of the Chandler Heat, after some unlucky bounces, before the Lightning then regained the lead 3-2. After tying the game at 3, the Chandler Heat broke through in the top of the 5th inning with a 4 spot, remaining at a 7-3 deficit going into the bottom of the 6th. After some clutch at bats by everybody in the lineup, newest 11u Lightning player made the score 7-7 with an infield single, before Kody Bialas ended the game with a walk-off single, sending the boys to the Championship Game.

With a matchup versus the AZ Athletics, the Lightning sent Tyler Tiedeman to the hill, who rewarded them with a complete game shutout to win the championship 1-0. The lone run was completely manufactured, with Kaiden singling to begin the 5th inning, moving to second on a bunt from Ethan Kelly and seeing nobody covering third base and moving up the extra base, and scoring on a Sac Fly from Michael Brown.

Overall, the effort and performance to win this tournament was outstanding from everybody on this team. They continue to grow and impress every time they step on the field as evidenced by their record and stats as an 11u team. In five tournaments, the team is 19-5-2 finishing first once, second twice, and third once, making the top 8 in the only other tournament. We continue to expect bigger and better things from these boys.