Arizona Renegades defeated the El Paso Rays 5-2 Sunday afternoon in a fast-paced final of the 12u AAA USSSA Spring Championships Super NIT baseball tournament at Rio Vista Park in Peoria.

“We lost our very first game of the tournament, but the team came through and won all the rest. They locked it down when it counted,” said Renegades coach Brad Lietz.

The Renegades quickly took a 1-0 lead at the top of the first after Tyler Lietz walked, stole second and third base, and scored on Adam Rodriguez’s RBI single to center.

Rays pitcher Zay McCormick was able to hold off the Renegades in the second, using only nine pitches to get three straight outs. But the Renegades came back in the top of the third as Matt Eresnhan walked, eventually scoring on a triple down the line in left by John Englebert. Englebert scored on an error, extending the lead to 0-3.

El Paso had a chance to score in the bottom of the fourth as Pepe Irigoyen hit the ball far into the right field, getting to third base. He was thrown out at the plate, however, by the Renegades.

Johnny Fernandez came in for McCormick at the top of the fifth, replacing the starter to also pitch three straight outs. Rays had their best opportunity at the bottom of the fifth, filling the bases, but Renegades’ James Lovell finally got a third out, preventing any runs.

The Renegades put away the game in the sixth. Englebert got to third at the early on and was followed with an inside-the-park home run by Max Hartgraves, increasing the lead to 5-0.

Irigoyen scored the first Rays run on Michael Cortez’s RBI single. Cortez eventually scored, too.