The Arizona Blaze earned a berth in the Nations Baseball Wood Bat II 14u final Sunday, using a three-run fifth inning to beat the Broncos 4-1 at Red Mountain Baseball Park in Mesa.

The Blaze capitalized on sloppy play by the Broncos in the fifth to take the lead. Up 1-0, the Broncos surrendered three runs on a RBI single by Devin Foyle and a two-RBI single into right by Cole Tucker. The inning began with a strike out on a wild pitch that allowed Justin Mohler to reach, followed by walks to Matt Asta and Cory Kasperson.

Blaze coach Al Asta was pleased with the way his team rallied in the fifth inning to take the lead.

“The team that did the small things was going to win today, like being patient at the plate and being alert on the basepaths,” Asta said. “Today, we were that team. But the talent level for both teams is similar. The Broncos are a very good team. We knew it was going to be a fight.”

The Broncos scored their lone run on an RBI single by Adrian Zubia in the first.

The Blaze tacked on a run in the seventh when Foyle scored on a wild pitch.

The Blaze started Kyle Gibbs on the mound, but he was relieved in the first due to shoulder stiffness after recording just one out.

“Gibbs was feeling sore out there, and he couldn’t get loose," Asta said. “It wasn’t worth it to keep him in there. We don't want to hurt these kids. [Gibbs] is valuable on the field as much as he is on the mound.”

Gibbs remained in the game but was relieved by Hayden Durkiewicz, who pitched masterfully to finish out the game. He struck out three, walked only two in six-plus innings and trusted his defense.

“[Durkiewicz] let his defense play behind him,” Asta said. “It was a boost to have him pitch the way he did with Gibbs out.”