The High Desert Rattlers slithered their way to a 14-4 victory Sunday over the AZ Extreme in the 12u Open Silver championship game of the USSSA Bring the Heat Classic at Big League Dreams.

The Rattlers, who had blown a great chance in pool play to advance to the Gold championship game by giving up a six-run lead late, rebounded using pitching and timely hitting.

The Rattlers rode Ryan Rosol’s arm, as he only gave up four runs on eight hits scattered over four innings.

Rattlers coach Jeff Osterode said he told his pitcher to concentrate on one thing, throwing strikes.

“You just have to throw strikes and play defense,” Osterode said.

Rosol also contributed with his bat, hitting a homerun in the first inning, smoking a ball down the middle into the deepest part of the park. Hustling around the bases, Rosol beat the ball home and put the Rattlers up by two.

The Extreme, an 11u team playing up, answered by scoring three runs with two out in the second. Dylan McConnell started things off with a double, and Triston Lundgren brought home two runs with a triple. Bryan Renschler, who went 2-for-2 in the game, brought Lundgren home on a single but was thrown out stealing shortly afterwards to end the rally.

That would be the only time that the Extreme would lead in the game.

The Rattlers promptly scored two runs in the second inning to re-take the lead, and by then Rosol had regained his composer and only allowed one more run the rest of the game.

The Rattlers pulled away for good in the fourth inning by scoring eight runs, capped off by a two-run infield homerun by Lance Llymer.