He had 17 hits in the Don Mattingly World Series in Albuquerque, but DJ Peterson will be remembered most for the last one. Peterson, the tournament’s MVP, doubled with the bases loaded in the seventh inning Saturday to give the Angels White 17u a come-from-behind 8-5 victory over the Albuquerque Baseball Academy in the title game.

In the top of the seventh, trailing 5-2, Travis Flores was hit by a pitch leading off, and Nathaniel Causey walked. Pinch hitter Adam Sonabend singled to right just out of the reach of the second baseman, loading the bases. A shot by Alexis Batista caromed off the third baseman’s foot into foul territory, allowing Flores to score and cutting the lead to 5-3. Tyler Kamtz was hit by a pitch, plating Causey and making the score 5-4.  Peterson then cleared the bases with a drive to right, and the Angels led 7-5. Peterson scored on a hard-hit single by Kasey Coffman off the pitcher’s shin.

The Angels’ Taylor Lindsey was named the top slugger of the tournament. He hit three home runs and batted .433 for the tournament.

Peterson was named tournament MVP, batting .567 in the tournament including the game-winning hit in the championship game, when he went 4-for-5 with two doubles, two singles and three RBI. For the tournament, Peterson had five doubles, a homer and 15 RBI.

James Farris and Trevor Stone each picked up two wins on the mound for the Angels, and Zuniga had a win to go with his three saves.

The Angels finished the season 29-7 with a team batting average of .358. They won the Don Mattingly Qualifier on June 28, giving them an automatic bid into the World Series.

The Angels opened pool play defeating New Mexico ABA Blue 12-4. In their second game, the Angels defeated the California Rockies, the 2008 runner up, 11-1.  Lindsey, Peterson and Flores each homered in the victory.

The wins earned the Angels the second seed for bracket play. They opened against the New Mexico Ravens, who were the defending champions, and beat them 10-0. Stone picked up the win. Alexis Batista had two hits and two runs, and Lindsey hit his second homer of the tournament.

In the second round, the Angels defeated the Colorado Ponderosa 10-2. Peterson and Kamtz each had two hits. Lindsey, Flores and Causey all homered. Zuniga pitched five innings, picking up the victory.

The Angels trailed the New York Paveco Storm 2-1 before tying it in the fourth inning of their next game. Coffman was hit by a pitch leading off the inning and later scored on a single by Kamtz. The Angels scored three more runs in the fifth on singles by Kyle Herrington and Causey. Coffman scored for a second time after being hit by a pitch for the third time.

Farris picked up the win for the Angels.

Next up for the Angels was the top-seeded California Trombly Braves. The Angels overcame six errors to defeat the Braves 9-6. Cam Teach scattered four hits over five innings to record the win, and Zuniga pitched a scoreless seventh to record his first save. Lindsey had three hits and scored twice. Flores also had three hits, including a home run. Sonabend had three hits, including two doubles.

The following day, the Angels ran into the hard-hitting New Mexico ABA. They also faced their toughest pitcher of the tournament as well. New Mexico ABA scored six runs off starter Scott Squier and defeated the Angels 10-3, giving them their first loss of the tournament. Peterson and Coffman had two hits each.

With three teams left in the tournament, each with  a loss, NM ABA was the only team that had not had a bye, so the Angels and the Braves met in an elimination game. Stone pitched a gem for the Angels, allowing two earned runs over six innings, and the Angels defeated the Braves for a second time by the score of 5-4. Zuniga recorded his second save of the tournament.

The Angels broke a 1-1 tie in the fourth with three runs. Coffman was hit by  a pitch leading off. He scored on a base hit by Rick Rydalch. Rydalch and Batista scored on a double by Kamtz. Peterson also had two hits, including his third double of the tournament.