2025 The Tribe Sweeps Royals in Championship Series for 18+ Cactus Title in Fresno MSBL
Fresno MSBL, 18+ Cactus Division
Fresno Tribe 16, Royals 8 (Game two in best-of-three championship series sweep)
Submitted by Frankie Fagundes, Tribe manager
The Tribe had a .374 team batting average, which included 189 hits over 12 games, averaging 15 hits per game.
We hit a league high 11 home runs and scored 145 runs, which is 12 runs per game. The Tribe walked 95 times while striking out 68 times. The offense was a 20-ton wrecking ball!
David Geiger, the oldest Tribesman, led the hurlers with a 5-0 record and a 1.28 ERA, with a .177 batting average against. The Tribe’s staff posted a 4.04 ERA, and held the opponents’ batting average to .226.
In the championship series, the Tribe ousted the Royals 7-3 to take game one in the best-of-three series.
The Royals were the first to get on the board in the first when John Hilty singled, scoring one run. A single by Kess extended the Royals’ lead to 2-0 in the top of the second inning.
The Tribe flipped the game on its head in the bottom of the eighth, scoring five runs on two hits to take the lead, 7-3. The biggest blow in the inning was a home run to left field by Zac Bert that drove in three.
David Geiger earned the win for The Tribe. The starter gave up eight hits and three runs over nine innings, striking out seven and walking three. John took the loss for Royals. The starter went seven innings, giving up six runs on five hits, striking out six, and walking nine.
Zac Bert drove the middle of the lineup, leading The Tribe with three runs batted in. The catcher went 1-for-2 on the day. Steven Gonzales Jr. led The Tribe with three hits in three at-bats.
Austin Price paced The Tribe with two walks. Overall, the team had patience at the plate, amassing nine walks for the game. Wyatt Bookout and Steven Gonzales Jr. each stole multiple bases for The Tribe. The Tribe ran wild on the base paths, piling up five stolen bases for the game.
In Game 2, Steven Gonzales Jr. helped The Tribe slug their way to victory. He hit two home runs and drove in seven as The Tribe defeated the Royals 16-8. Steven homered in the third and sixth innings.
The bats blistered as The Tribe collected 17 hits and the Royals tallied nine in the high-scoring game.
The Tribe got on the board in the top of the first inning after Mark Pestorich hit a sacrifice fly, and Ronnie Jimenez walked, each scoring one run.
The Royals made the score 3-2 in the bottom of the first after Joseph doubled, scoring two runs, and Lenny grounded out, scoring one run.
The Tribe took the lead in the top of the third when Steven Gonzales Jr. homered to center field, scoring three runs, to give The Tribe the upper hand, 5-3.
The Tribe added five more runs in the top of the sixth inning on two hits. Zac Bert drew a walk, scoring one run, and Gonzales Jr. hit a grand slam to center field.
Wyatt Bookout earned the win for The Tribe, allowing six hits and five runs (four earned) over seven innings, striking out five, and walking five. Marcelo took the loss for Royals. The hurler went two and one-third innings, allowing five runs on five hits, striking out two and walking six. Steven Gonzales Jr. appeared in relief for The Tribe.
The Tribe piled up 17 hits in the game. David Geiger, Zac Bert, and Phillip Gonzales each collected three hits for The Tribe. Shayne Fossett collected two hits for The Tribe in three at-bats.
Ronnie Jimenez paced The Tribe with three walks. Overall, the team had patience at the plate, collecting 13 walks for the game. Jeff Depew stole two bases.