The Mustang's finished the Big League-Dugout National Invitational with a 2-2 record. The tournament truly was a National level tournament with what host team's head coach Eric Kibler called the deepest field in tournament history. Game one saw the Mustangs suffer their first loss of the season 10-4 vs. El Capitan of San Diego. 8 walks and 3 hit batsmen did the team in as they matched the Toro's with 10 hits. Brian Kraft was 3 for 3 with 3 doubles to lead the Mustangs offense.

Game two was another disappointment. The Mustangs took a 7-4 lead into the bottom of the 7th but couldn't hang on. An error, two walks, and a basehit cooked the team. Jordan Schwers actually got the third out on a strikeout. The curveball was in the dirt, however, and it got away allowing Bingham the extra chance they needed to tie and win.

Game 3 brought a daunting task. A trip to perennial Arizona powerhouse Brophy Prep's home field for a late afternoon game. With their backs to the wall, the Mustangs responded like champions and upset Brophy 4-0. The big story was the pitching of Junior lefty AJ Snow. Snow kept the powerful Brophy club off balance all day striking out 6 and walking 1 in another masterful performance. Caleb Falk's first inning triple got the scoring started and the Mustangs added 3 more single runs during the game to secure the win. Sophomore lefty Brandon Brown came on in the 7th to close the game. A spectacular 5-4-3 double play and a called strike three closed out the best performance yet by the Mustangs.

After game 3, the club learned it's next opponent would be host team, Horizon of Scottsdale. The Huskies are 8 time 5-A Arizona state champs, 2007 National champs, and annually, one of the top 2 or 3 teams in Arizona. Horizon represented the ultimate challenge and all Mustang fans should understand, this was a game against one of the top programs in America. Jordan Schwers was masterful. A mix of sliders, change ups, and fastballs kept the Huskies at bay and the Mustangs played exceptional defense. Andrew Ely had an RBI single and solo home run. Brian Kraft had two hits including a long grand slam homerun, and Hayden Hess chipped in with a bases loaded single. JV "call up" Zach De St.Germain showed some serious guts in coming in to close out the game when he retired the 3, 4, and 5 hitters from Horizon. A great catch by Logan Butzier in right and a key stop by 2nd baseman Grady Shalz helped preserve the win. Final Score....Mustangs 8, Horizon 5. Truly one of the best wins in program history.

The response of the team after losing games one and two was clearly championship caliber. Brian Kraft made the all tournament team after going 8-13 with 4 doubles and a grand slam homerun. The defense was solid and we hit the ball well but not really up to our capabilities....better things are coming! Pitching in games 3 and 4 was outstanding and the attitude of the team showed that these young men have a lot of pride and tremendous competitive drive. A trip like this comes with some bottom line expectations. Play good competition, learn some lessons.........both were accomplished. The behavior of the players was exemplary and the support of the fans was incredible with more fans in the stands than any of our opponents.....the Mustangs travel well!