Combining power with stout defense, the Federal Way Knights’ 13U baseball team recently dominated the field at Manteca, Calif.

The Knights rolled to five straight victories over two days of play, culminating with a 9-1 victory over Turlock, Calif., in the championship of the NorCal BPA Hot August Days Tournament at Big League Dreams.

For the Knights, 48-12 on the season, it was their first tournament title this year after finishing second at the Pacific Northwest 13U Championships in Hillsboro, Ore., on Aug 3. The Knights also reached the semifinals of their own tournament July 27.

“We were most proud of the fact that the entire roster contributed to our success throughout the (Manteca) tournament,” said Knights manager John Sugg. “We were well rested and fresh in the final games – that was a big difference from some of our previous final and semifinal games where we came up a little short.”

Brett Oyer smashed a three-run triple in the sixth inning to bust open the game against Turlock in the Aug. 10 final at replicated Yankee Stadium. Zac Kolterman delivered a two-run double and Jackson Wood added an RBI single to support the solid effort of southpaw starter Darrien Moran, who struck out 10 and scattered four hits over six innings of work.

In a 12-0 rout of Oakdale, Calif., in a three-inning semifinal, the Knights erupted behind two RBIs each from Oyer, Kolterman, Kai Cerbana, George Foley and Derek Klaas. Daniel Lee went 2-for-3 and Chris Shimer doubled.

Moran did it with his bat in a 14-2 demolition of Modesto, Calif., going 3-for-4 and driving in four runs, two of which came on a double. Daniel Lee connected on a three-run double and Dallin Havili went 3-for-3 with an RBI. Wood, Klaas, James Marshall and Matt Bower each drove in runs. Klaas struck out five in going four innings for the Knights.

In pool play, the Knights blitzed El Dorado Hills, Calif., 13-1, in a three-inning game at replicated Fenway Park. Foley supplied the big early hit, a three-run double, as did Oyer with his two-run triple. Wood, Shimer and Bower added run-scoring hits. Bower, a left-hander, struck out two and allowed three hits in three innings of work for Federal Way.

Cerbana drove in five runs off a double and single to highlight the Knights’ 9-6 win over Turlock in their tournament opener. Kolterman started and earned the win.

For the tournament, Lee put down two bunt singles and stole four bases.

“I am proud of the way the boys have fought hard and played consistently great baseball all year long,” Sugg said. “We have played some of the finest teams in the West Coast. We’ve played deep into some very competitive tournaments and held our ground and played competitively against all of them.”