D-Back Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball Tourney: AZ Native Elite doubles up on NM Pack for Triple A Division title
Special to the Times | Reginald Chee
NM Pack first baseman Zach Cordero (0) reaches to catch the ball for an attempted out as AZ Native Elite Abel Valenzuela (19) slides safely back to the base in the championship game of the Triple A Division at the D-Backs Inter-Tribal Tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday, June 11.
WINDOW ROCK
The Arizona Diamondbacks Inter-Tribal Youth Baseball Tournament had two familiar foes playing in the Triple A Division championship game on Thursday.
Special to the Times | Reginald Chee
The NM Pack pose with the second-place trophy after the Triple A Division championship game at the D-backs Inter-Tribal Tournament in Scottsdale, Ariz., on Thursday, June 11.
The AZ Native Elite defeated the New Mexico Pack Maroon by a 6-3 count as the Arizona-based team jumped on the Pack by scoring three runs each in the first two innings.
The AZ Native Elite scattered three hits on NM Pack Maroon pitcher Anthony Garcia, who pitched six innings in the time-limit title game.
“We just jumped on his fast ball,” AZ Native Elite coach Raul Ruvalcaba said of Garcia, who gave up three earned runs. “Basically, I told them that if you see a fast ball, we’re jumping on it and do not hesitate.
“That was our main goal going into the game,” he added. “Obviously, he was throwing a lot of fast ball, and I told the boys to be aggressive at the plate and we put the bat on the ball, so it worked out in our favor.”
To read the full article, please see the June 18, 2026, edition of the Navajo Times.
Get instant access to this story by purchasing one of our many e-edition subscriptions HERE at our Navajo Times Store.
Highway 264,
I-40, WB @ Winslow