"Our guys always stay calm and cool," said Morales. "It wasn't a question of 'can they come back.' It was only a question of 'when will they come back.' "

The Giants answered the call in the bottom of fourth and fifth innings, when they scored four unanswered runs to snatch the postseason tournament title with a 4-2 victory.

The regular season champs (19-3) completed their undefeated run through the double-elimination tournament by beating the White Sox following a 12-2 victory over the Cardinals and a 3-2 win against the White Sox earlier in the week.

The White Sox (18-5) reached the title game by blanking the Royals 2-0, dropping to the loser's bracket with the loss to the Giants and rebounding with an 8-0 victory over the Cardinals.

In their previous meeting, the Giants triumphed in a 3-2 game that ended in the ninth inning on an RBI-single by Alec Wilde to score Chris Rea. And little did they know, the deciding play in the championship game would again be delivered by Wilde and Rea.

White Sox starter Yianni Ellenikiotis kept the Giants scoreless for the opening three frames while striking out three batters. Meanwhile, Austin Carta Samuals pitched three solid innings and surrendered just one run.

The White Sox grabbed the early 1-0 lead thanks to the quick baserunning of Matt Brading, who scored on a wild pitch. The Sox added another run when Michael McGinnis led off the fourth with a triple. Ellenikiotis immediately followed with a line-drive double to knock in what proved to be the last run for the White Sox.

Will Sparks shut down the White Sox hitters for the remainder of the game, surrendering just two hits following Ellenikiotis' double and striking out five.

The Giants erased the 2-0 lead in the bottom of the fourth when Jay Maglione singled home Sparks. Maglione then scored when Justin El Diwany rocketed a ball to centerfield that could not be handled, knotting the score at two.

The Giants scored the deciding two runs in the fifth when the White Sox were one strike away from completing a 1-2-3 inning. Rea started the rally by battling back from an 0-2 count with two outs and nobody on base. Rea proceeded to hit a line-drive single after working it to a full count. Nick McConnel followed with a walk, and the two got into scoring position on a double steal.

Alec Wilde then knocked in Rea with a sharp grounder that was bobbled. Matt Morales and Barret Glasauer then drew consecutive walks to score one more.

"We got some clutch hitting from the bottom of the order," said coach Morales. "Every player contributed today."

Rea led the Giants' batters by going 2-for-2. The White Sox's McGinnis also had two hits to lead his team.

The White Sox might have recorded more than six hits, but Casey Farmer was called out for throwing his bat after doubling to right-center in the third. Then again, the Giants' fielders also robbed the White Sox on several occasions.

Rea made a running catch in right-center with runners in scoring position to end the first inning. The Giants also recorded an important out to end the second. McGinnis just beat the tag by Carta Samuals to score the first run, but Carta Samuals made a heads-up play when he threw to second to catch the White Sox's Henry Springall rounding second too far.

And in a close game, small defensive plays turned out to be quite big.

"The White Sox hit the ball better than they ever have against us," said coach Morales. "We lived and died by our defense all season long, and today it made the difference."


All-star tourney

The Saratoga and Quito Little Leagues will co-host the District 12 9-year-old all-star tournament at Congress Springs Park on Glen Brae Avenue in Saratoga and at Rolling Hills Middle School on Pollard Road in Los Gatos. The double-elimination tournament will run June 21 through July 3. Snack shacks will be open at each field and there is no admission charge.