A Manhattan Beach 14-and-under AAA club baseball team has won a prestigious Southern California tournament, claiming the title of USSSA International World Series champs.

(Baseball is BACK in Manhattan Beach - see our companion story about two Manhattan Beach Little League teams winning their district championships here.)

The Manhattan Beach Broncos, a team led by head coach Leonard Matsumoto and assistant coach Noah Matsumoto, are a tryout-based club team of graduating 8th graders.

At the USSSA tournament, the Broncos won game after game over five days, clinching their final victory on June 29, coming from behind to win 11-9 over Torrance.

The Manhattan Beach Broncos, as pictured above, are: 

Back row (left to right): Noah Matsumoto (coach), Barrett Ryan, Magnus Johnson, Manu Segovia, Dane Harris, Jackie Reach, Weston Atkin, Cameron Cobb, Jackson Shevin, Leonard Matsumoto (coach)

The team first came together at a baseball tryout when the boys were headed into 7th grade. It was a time when things were "bleak" for youth sports, with most fields being shut down, said Andrew Shevin, parent to player Jackson Shevin. "The tryout was held in Palos Verdes on a field that had been neglected for over a year with the hope no one would kick them off."

The team stuck together for two years, traveling to locations as far as Nevada where there were fewer restrictions on tournaments, said Shevin.

These kids held together through thick or thin," said Shevin. "Two years later, for them to hit the highest level is an incredible accomplishment for our homegrown Manhattan Beach club. We couldn’t have asked for a better ending."

With the tournament victory under their belts - literally, as they took home giant winners' belts - the boys are now headed to high school with hopes of furthering their passion for baseball.