Bandits Flashback: 2000 National Regional Championship
Bandits Flashback – – March 10, 2000
The Bandits opened the 2000 season with their third consecutive trip to Tucson Arizona for the Triple Crown National Regional Tournament.
The first game saw the Bandits defeat Snoqualmie (suburb of Seattle) Washington 20-3. Jessie Bustamante tossed two innings and Jared Schrom tossed 2. Anthony Martinez went 3-3 with a home run and 4 runs scored; Dillon Smith was 2-2 with 2 runs and 2RBI’s; and Tommy Heck was also perfect at the plate going 1-1 with 2 RBI’s and 2 runs scored. Robert Gallegos who also contributed a home run and Bustamante each went 3-4. Bustamante had 5 RBI’s. Willie Rueda was 2-4 and John Norris was 1-2.
Game 2 saw the Bandits defeat the Arizona Storm from Chandler 13-3. Dillon Smith tossed 6 innings as the Bandits overcame a early deficit and finished strong with a 8 run 6th inning. Heck was 1-1; Gallegos went 3-4; Martinez and Bustamante each went 2-4; and Norris and Jason Luna each were 1-2 at the dish.
In the final game of pool play the Bandits defeated Team Bike from Salt Lake City Utah 12-2. Rueda was 3-3, Bustamante 1-1, Martinez 3-4, and Gallegos was 2-4 to lead the offense. Rueda tossed the first 4 innings and Adam Lopez completed the game with one inning of work on the mound.
The Bandits met the El Paso Seminoles in the semi-finals and won 11-1. Gallegos was 2-2; Bustamante was 2-3; Smith,Luna and Rueda and Schrom each went 1-2. Bustamante worked 5 innings in the win.
The Bandits met the Utah Stars for the third consecutive year in the finals. In 1998 they won 21-1; in 1999 they lost 1-0 and in 2000 they triumphed again winning 17-0. Gallegos tossed 5 innings in the win. Gallegos was 3-3 and Jason Luna was 2-2 to lead the Bandits offensively. Norris, Schrom, Rueda and Martinez each went 2-3. Gallegos was named the tournament’s top defensive player and Rueda was named the tournament’s top offensive player.
