The High Desert Mavericks won their fourth and final California League Title on Saturday night, defeating the Visalia Rawhide by a final score of 7-4 at Heritage Field in Adelanto. The win for the Mavs gives them a three-game series-sweep of the Rawhide and sends them out on top, as the Texas Rangers' Advanced High-A affiliate will be one of two clubs (Bakersfield) to leave the California League and relocate to the Carolina League after this 2016 season.

After opening their 26-year history in Adelanto with a Cal League title in 1991, the Mavericks closed out their California League run with their fourth trophy and their first since 1997.

Trailing 3-1 in the last of the sixth inning, the Mavericks put up five runs and never looked back.

Visalia starter Markus Solbach, who was forced into a starting role just two hours before first pitch, held the Mavs in check through five innings, allowing just one run on four hits. The High Desert offense finally got going in the sixth though and benefitted from some Visalia mistakes, as they opened the frame with back-to-back hits, putting the tying runs on board.

Visalia Manager J.R. House would then go to the bullpen, making his first of three pitching changes in the inning. Kirby Bellow (0-1) walked the only man he faced, as he lost Carlos Arroyo on four pitches to load the bases. Keegan Long was then brought in from the Visalia bullpen, but he fared no better, issuing back-to-back walks to Josh Morgan and Michael De Leon, respectively, tying the game at 3-3. After yet another Rawhide pitching change, reliever Nick Baker got All-Star Scott Heineman to foul out for the first out of the inning. Luke Tendler then ripped a hard grounder to first for what looked like an inning-ending double-play. First baseman Austin Byler fielded it cleanly and stepped on first for the second out of the inning, then fired home in an attempt to get the runner at the plate. Visalia catcher Michael Perez didn't realize there was no longer a force at home though and neglected to tag the runner, as Carlos Arroyo scored the go-ahead run to make it 4-3. Juremi Profar followed with a two-run single and the Mavs the Mavs upped their advantage to 6-3.

Tendler added an insurance run in the eighth, swatting High Desert's only round-tripper of the clinching game, making it 7-3.

The Rawhide, searching for their first Cal League title in 38 years, didn't go away quietly in the ninth, as they got a run off Nick Gardewine and eventually brought the tying run to the plate. Gardewine came up big though, as the Mavs' closer induced a double-play out of Sergio Alcantara and then got Victor Reyes to ground out to end it and send the stadium into a frenzy.

High Desert starter Collin Wiles, who earned the victory in game one of the best-of-five series against Lancaster, drew the start on Saturday night in game three and gave the Mavs five strong innings, allowing three runs on seven hits.

Felix Carvallo (1-0) notched the win in relief, as he fired two perfect innings.

Tendler finished the game with three hits of High Desert's 11 hits and two RBIs, as he ended the playoffs with a .371 average (13-for-35) over seven games.

Mavs' starting pitcher Brett Martin, who fired seven innings of no-hit baseball in game two's 1-0 win over Visalia, was named the Championship Series MVP. Martin didn't factor into the game-two decision, but fanned a career-best 15 hitters over his seven no-hit innings and put High Desert in a position to win both games at Recreation Park in Visalia.

The Mavericks would like to thank the 1991 fans that enjoyed the final game at Heritage Field and thank everyone in the community for 26 years of amazing support.

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