How about that?

Water on the manager and coaches, thanks to Mikey (Mojo) Mojica, who poured bottled water on his manager, Rich Pryce, other coaches, and, oh, yeah, his own players, following his good pitching and hitting performance leading the way of a Steel Lake Braves, 7-5, win over the Kent Gators in the District 10 Little League Majors Tournament of Champions Championship game at the Federal Way National Complex Wednesday.

They're a fun group?

"Oh yeah," said Price, somewhat wet. "Fantastic."

Then came the picture taking.

"Go, go, go," said a Steel Lake coach, Dale Fife, talking to his wife.

Another anonymous wife said, "Honey, make sure you get some good pictures."

These players were getting what they deserved. Their names called as they went to the center of the field to get their pins, as they waved to parents with digicams and as they were getting wet with water from Mojica's water bottle. They were holding their banner and smiling in team pictures.

The players obviously knew what it took to get this far. The best word, maybe, to describe this team's success is "chemistry." It goes along with another word, "talent," that these boys showed as a collective group, hitting, fielding, running, throwing, and, of course, it's fair to say, hitting home runs.

Steel Lake's Braves went 25-3 this year in games, plus a solid 4-0 run through the TOC tourney, beating the other eight charters' best teams from Kent, Auburn, Bonney Lake, Chinook, South Hill, Federal Way American, Federal Way National and Soundview.

"Best team I ever had, "said T.J. Bryne, who was the catcher for Steel Lake who caught well in this championship game. He also hit well. He opened the Braves' top of the first, in the final game, with a single that showed he could hit. But it also must have shown his teammates early on that they could also hit against this Kent pitcher.

Kent is good, too. A Kent L.L. team has won the TOC Majors the last two years.

"We always get along, we're never tight, and, we never fight," said Mojica, who followed Bryne's single with a double roped down the third base line that put Bryne standing at third and he at second.

"Good communication," added Bryne of what helped make this team champions.

Next up was Jake Kolterman, who did what third base coach Price communicated to him in signs. He wanted a sacrifice, first and foremost. Kolterman listened, he got the bat on the ball so it went away from the third base-shortstop side of the field to the Kent first baseman. He could only field the ball and run back to the bag to force out Kolterman. All the while, Bryne scored from third to make it 1-0, Steel Lake. Price, who pitched a good game until trouble literally struck him in the forehead in the bottom of the fifth, was next to the plate and he sacrificed a grounder to second base. Again, good fundamental baseball keeping the ball away from third and short. And the result was Kolterman scoring to make it 2-0.

After that real early Steel Lake offense, pitcher Price mowed down the Kent batters in the bottom half of the first inning. Then in the second inning, both pitchers were getting outs, before the Steel Lake top half of the third proved more bountiful than their own first, gettting three runs on four hits.

They weren't just hits, either. Mojica, leading off the third for SL, smacked the ball right on the middle of the bat. A home run some 200 feet away, plus another 30 feet into the weeds behind the centerfield fence made it 3-0. Next up was Kolterman and he must have had a bet with his teammate because he hit the ball even farther over the left field fence than Mojica did over center to make it 4-0.

Jesse Fife, with one out, smacked a double, over the leftfielder's head. Then, after he stole third base, Caleb Wallen hit the ball to the right-center field fence before it stopped, scoring Fife to make it 5-0.

Things stayed that way until an inning later when Steel Lake added another run in the top of the fourth on a single from Bryne followed by an RBI double from Mojica making it 6-0.

Kent got on the board in the bottom fo the fourth, one run off a single and sacrifice and it was 6-1. Steel Lake just shrugged its shoulders to that and scored another run in their top of five, on a Jared Sinsheimer hit that was bobbled and then Alex 'Opi' Opincar singled in Sinsheimer, and it was 7-1.

Kent did make a run after that in the bottom of the fifth innng, scoring four runs on four hits. A single and a double to start the foe off put runners at second and third base. Then the ball got by the catcher, a wild pitch by Bryne, who raced to the backstop, chased the ball down and threw it to Price as the Kent runner was stealing home. Price got the ball tossed quickly, perfectly to his glove and Price swung his glove into the runner. But the runner just touched the plate first before smashing his knee into Price's head. That took Price out of the game and the new insertion was Mojica, who allowed a single and a two-run home run to make it 7-5, Steel Lake.

"Kent's a good team," said Mojica.

Kent was, but they would not be the best on this night. After the Steel Lake batters were retired in order in the top of the sixth, Mojica had a chance to redeem himself and he did. After a leadoff chopper that bounced over his head and to the shortstop that could not be fielded and thrown to first base in time, the next batter struck out. Then a double play ended the game as Caleb Wallen fielded a hot shot to second base and touched second base for the force before throwing to first base. The runner was safe....but he overran the bag just a bit and Alex Opincar made a heads up play tagging the runner trying to touch first.

There were some good things that happened on the road to the championship win for Steel Lake. They started off this single elimination tournament of 10 teams with a 13-1 win over Soundview, then they beat Bonney Lake, 15-0. Next, with Kolterman throwing a one-hit, 13 strike-out gem, beat Chinook, 4-2, as in that one, Kolterman took over for a struggling first pitcher who could not get out of the first inning without Chinook scoring two runs.

"He (Jake) pitched very well," said Price. Then also commenting on his son's effort in the championship which was good too. He really did nothing wrong but the wild pitch that led to Kent's first run that also led to his head needing ice.

"He gave up one run and then he was kicked in the head," said Price of Jordan, saying it was unintentional. "He (the Kent runner) was trying to avoid the tag."

He did avoid the tag and Kent kept themselves from thowing up a zero on the scoreboard, but Steel Lake prevailed with the closer performance from Mojica in relief, getting a save.

This Steel Lake team could not help but have success because of what they did, making plays and doing what their manager and coaches wanted.

"They did everything we asked them to," said manager Price.

Everything, usually, turns out good when that happens.

Kolterman had four home runs in the tournament, and Mojica, two.

The home runs to power Steel Lake in this game were fitting because they were planting opponents in the dust a few games this year because of the long ball.

"We had five kids with five or more home runs this season," said Price. Kolterman had 18, and Fife eight, to lead that way.