35+ Cactus Champions

The Seattle Ravens closed out a perfect 9–0 tournament run with a hard-fought victory over the Houston Gamblers in the 35+ Cactus championship at Tempe Diablo Stadium on November 1st, 2025. The Ravens earned their first-ever MSBL World Series championship after more than a decade of blood, sweat, and tears. Their roster drew from some of the top players across the Puget Sound Senior Baseball League (PSSBL).

During pool play, the Ravens averaged 13 runs and over 14 hits per game while playing stellar defense — led by Shane Kessel (SS/3B), Derek Jennings (SS), and Brian Perry (C). All six pool-play starters threw at least five innings and earned wins: Michio Koide, Ryan Patrick, Josh Johnson, Brett Fink, Aaron Borth, and manager Paul Davison. The Ravens went 6–0 in pool play as the #1 seed.

In the quarterfinal, ace Adrian Gomez threw a complete-game shutout against Liga Del Oesta, striking out eight in a 15–0 victory. The semifinal brought a rematch with the Long Island Twins — who had eliminated the Ravens in 2024. Trailing 2–0 early, Ryan Patrick settled in for 5⅓ innings, and Brett Fink and Marty Bigelow locked down a 15–7 victory.

The championship opened with another 2–0 deficit. Shane Kessel answered immediately with a mammoth two-run home run to left-center. With a 6–3 lead after five, Gomez returned on short rest and threw four more innings — his second win in two days. The defending-champion Gamblers tied it 6–6 in the seventh, but the Ravens erupted for three in the bottom of the seventh and added one more in the eighth to win 10–6. Joe Clancy, Shane Kessel, and Kyle Conwell each had three hits; the Ravens totaled 20 hits on the day.

Manager Paul Davison said afterward: "I can't begin to tell you how much getting this win means to this group," emphasizing how the team "answered the bell every single time adversity struck."