"I don't pitch that much because I'm a catcher," said Perasso, who helped his cause by scoring two runs and driving in a run with a first-inning single. "I wasn't sure about how I'd do, but then it all worked out.
"We weren't expected to do well. I just threw a lot of strikes and let my defense take care of the rest."
It took plenty of patience and character for High Temp to defeat Landry's for the second consecutive night. High Temp rallied from an 8-4 deficit in the top of the sixth to earn a 9-8 victory against Landry's in Tuesday's championship game at the same venue.
Landry's recorded a 12-0 victory against High Temp in a semifinal contest Saturday at Babe Herman Field. Instead High Temp shook off the lopsided loss and used the comeback to spur it to the title Wednesday.
High Temp Coach Rick Perasso said his team needed a confidence boost.
"We lost the first time, but we got them to believe and realize that we had a chance to finish it off," Rick Perasso said. "Landry's is a fantastic team with good coaches, but what an experience for our team to win.
"I think we were more aggressive and put the ball in play."
High Temp showed it would be aggressive right from the start.
It took advantage by having the first five batters reach safely against Landry's starting pitcher Drew Hoogenhuizen (15-2). Landry's didn't provide Hoogenhuizen with much defensive support, as it committed two errors that contributed to three runs.
Hoogenhuizen made 23 first-inning pitches, but couldn't escape the jam when Perasso singled to give High Temp a 1-0 lead. An error by the third baseman led to two more runs to extend High Temp's lead to 3-0.
Landry's Coach Dan Mulcahey said his team couldn't recover from the first-inning deficit or from losing Tuesday's contest.
"We were nervous in the first inning," Mulcahey said. "We didn't support [Hoogenhuizen] in the first inning, and it hurt us giving up three unearned runs.
"[Our players] knew that they blew a golden opportunity to win Tuesday. It's unfortunate because it left a sour taste in their mouths."
High Temp extended its lead to 5-0 in the third on a run-scoring single by Tae Ha and an error.
Landry's countered with its run in the third. Nate Rousey singled with two outs and scored on a single to left by Hoogenhuizen, who tossed a one-hitter in Saturday's game.
Anthony Perasso, who made just 26 pitches in the first three innings, induced Hoogenhuizen to hit into an inning-ending double play in the fifth.
