DETROIT - Winning the Detroit Public School League Mega Division baseball city title has become the norm at Western International. So much so that the Cowboys have won 10 consecutive league championships, and 11 out of the last 13, including a win 5-4 win over King tonight for the 2017 title.

The Cowboys needed extra innings to do it, with junior catcher Logan Foster hitting a blooper to right field to bring in the winning run in the bottom of the 8th.

"It's getting harder and harder," Western head coach Juan Carlos Sanchez laughed. "This season has been a testament to how good Norm (King's coach) and his team is, and some of the other teams have gotten better. The schedule we play has us battle tested, and we've been behind before, and I was just reminding the guys to come out and battle every inning, and to keep chipping away at it."

King was in the driver's seat for most of the game, holding a 4-0 lead in the fifth inning, with hitting from the top of its line-up, and effective pitching from Jonathan Darby. Then everything went downhill for the Crusaders.

The Cowboys put two runs on the board in the fifth, due to a squeeze play, and a throwing error at first base. The rally was on after that. In the sixth inning, Western added two more runs to tie the game, and complete the comeback. The Cowboys never waivered, even when they were down four, and once its crowd got into the game, they played with a little more urgency.

"I really didn't say to say anything to my players," Sanchez said. "One of my sophomores, DJ Clark, brought all the kids together in the dugout and kind of lit a fire under their butts. I told them that if we could get some guys on base, that could add a little pressure and change things. We put the pat on the ball, and good things happened."

Once Western put its ace pitcher in the game after starter Miguel Ambriz gave up four runs, it was lights out for King. All Western had to do was wake up its bats. They loaded the bases in the bottom of the 8th, then Foster got a piece of one to bring in the game-winning run.

"When we brought Will in, it overpowered them a bit", said Sanchez. "Miguel wasn't at his best today because he was battling a cold, and his balls were up. I probably should have gotten him when it was 2-0, but I wanted to have faith in my senior. He gave us what we could, and Will finished it off for us."

Western dominates the PSL every year, and they come into each season expecting to win it all in the city. They have not lost a city title game since 2007. But another thing they also have not accomplished is win a state title, which is also the goal each season.

"We talk about confident, but not arrogant," said Sanchez. "We do expect to win the city, but a state championship is the ultimate goal. We want to represent the city in states, and we want to make history there as well."