With no margin for error after an opening round loss in the Texas West state tournament, Corpus Christi's Universal Little League saved its best for last.

Universal swept a doubleheader from previously undefeated Midland Northern Little League, winning the first game 11-1 in four innings and then blanking the same foe 3-0 in the nightcap, to claim the Texas West championship at the Texas Bank Sports Complex in San Angelo.

The victories advanced Universal, which had never previously advanced beyond district tournament competition in the major baseball division, to the Southwestern Region tournament. Universal won that tourney, and advanced to the Little League World Series.

Before reaching South Williamsport, Universal needed to maneuver past Midland Northern. The District 23 champions hit six home runs in the doubleheader sweep, and its pitchers combined to allow just one run and eight hits over ten innings of work.

"Thy respond better when their backs are to the wall," said Universal manager Randy Ramirez. Universal had dropped its opening round game against Fort Worth's Westside Little League, then eliminated Eagle Pass American Little League by a 9-2 score and avenged their earlier defeat with an 8-3 win over Westside.

The wins lifted Universal into the championship game, and after taking an early 1-0 advantage, Universal pulled away in the third. Jesus Ortiz slammed a two-run homer, and later in the inning, Jarod Cruz added a three-run shot.

In the fourth, Juan Sosa and Jacob Garcia each delivered two-run homers.

"We have that power," said Ramirez. "The only time we were off on that was the first game, when we lost. Every other time, we've always had offense like that."

The offense was more than enough for Sosa, who allowed one run and four hits in a complete game effort.

Universal's offense found runs harder to come by in the second championship series meeting, which immediately followed the first game. But Garza struck out fourteen hitters, including seven of the last eight batters he faced, while shutting out a Midland offense that scored 22 runs in its first two tournament games.

"We're an offensive team, but we've got defense, and our pitching is phenomenal," said Ramirez after the game.

Ortiz led off the bottom of the first inning with a home run to give Universal an early edge, and Cruz led off the second with another solo shot. The Corpus Christi league added one in the fifth before closing out their fourth consecutive win of the tournament.

"The first game, they went out there and showed it," said Ramirez. "I just can't believe the way they came out this morning. They did it one game, then they had to do it another game, and they did it."

Midland Northern had reached the championship game by easing past Eagle Pass American, 13-2 in five innings, in the opening round, and then topping Westside by a 9-5 score in the winner's bracket final. Hunter Robertson was 4-for-4 with five runs batted in against Westside, while Carter Eckles had two hits and Austin Day drove in two runs. The three players also combined to limit Westside to three runs on six hits for the game.

Universal -- which became the first Corpus-area league to reach a Texas state championship game since Robstown Little League won an all-Texas state tournament in 1958 -- won all five of its games at the Southwestern Region tournament in Waco, Texas. The last of these wins, a 6-0 defeat of Fairacres Little League (Las Cruces, New Mexico) gave Universal the region championship, as the league became the twentieth Texas league ever to qualify for the Little League World Series.