LAS VEGAS (KTNV) — When Sai Mendoza-Santiago was born with a congenital heart defect, doctors warned his family that sports might never be part of his future.
Now, the Mountain Ridge Little League infielder is a Nevada state champion preparing to represent the Silver State at the Senior League Baseball West Regional in Oakland, California.
The Mountain Ridge Senior All-Stars earned the trip by rallying from a 7-1 deficit in the state championship game, scoring 11 runs to capture the title and advance to regionals.
WATCH | Mountain Ridge state champ overcomes heart condition to chase World Series dream
"It was a pretty surreal experience," Mendoza-Santiago said. "Our team was so excited. We're all, 'We're going to Oakland. We won state and now we're going to play in regionals.'"
His father, Greg Mendoza, said the road to this moment began almost immediately after Sai was born.
"When he was just a few days old, he had open-heart surgery," Mendoza said. "He's had a few surgeries since then and a couple of procedures."
Doctors initially questioned whether Sai would ever be able to play sports.
"They told us he's not going to play sports," Mendoza said. "I remind him of that all the time, and he loves proving them wrong."
Sai has done exactly that.
"It’s crazy to see that I couldn't even play sports to now being state champs," he said.
Along the way, he became a Make-A-Wish ambassador, speaking at the Athletics' Las Vegas ballpark groundbreaking last summer. There, he told the crowd that meeting athletes and teams gives children facing critical illnesses "tons of hope in their darkest days."
His teammates say that same optimism shows up every time he takes the field.
"I feel like he's taught me to never give up no matter the situation, whether we're down by 10 or up by 10," teammate Andrew Villas said.
That mindset helped fuel Mountain Ridge's championship comeback.
Coach Jon Akin said the team never stopped believing.
"They don't stop playing," Akin said. "In the state championship game, we're down 7 to 1... scored 11 runs and then were able to come out on top."
Now the challenge shifts from the baseball field to getting the team to Oakland. Families have launched a GoFundMe to help cover travel expenses and ensure every player and coach can make the trip.
"We want to make sure that no player misses out on this opportunity," Akin said.
If Mountain Ridge wins the West Regional, the team will advance to the Senior League Baseball World Series in Easley, South Carolina.
Want to help?
Donations to support the Mountain Ridge Little League Senior All-Stars' trip to Oakland can be made here.
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