By Don Ketchum

One more strike and Tucson Canyon del Oro would win another softball state championship.

Dorados pitcher Kayla Bonstrom let the ball go and . . . Peoria Sunrise Mountain’s McKenzie St. Clair hit a grand slam with two outs in the bottom of the seventh to tie Monday’s (May 14) Division II state title game at 9.

Bonstrom’s insides were turning and churning.

But as she would say later, “In the game of softball, you can’t dwell on things like that. Would I like to have that pitch back? Yes. But you have to move on.’’

Bonstrom did. The Stanford-bound senior responded as most top-level players do.

She hit a two-run homer in the top of the eighth and set Sunrise Mountain down in order in the bottom of the eighth, finishing with a strikeout and the Dorados recorded an 11-9 victory at Arizona State’s Farrington Stadium in Tempe.

Canyon del Oro, the second seed, had come up through the loser’s bracket in the double-elimination tournament and finished 33-5. Sunrise Mountain, the No. 1 seed, finished 33-2.

It was the latest in a long line of softball titles for Canyon del Oro. The team also won it all in the old Class 5A in 1992, 2001 and 2005 and in the old Class 4A Division I in 2007, 2008, 2009 and in 2011. Sunrise Mountain also had a great deal of recent success – winning Class 5A Division II crowns in 2006, 2008 and 2009.

“A lot of people thought we couldn’t come out and do it again, but we stuck together,’’ Bonstrom said.

Of her winning hit, she said, “I wasn’t thinking about redeeming myself. I was just trying to get on base.’’

First-year Canyon del Oro coach Stephanie Nicholson said, “This is the way a championship game should go. There is no other way.

“We had seven seniors who wanted to finish out in a way that only CDO could, continuing our tradition.

“Kayla solidified everything for us.’’

Samantha Nettling got Canyon del Oro started with a first-inning home run. Samantha Noland hit a line-drive grand slam to highlight a six-run fourth inning to make it 8-4 and Makenzie Sullivan hit a solo homer in the top of the seventh to make it 9-4.

But Sunrise Mountain rallied for five runs in the seventh. Melissa Secrest walked to force in a run, and then St. Clair unloaded her the slam to give her six RBIs for the game.

“They’re (Sunrise Mountain) all great hitters, and she (St. Clair) took advantage,’’ Bonstrom said.

It obviously was a disappointing loss for Sunrise Mountain, but coach Jody Pruitt said, “I don’t think we died at all. Our girls worked so hard.’’