Salpointe had four losses all year and three of those came against rival Canyon del Oro, including a 4-0 setback on April 19 that handed the 4A Kino Region trophy to the Dorados, but the season is long, and both teams had to overcome two of the most difficult schedules in Arizona to make it to the final day on Saturday where the Lancers prevailed 11-0 in five innings.

(Canyon del Oro/Andy Morales/AZPresp365)

 

Salpointe (31-4) won its sixth state championship in a row, dating back to 2018, and the Lancers did it grand fashion with four home runs and two doubles in one of the most venerated college softball stadiums in the world, Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium on the University of Arizona campus. Except for the outfield bleachers, there was not an empty seat in the house and for good reason.

Salpointe came in ranked No. 4 in the state and Canyon del Oro (33-3) was No. 3, with both programs entering the state playoffs ranked behind No. 1 Eastmark (22-5) and No. 2 Arcadia (28-6-1). Those in the know knew what was coming, since 2014, the best team at this level has come from the Tucson area and the trophy has only been in Phoenix twice since 2005 and four times since 1999. It’s a dominance that includes six state championships from the Dorados and six from the Lancers. Canyon del Oro leads the “big school” category with nine state titles and Salpointe has come closer with eight.

Salpointe sent Eastmark to the elimination bracket on Friday and Canyon del Oro did the same to Arcadia. No. 7 Mica Mountain (from Southern Arizona) eliminated Arcadia in the next game and then the Dorados eliminated Eastmark in the semifinal round. Mica Mountain (22-9) beat Salpointe in the first semifinal game 4-2 on Thursday but the Lancers rebounded with a 10-1 victory in the “if game” to set up the final with the Dorados. The offensive explosion in that second game by Salpointe was an omen of what was to come.

Salpointe beat Greenway 2-0 to win the 4A title last year with UCLA freshman Kaitlyn Terry in the circle. Terry was just named Pac-12 Freshman of the Year after earning Arizona Gatorade Player of the Year honors with Greenway. This year, the Lancers beat Oregon State commit Amelia Streuber (19-1, 174 Ks) after Streuber beat them three times.

Streuber finished the game with nine strikeouts but it was tough going early on with Jaelyn Castillo hitting a solo shot with two out in the top of the first. Kayla Hendrix reached third base on an error to start the bottom half of the inning but Macee Jackson (9-1) collected two ground balls and a strikeout to end the threat. Jackson only had three strikeouts in the game but the Dorados had a difficult time getting the ball out of the infield and Taya Kelly went 2-4 to account for half of the hits for the Dorados.

A home run from Molli Daley with two outs in the second made it 2-0 and three more runs in the third made it 5-0. Home runs from Jordan Goedel and Anyssa Wild in the top of the fifth helped pace the Lancers to six more runs to make it 11-0. The Dorados needed two runs to avoid the run-rule and the team almost got it with a one-out double from Malayah Renteria followed by walk to Hendrix and then a single from Molly Herman but a throw home on the play ended that threat and then Jackson induced another ground ball for the win. Daley went 2-2 with a home run, double and two RBI.

Canyon del Oro moves up to the 5A Conference next year due to enrollment. Three of the state championships won by the Dorados came at the 5A level. Salpointe now owns the longest championship streak of six wins, passing Red Mountain. This was also the 14th championship appearance for the Dorados which puts them past Sahuaro and this is the 11th for Salpointe.

“I’m so proud of our girls,” Canyon del Oro head coach Kelly Fowler told Javier Morales of AllSportsTucson, “We have a we have a very small senior class. We have a ton of juniors coming back and we’re moving up to 5A, so it’ll be fine.”

“We made each other better,” Fowler said of the rivalry with Salpointe. “We’re up against each other. This is crazy that the two best teams are in the same conference. It’s crazy and it’s been like that forever. So it’ll be interesting.”