CDO edges Salpointe for championship
There were two things on the line between Salpointe Catholic and Canyon del Oro Monday night: The season series and — more importantly — the Class 4A state baseball championship.
The fourth-seeded Dorados won the all-Tucson title game under the lights at Hi Corbett Field, rallying back from a three-run deficit to edge the third-seeded Lancers 7-6.
The Dorados now have nine state titles in program history.
“Both teams were out of gas with their arms. It was just a matter of who was going to survive. Our kids just fought and battled,” said CDO coach and former Arizona Wildcat Jason Hisey. “They believed the whole way.”
Following a leadoff single by Salpointe Catholic right fielder Jose Simon and a hit by senior first baseman Omar Montreal in the bottom of the second inning, junior Conner Raetzman put the Lancers ahead 1-0 with an RBI single. A sacrifice fly by junior Roman Basurto brought in Montreal for the second run of the game.
Salpointe Catholic standout Mason White’s single to right field put runners on corners for the Lancers, but CDO senior pitcher Dominic Felix struck out two in a row to end the third inning; a previous balk put the Lancers ahead 3-0.
“(We wanted) to just keep our heads up,” said CDO star Austin Madsen said. “We kept the team’s head in the game and were ready to go. We were never down.”
CDO’s offense came alive in the fourth inning, when the Dorados scored two runs. An RBI single by Lucas Casey brought in Sam Martinez, and a walk with the bases loaded allowed Chase Tackett to score another run. Lancers coach Danny Preble visited starting pitcher Robert Lopez, a Pima College signee, and the inning ended with a popout.
That was just the beginning of the Dorados’ scoring avalanche.
At the top of the sixth inning, Madsen blasted a 380-foot solo home run to left field.
“I got a hold of it and thought there’d be a shot,” Madsen said. “Once I saw the left fielder turn around and look at it, that’s when I knew it was gone. … That’s crazy. I was never a home-run hitter. That was insane for me. Insane.”
Hisey said “the momentum shifted during Madsen’s home run.”
With Max Smith relief pitching, CDO’s Michael Jones’ hit hugged the first-base foul line in right field, which was followed up by Jacob Charlson hitting a single on a Salpointe Catholic error. A blooper in the outfield by catcher Ernie Alvarez scored Jones. CDO’s Chris Humphreys scored from third base after a wild pitch, giving the Dorados a 7-3 advantage.
Salpointe Catholic tacked on three runs in the seventh inning, coming ohso-close to tying the game. White’s RBI single and Monreal’s RBI double to score three runs to give the Lancers a chance to tie or win in walk-off fashion, but the game ended in a putout at third base for the final out.
Hisey was doused in water to celebrate CDO’s victory, and the Dorados dogpiled in the infield for their first state championship since 2015.
“Sweet, sweet victory right there,” said Madsen. “That’s insane. We split the series in the regular season, but taking this one felt good.”