Salpointe 'dials back in,' holds off CDO to win fourth straight Class 4A state softball title

Not one, not two, not three. The Salpointe Catholic High School softball team is Class 4A champions for the fourth consecutive season.

Propelled by a seven-run second inning, the top-seeded Lancers beat No. 3 Canyon del Oro 10-7 on Monday night at Hillenbrand Stadium to win the state title in a thrilling game.

"It's every feeling you have felt all in one," said first-year Salpointe head coach Tricia Sztan. "It's incredible, it's fulfilling, it's all their hard work."

After grabbing a 9-2 lead, Salpointe had to hold off a late rally by CDO. The Dorados fought back and made it 9-7 going into the bottom of the sixth until Salpointe pitcher Gianna Mares hit a solo home run for a key insurance run.

Mares got the final three outs in the top of the seventh to secure another Salpointe championship. Mares, a junior, was a part of last year's title-winning team but took her game to another level this season as the team's top pitcher.

"It's just special that I was able to help out more for my teammates this season," Mares said.

The Salpointe Catholic Lancers hold up the trophy after a team meeting on the field following their 10-7 win over Canyon del Oro in the Class 4A State Softball Championship Game at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. on May 16, 2022.
Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star

The heavy-hitting Lancers, which had relied on the home run ball at times this postseason, cut and diced their way to the victory with timely hits and patient at-bats early in the game. Krista Martinez and Gianna Payne each had two RBIs in the win.

Salpointe got on the board in the first inning, and quickly. Leadoff hitter Yannixa Acuna tripled to start and scored on the next batter on an RBI groundout from Logan Cole.

In the second, the Lancers took control on a two-run double from Martinez who sent a sharp fly ball to deep right field to make 3-0. Then, four straight walks issued by CDO, two by starting pitcher Zaedi Tagalog and two by reliever Amelia Streuber allowed the Lancers to plate two more runs.

Payne extended the lead to 7-0 on a two-run single up the middle and the Lancers were able to tack on one more before CDO got the third out.

"The lead was huge for us," Mares said. "It just really helped everyone be able to breathe."

It didn’t take long for the Dorados to respond as Megan Clark hit a two-run double to deep left center to bring it to 8-2. Salpointe added one more in the bottom half of the third but the Dorados again responded with two more runs, a wild pitch followed by an RBI single from Naya Campos made it 9-4.

CDO continued to make strides in its comeback effort with a three-run sixth inning. Taya Kelly had a two-run single with the bases loaded and Julia Holt followed with an RBI single to cut it to 9-7.

Salpointe Catholic's Monique Bustamante (31) gets out Canyon del Oro's Taya Kelly (18) at third base during the fourth inning of the Class 4A State Championship Game between No. 1 Salpointe Catholic and No. 2 Canyon de Oro at Hillenbrand Memorial Stadium in Tucson, Ariz. on May 16, 2022.
Rebecca Sasnett, Arizona Daily Star

CDO head coach Kelly Fowler said she talked to her team mid-game and said the mentality was to try to win each inning and not get overwhelmed by the score.

"We're fighters," Fowler said. "We won one inning, then the next."

But that’s as close as the Dorados would get as Salpointe closed the door with a 1-2-3 final inning.

"The girls all season have been able to dial back in," Sztan said. "It counts what we do next so take a deep breath, relax and take it one out at a time."

The Lancers rolled through the regular season with a 27-2 record to take the No. 1 seed in the 4A. They won games over Notre Dame Prep, Bradshaw Mountain, Paradise Honors and Cottonwood Mingus to advance to the title game.

CDO was equally as dominant during the regular season going 29-3 to earn the No. 3 seed. The Dorados beat Prescott, Sahuarita, Mingus Union and Paradise Honors to set up a date with Salpointe.

The two schools met twice during the year prior to the playoffs with the Lancers winning both matchups, 14-3 and 7-1.

Salpointe’s state title is its fourth straight since 2018. The 2020 state tournament was not played due to the pandemic.