Canyon del Oro celebrates winning the Class 4A state championship late Monday night at Hi Corbett Field. The Dorados held on to defeat Salpointe Catholic, 7-6.

 Rick Wiley photos, Arizona Daily Star

There were two things on the line between Salpointe Catholic and Canyon del Oro Monday night: The season series and β€” more importantly β€” the Class 4A state baseball championship.

The fourth-seeded Dorados in 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. CDO catcher Ernie Alvarez sealed the victory by blocking a pitch in the dirt, then throwing out the would-be tying runner as he tried to steal third base for the final out of the game.

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The Dorados now have nine state titles in program history.

β€œBoth 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. β€œThey believed the whole way.”

Following a leadoff single by Salpointe Catholic right fielder Jose Simon and a hit by senior first baseman Omar Monreal 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 Monreal for the second run of the game.

Michael Jones of Canyon del Oro slides safely into second base after the ball gets away from Mason White of Salpointe in Monday's Class 4A state title game at Hi Corbett Field.

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.

β€œ(We wanted) to just keep our heads up,” said CDO star Austin Madsen said. β€œWe 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.

Madsen blasted a 380-foot solo home run to left field in the sixth.

β€œI got a hold of it and thought there’d be a shot,” Madsen said. β€œOnce 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 β€œthe 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 bloop hit by Alvarez scored Jones. CDO’s Chris Humphreys scored from third base after a wild pitch, giving the Dorados a 7-3 advantage.

Omar Monreal of Salpointe slides safely past the outreached tag of Canyon del Oro catcher Ernie Alvarez in Monday’s Class 4A state championship baseball game.

Salpointe ralled for three runs in the seventh inning. White’s RBI single and Monreal’s RBI double moved the Lancers to within a run of tying the game with two out. But Alvarez threw out Monreal as he tried to steal third on a ball in the dirt, and the Dorados’ celebration was on.

Hisey was doused in water to celebrate CDO’s victory, and the Dorados dogpiled in the infield for their first state championship since 2015.

β€œSweet, sweet victory right there,” said Madsen. β€œThat’s insane. We split the series in the regular season, but taking this one felt good.”

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Contact sports producer Justin Spears at 573-4312 or jspears@tucson.com. On Twitter: @JustinESports