Salpointe Catholic holds off rival Canyon del Oro to reach state semifinals

Salpointe Catholic not only won a rivalry game Thursday, but upset No. 1 Canyon del Oro in the third round of the Class 4A state softball tournament.

Kim McDaniels drove in the go-ahead run with a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning, and the fifth-seeded Lancers edged the Dorados 5-4 to advance to the May 10 state semifinals.

CDO moves to the loser’s bracket and will play No. 9 Coconino on Tuesday, with the winner advancing to play Salpointe.

“CDO has been our rival since Day 1,” Lancers senior Giselle Munoz said. “This game was constant fun. As long as we were having fun, I knew in my heart we could win it.”

The Dorados scored first, with sophomore Amya Legarra ripping an RBI single in the first inning.

After a scoreless second, Salpointe’s Diana Montano hit a single into right field to score Yannira Acuna and tie the game 1-1 in the third inning.

In the next frame, Salpointe pinch-hitter Elise Munoz drew a walk and loaded the bases for the Lancers. A hit to left field by Acuna scored Giselle Munoz and gave Salpointe a 2-1 lead. Sophomore Anjolee Aguilar-Beaucage extended the Lancers’ lead to 4-1 with a single of her own.

But the Dorados rallied back. In the bottom of the fifth, CDO’s Mikayla Santa Cruz reached base on an error and Ellessa Bonstrom singled. Alexis Kaiser brought both runners in to once again tie the game.

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“It was a little nerve-wracking,” Munoz said of CDO’s rally. “But we were just going to keep hitting the ball and do everything we could.”

McDaniels, a freshman, played the hero. Her sacrifice fly in the seventh inning scored Kat Payne, giving the Lancers a one-run lead. Salpointe held the Dorados scoreless in the bottom half to earn the win.

Thursday’s game was played at Pima College’s West Campus after originally being scheduled for Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix. The resulting atmosphere helped Salpointe, according to Lancer Erika Marquez.

“Having the support of our school and our parents and our family, I think that really gave us the energy to keep fighting in the game,” Marquez said.

That it came against CDO meant even more.

CDO beat the Lancers in the third round of last year’s playoffs. Salpointe lost in the second round in 2016, and was eliminated a few games later. Three years ago, when coach Amy Baray-Rocha was in her first year at the helm, the Lancers advanced all the way to the championship round.

“We’ve been trying for three years to get the job done and we’ve fallen short every single year,” Marquez said. “So, this year, there’s just this energy from the seniors leading the team. It really just shows we want it so bad.”