Salpointe wins 5th state softball title in a row; Sabino-Empire 3A title tilt delayed till Wednesday

No. 1 Salpointe (35-1) beat No. 2 Phoenix Greenway 2-0 in the 4A state title game at Hillenbrand Stadium on Tuesday night.

“I think you have competitive girls who want to play,” said Salpointe coach Tricia Sztan, who won her second state title. “They just want to play for Salpointe and they want to play for each other, and I think that really defines great teams right there when you’re just as excited for your teammate who just scored a run, almost more excited than you would be scoring a run.”

Junior Carsyn O’Daniels, who scored the winning run as a courtesy runner, said it was “amazing” to win another state championship. The only time the Lancers haven’t taken state in the last few years was in 2020 when COVID-19 led to the tournament being canceled.

“Better than I ever expected, even better when it’s been in a row,” O’Daniels said. “Keeping that streak going is amazing.”

The loss snapped Greenway’s 21 game-winning streak. The Demons finished 29-3. Their only defeats were to Chino Hills (Calif.), Villa Park (Calif.) and 6A Glendale Mountain Ridge. Greenway also has won five state championships, but none since 2008.

The first game of the scheduled doubleheader, No. 1 Sabino against No. 2 Empire in the 3A title game, was postponed due to wet field conditions. It was rescheduled for 6:30 p.m. Wednesday.

Greenway senior pitcher Kaitlyn Terry struck out 10 in six innings, giving up two hits and two unearned runs with one walk. Terry, the No. 5 recruit in the 2023 class by Extra Inning Softball, has signed with UCLA.

Salpointe intentionally walked Terry all three times she was up to bat.

“We knew she was going to throw hard at us, you know she was a great pitcher,” Sztan said. “Our strategy was trying to put it in play … and let things happen.”

Salpointe senior ace Gianna Mares struck out seven, yielded one unintentional walk and gave up two hits.

“It’s really cool,” Mares said of outdueling Terry. “I mean, everyone knows who she is, she’s a great pitcher, I give her all the props in the world. But it was really nice to come out with this win to finish out my senior year.

Mares said being in a pitchers’ duel is really exciting.

“It just keeps you going, you’re into it every inning, and it just keeps getting better and better and better,” Mares said.

Salpointe ended the season on a 24-game winning streak. The Lancers’ only loss was to 6A No. 5 Chandler Hamilton.

In the bottom of the second, O’Daniels scored on a passed ball after junior Jae Castillo reached on an error and O’Daniels came in to run for her. O’Daniels said scoring what turned out to be the winning run was “the best feeling I ever felt in softball.”

“It was pretty scary, but I just knew that I needed to be aggressive because this is where my team needs me the most at this opportunity,” O’Daniels said. “But I felt like I was ready, and it was very fun. I enjoyed it a lot.”

Mares had a no-hitter through four innings. Greenway senior utility player Ariel Chandler broke it up with a standup double. After Salpointe intentionally walked Terry to put two runners on base, Mares got out of the inning with a strikeout.

Mares scored the second run in the bottom of the sixth when she bunted, reached base on an error and scored on that same play.

“It was just a big ‘I need to score,’ ” Mares said. “It was a big insurance run, and it felt really good to do that for my team.”

• Tucson teams own the two longest streaks of consecutive state championships in softball: Salpointe’s five and Sabino’s three.

• Salpointe has won 24 state tournament games in a row. The Lancers’ last loss was May 4, 2017, to Canyon del Oro in the state semifinals.