MONDAY, MAY 18

5A SOFTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP AT GCU

No. 2 Mountain View (24-3) vs. No. 4 Canyon del Oro (29-6), 1 p.m.

 

No. 4 Canyon del Oro held on to beat No. 3 Chaparral 5-4 Friday night to advance to the 5A state championship game to be played Monday at 1 p.m. against No. 2 Mountain View Marana. The final game will be played at GCU and this will be a state-record 16th championship appearance for the Dorados and the first for the Mountain Lions. Mountain View beat No. 9 Willow Canyon 7-5 in the other semifinal game.

Canyon del Oro has nine state titles, which is the most for a 4A-6A program, with the last coming in 2017. The Dorados took second place in 2022, 2024 and 2025. Mountain View (24-3) beat Canyon del Oro (29-6) twice this season to earn the 5A Sonoran title.

Freshman pitcher Savanna Mares (20-5) collected 13 strikeouts in the win over Chaparral (21-11) but the Firebirds loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the seventh to give the team from the East Sky Region a shot at a win to force an “if” game in the double-elimination format. Mares picked up two strikeouts to keep the Firebirds in check but Amelia Donkerbrook took an 0-2 pitch to the fence for a double to score Paisley Prowse and Ava Stallone to cut the Dorado lead down to 5-4 with the tying run standing at third base with two outs.

Parker Liano came up and delivered on a line drive but the shot was right at short stop Jacey Mazura for the third out. Makenzie Leathers (14-4) had nine strikeouts in the loss for Chaparral but the Dorados jumped out to a 4-0 lead in the bottom of the first to set up what looked to be a comfortable lead.

Mazura singled with one out and then Kelsey Rolls doubled to put two on. Mazura scored on a passed ball to make it 1-0 and then Emma Shaffer hit a home run to make it 4-0. The score remained even at that point until Chaparral cut the lead in half in the top of the sixth inning.

Chaparral. (Andy Morales/AZPreps365)

Avery Shaughnessy and Kaelyn Moffitt started the inning out on back-to-back singles and then Riley Zimmerman doubled in Shaughnessy to make it 4-1. Liano came up one out later to score Moffitt to cut the lead down to 4-2. Amelia Baum walked to put two runners on but Mares ended the rally on a strikeout. Shaffer came up with the second home run of the night to lead off the bottom half of the sixth and that run proved to be the game-winner for the Dorados.

Shaffer went 2-3 with two home runs and four RBIs, Rolls went 2-3 with a double and Mazura went 1-3 to lead Canyon del Oro at the plate. Donkerbrook had a double and two RBIs, Zimmerman had a double and an RBI, Liano had an RBI and Shaughnessy and Moffitt picked up hits for Chaparral.

Chaparral has five state championships with the last appearance coming in 2013.

NOTE: Canyon del Oro senior outfielder Braelyn Leiber is a great-granddaughter of former University of Arizona standout (basketball, baseball and football) and former MLB All-Star Hank Leiber (1911-1993). Her father, Zane Leiber, played baseball for the Dorados and he was drafted by the White Sox with aminor league career from 1993-98.