TEMPE — It was all set up for an absolute sports rarity — the “three-peat,” a third consecutive state championship — in a school year during which the team’s star had already helped Canyon del Oro win a football trophy.
But hitting against a Major League Baseball pitching prospect — one which Dorados coach Jason Hisey said was no doubt the best in the state — proved to be one hurdle too high for one more title.
“Is there any question about that?” Hisey said of Scottsdale Saguaro ace Cam Caminiti, who struck out 11 Dorados in the Arizona Class 4A baseball state championship game Monday night at Tempe Diablo Stadium.
“I’ve coached high school baseball in this state for 25 years,” Hisey continued. “I’ve haven’t seen a high school kid like him. Three pitches for a strike, left-handed, 95 miles an hour. We did the best we could.”
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The best was about as close as anyone as gotten to top-seed Saguaro (28-3) as the Sabercats still needed a late run to come away with a 2-1 win over No. 3 CDO on Monday night, a little revenge after losing to CDO 364 days ago on the same field. The Dorados (25-7) had won the title the previous year as well.
Canyon del Oro pitcher Grant Young delivers home during the Arizona Class 4A state baseball championship game Monday at Tempe Diablo Stadium. Young left the game with one out in the sixth with five strikeouts and the score tied at one, but Scottsdale Saguaro plated one more after his departure to defeat the Dorados 2-1 for the title.
CDO ace Grant Young stayed with the highly touted Caminiti for most of the night, ultimately allowing 2 runs on 6 hits, striking out five before leaving with one out in the sixth and the score tied at 1. Young could even be a little philosophical afterward.
“Obviously you want to win it,” Young said. “But with a guy throwing over 95 (mph) and getting to see that kind of stuff; the guys over there want to win and we want to win, it’s just a type of game you want to play. This is why you play baseball.”
Young entered Monday night 10-0; he finished his senior season 10-1 with a 1.21 ERA. Caminiti was 10-0 in 2024.
As it turned out, the only real difference was the run Saguaro scratched out in the sixth. Catcher Alain Gudino-Gomez singled, Cam Schmidt walked, then Chris Margarella bunted the runners over.
Shortstop Tarrell Reid took over on the mound for Young and got designated hitter Louis Busseri to ground sharply to Brayden Hoyler, who had just entered at second. But Hoyler’s throw home was wide, allowing Saguaro to get a 2-1 lead. Reid got a strikeout and a groundout to end the threat but that was all Caminiti needed.
He only gave up two hits all night — both in the fifth when CDO tied it. Young singled and Michael Chop knocked in the run with a shot to the gap in right-center. But other than that, the Dorado bats were silent against Caminiti, who has committed to LSU but is expected to go high in the July MLB draft. Michael Jones struck out, Young grounded hard to short and Reid’s fly ball to center were the final three outs of the season.
“When you are throwing that hard against kids this young, it’s just very difficult. It’s very difficult,” Hisey said. “The goal against someone like that is maybe you can put the ball in play and force some tough plays, but the thing is, the majority of the time you are swinging defensively.”
CDO is 10-4 in state baseball finals. It was the fourth state championship for Saguaro, the first since it won back-to-back in 2010-11.
The Sabercats came into the night having won 19 in a row, including a 5-0 win over Flagstaff in the semifinals and a 2-1 win over No. 4 Salpointe Catholic that sent the Lancers into the loser’s bracket.
Canyon del Oro shortstop Tarrell Reid tries to corral an infield grounder during the Dorados’ 2-1 loss to Scottsdale Saguaro in the 2024 Arizona Class 4A state baseball championship game.
“If we had a shot to win the game, it was going to have to be like this, 2-1, 1-0, 3-2,” Hisey said. “We had a shot when Ernie Alvarez hit the ball down the right field line (in the fourth), they had us played on the line, Hoyler makes a great play there at the end but can’t make the throw.”
And CDO kept it close. Even after Saguaro scored early, centerfielder Michael Jones threw out a runner at home trying to score from second on a single and the Dorados only gave up a run after the first two batters of the game had gotten on base. Young got two strikeouts to hold the Sabercats to one run.
This was already a good spring for the northsiders. The Dorado softballers — also a No. 3 seed — reached the title game as well, losing to Salpointe on Saturday at Hillenbrand Stadium.
And last fall, with pitching ace Young intercepting a pass for a touchdown, CDO won the 4A football title over No. 1 Yuma Catholic
“You don’t get that opportunity,” Young said of the opportunity of a rare double. “It’s takes a lot of kids who want to come out here and win. If you want win sports, you want to win games, you come to CDO. All the coaches love their players as much as they love game and it’s starts with that.”
