No. 5 Canyon del Oro held on to beat No. 4 Salpointe 4-3 Friday in a preview of what most are predicting is a championship run for both programs again in the 4A Conference. The Dorados have nine state titles, with the last coming in 2017, and the Lancers have seven, including the last five in a row. The two teams will meet again on April 19 at Salpointe in what will be the last major game in the conference before the state playoffs start April 27.

By comparison, No. 1 Eastmark (15-0 in ranking games) has three games remaining on the schedule against No. 16 Poston Butte (11-4) and two against No. 44 ALA-Gilbert North (1-14). No. 2 Arcadia (13-1) will face No. 22 Mesquite (5-9), No. 14 Marcos de Niza (10-2) and No. 31 Seton Catholic twice down the stretch. No. 3 Coconino (13-0) has No. 30 Mohave (5-9), No. 24 Thunderbird (9-5), No. 17 Flagstaff (11-2) twice and No. 32 Goldwater (7-6).

Canyon del Oro (12-1) led 3-0 entering the sixth but Salpointe (11-1) scored three runs to tie the game up after Molli Daley singled with one out, Jaelyn Castillo doubled to score Daley and then Izzy Soto reached on an error one out later to put two on with two outs. Lancer pitcher Arianna Flores helped herself out by scoring Castillo and Soto on a double to tie the game.

Kayla Hendrix reached on a hit-by-pitch to start off the bottom half of the sixth and it looked like she would be stranded there but Emma Shaffer doubled in the gap with two outs to score Hendrix from first. Amelia Streuber stopped the Lancers in order in the top of the seventh for the 4-3 win.

Streuber (13-0) finished with five strikeouts with one earned run given up but Flores (4-2) also held Canyon del Oro in check early on until the Dorados scored two runs with two outs in the bottom of the fourth to open up the scoring. The Dorados loaded the bases on a single from Jacey Mazura, a fielder’s choice issued to Sammy Hudgens and a walk by Molly Herman and Destanee Nez followed with a double to score two. The Dorados went up 3-0 in the fifth after Taya Kelly tripled and Julissa Lopez singled to bring her in.

Nez went 2-4, a double and two RBI and Kelly went 2-3 with a triple for Canyon del Oro. Texiera went 2-4, Daley went 2-4 and Flores picked up two RBI for Salpointe.

Salpointe will play 5A Catalina Foothills (4-8) on Saturday and Canyon del Oro will host No. 19 Walden Grove (8-6) on Monday.