The last time Keith Francis and Oscar Romero met in a high-stakes game was the 2002 5A state championship where Francis led Oro Valley Canyon del Oro to an 8-6 victory over Tucson High.

That championship gave the Dorados 32 wins on the year and that total stands as the most-ever by the school but it can be tied if Canyon del Oro wins two more.

Canyon del Oro (30-2) outlasted Tucson Salpointe 16-15 in the winner's bracket of the Division II state playoffs to set up an improbable rematch 13 years later in the semifinal round with Tucson (27-5) after the Badgers got past Tucson Sunnyside 4-2 in the nightcap.

Francis (147-34) retired in 2004 but was drawn back to the program this spring with the lure of a team full of D-I athletes and MLB prospects. Meanwhile, Romero has been a rock at Tucson. A former champion at the school as a player, Romero has gone on to win 431 games since 1990 as a coach.

His 421st victory came against Canyon del Oro in April. It was one of only two losses suffered by the Dorados this year.

Salpointe (26-6) handed the Dorados their other loss. CDO was 13-0 and nationally ranked when the Lancers defeated them on their own field in late March. Tucson went on to earn the top seed in the playoffs while Salpointe took second and CDO took third. It was an order of finish that did not fit with the local and national rankings.

No. 3 Canyon del Oro 16, No. 2 Salpointe 15

Getting revenge on Salpointe in the winner's bracket proved to be a lot easier said than done. The 16-15 victory was more indicative of a very bad football game rather than a high-level baseball outing and the tone was set on the second pitch.

Max Smith sent a towering shot into the trees beyond the wall in right field and Canyon del Oro took the early lead. The Dorados added another run but the 2-0 lead would not hold after Salpointe responded with four runs in the bottom half of the inning on the strength of a bases-clearing triple by Juan Durazo.

Down 4-2, Canyon del Oro scored five runs in the second inning to retake the lead. Nick Ames provided the muscle with a grand slam. The 7-4 lead would not hold.

Donny Sands hit a three-run homer in the bottom of the second to fuel another comeback and Salpointe led 8-7. The lead would not hold.

The Dorados cashed in on three RBI brought in via hit-by-pitch and another by a walk with the bases loaded to pace the team to a 13-8 lead. That lead would hold. Barely.

Salpointe scored four more in the bottom of the fourth to cut the lead down to 13-12. The Dorados scored three more in the fifth but the Lancers scored two more to keep things close at 16-14.

Salpointe sent three pitchers to the mound with Branden Hance, Ernesto Romero and Sands making appearances. Sands took over in the sixth and collected six strikeouts but he loaded the bases in the sixth and put two more on in the seventh in the process.

Canyon del Oro was unable to convert on any of those chances but Salpointe was also struggling.

Gabe Benavides, Michael Santorelli, Spencer Packard, Ames and Migueles took the mound for CDO. A double play erased a threat in the sixth inning but Salpointe loaded the bases on Migueles in the seventh for one last shot.

Alex Diaz drew a two-out walk to pick up an RBI to cut the lead down to 16-15 but Migueles caught the next batter looking to end the game.

Smith finished 4-5 with five RBI, a home run and a double from the leadoff spot and Anthony Felix went 3-5 with a double from the bottom of the lineup for Canyon del Oro.

Orozco went 3-4 with a triple and Durazo went 3-5 with a triple and three RBI for Salpointe.

No. 1 Tucson 4, No. 5 Sunnyside 2

Although the second half of the double-header did not produce as many runs, the stakes were just the same and the outcome was not decided until the final out.

The Badgers took a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the first on a two-RBI single from Kyle Rivera. It became a pitching duel between Trevelle Hill and Ernie Bonillas from there.

Sunnyside stranded two runners in the second and a double play ended a threat in the fourth but an RBI single from Chris Celaya cut the lead down to 2-1 in the top of the fifth. The Blue Devils would work the bases loaded and Matt Burr would pick up an RBI after he was hit-by-pitch to tie the game up 2-2.

The Badgers would draw back-to-back walks in the bottom of the fifth and another hit batter would load the bases. Miguel Figueroa delivered on a two-run single to put Tucson back up 4-2.

Angel Castillo came in and held Tucson the rest of the way and Figueroa took over for Tucson in the sixth.

Sunnyside was able to put two runners on the top of the seventh but the defense held and the Badgers won 4-2.