Mark Twain once said, "Plain question and plain answer make the shortest road out of most perplexities."
The question for the Canyon Del Oro Dorados entering Saturday's 4A-I state championship game against Glendale Cactus was very simple, very plain. "Do they have another win in them?"
The answer was equally plain — they sure did.
CDO (24-7) decimated the Cobras 15-5 to win its first state title since 2002, spraying hits all over Tempe Diablo Stadium and finishing with 19 on the day.
Standout performances from senior designated hitter Doug Steele (three hits, six RBIs) and junior Hayden Cota-Robles (four hits) propelled the Dorados' offensive onslaught and fueled the never-in-doubt victory.
The overwhelming title game performance was a welcome change for CDO, which took a roller coaster ride in the state playoffs.
Before Saturday's big win, the Dorados won every tournament game in the final inning, first defeating Sahuaro 7-6, then Cienega 4-3, and moving on to triumph over Phoenix's Sandra Day O'Connor 6-5 in the semifinals.
That semifinal win exemplified the come-from-behind fight CDO showed throughout the playoffs.
The Dorados carried a seemingly-comfortable 4-1 lead into the top of the sixth inning, but five singles and a two-RBI triple from Eagles' junior Devin Turner gave O'Connor its first lead of the game, 5-4.
In the bottom of the sixth, CDO was unable to advance a runner past second base, and ended the inning with two strikeouts.
O'Connor nearly scored again in the top of the seventh, advancing a runner to third base before Dorados' senior pitcher Ryan Retz was able to post two straight strikeouts to end the inning.
The break between the top and bottom of the seventh was the quietest portion of the game, with both sides of the crowd, including the CDO contingent, shifting uncomfortably and speaking in low voices.
That all changed when the Dorados, beginning with leadoff hitting senior Griffin Ronstadt, began swinging the bat.
Ronstadt didn't have much time to get set at the plate before Eagles' pitcher Bryce Keffler hit him with a pitch in the leg, putting him on first base. Ronstadt then stole second, and a balk by Keffler, his third of the game, advanced the senior to third base.
The next batter, junior Alan Drake, singled, driving Ronstadt home, tying the game and whipping the green-and-gold fans into a frenzy.
O'Connor coach Jeff Baumgartner then opted to remove Keffler and replace him with Tyler Doolittle, hoping to stem the tide.
Doolittle walked Retz, advancing Drake to second, and bringing up cleanup hitter Steele.
Steele laid a bunt down the first base line. O'Connor attempted to get the force out at third, but a throwing error allowed the sprinting Drake to round the base and score the winning run, prompting a green-and-gold pileup near home plate.
"They just showed the kind of moxie they have," said head coach Len Anderson.
"It's just a testament to our players, they don't quit, they don't give up," Anderson added. "We preach 21 outs all year long."
Veteran coach Anderson showed a willingness to make the tough decisions, calling for steals in tight situations, and signaling for a bunt from his cleanup hitter in the game's final inning.
"(Steele bunting) was maybe the first time this year," said Anderson with a smile. "But we bunt everyday in practice — I've told our players that the state championship will be won or lost on our ability to bunt."
The coach also had high praise for pitcher Retz, despite a difficult sixth inning for the senior.
"Never crossed my mind, no way," said Anderson when asked if he considered pulling the senior, who is committed to play at Pima Community College next season. "That's like taking Trevor Hoffman (all-time saves leader who now pitches for the Milwaukee Brewers) out — he's our guy, we're going to win or lose with him."
That philosophy worked, as did the one the following day, and now the 2009 Dorados' banner will soon hang in the gym next to those earned by CDO teams in 1979, 1984, 1994, 1997, 2000 and 2002.
Before even setting foot on a state championship field, junior catcher Corey Fujimoto seemed confident that this season's squad was ready to take its place in the Dorado baseball dynasty.
"We've done it in the last inning, we're never going to give up," said Fujimoto after the semifinal win. "I think it might be destiny for this team."
