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State Little League playoffs; Sunnyside qualifies for American Legion state tournament

By Andy Morales

Posted on July 11, 2026

Sunnyside qualified for the Arizona State American Legion Tournament. (Andy Morales/AllSportsTucson)

LITTLE LEAGUE STATE TOURNAMENTS

FRIDAY, JULY 10

B 8-10: PHOENIX
Douglas 10, Flagstaff 2 (ELIMINATION)

B 9-11: TEMPE
Goodyear 3, Sonoita 0
Rincon 5, Chandler National 2
Flagstaff 11, Tanque Verde 0

S 9-11: COTTONWOOD
Thornydale 25, Winslow 9

B LL: ORA MAE
Continental Ranch 7, East Mesa 6
Chandler National 15, San Xavier 0

Down 6-4 to East Mesa in the bottom of the 6th with 2 outs, Continental Ranch loaded the bases on a single, walk and HBP. Dominic Hernandez knocked in 1 run and the tying run followed on an error. Maddox Edwards brought in Easton Cox for the win to stay alive in the AZ State… pic.twitter.com/t2zyaKGWYo

— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) July 11, 2026

S LL: MESA
Tanque Verde 7, Four Peaks 5 (ELIMINATION)
Copper Hills 4, West End 1

B JUNIORS: MESA
Randolph/San Xavier 10, High Desert 0
Douglas 15, Mountain Pines 1.
Western 11, Queen Creek 5 (ELIMINATION)

S JUNIORS: MISSION MANOR
Prescott Valley 5, Copper Hills 4 (ELIMINATION)

B INTERMEDIATE: NOGALES
Buckeye 10, Copper Hills 3 (ELIMINATION)

B SENIORS: AVONDALE
Buckeye 8, Flowing Wells 2
San Xavier 7, Blythe 5
Nogales vs. Rio Vista (ELIMINATION)

Special from Brad Allis

BUCKEYE – A big sixth inning and a dominant pitching performance by Adrian Salazar led Buckeye to an 8-2 win over Flowing Wells in the Arizona Seniors Little League State All-Star tournament.

The big lefty kept the Flowing Wells hitters off balance all evening, giving up just two hits, a lone unearned run and striking out nine batters.

“We ran into a buzzsaw,” said Flowing Wells Head Coach Gilbert Tovar. “He’s probably the best pitcher we’ve seen over the past five tournaments.”

The game was a pitcher’s duel heading into the sixth. The two teams who had combined for 30 runs the night before, but Buckeye led just 3-1 heading into the inning, and it looked like Flowing Wells would get out of a jam when reliever Tyler Allis got Salazar to chase a ball in the dirt for a two-out strike out.

However, the ball squirted past the catcher and Salazar beat the throw to keep the inning alive. Isaac Garnier then hit a towering pop fly that just eluded the right fielder for a bases clearing double.

He finished with four strikeouts in 3 2/3 innings and one earned run.

Buckeye struck first. David Castaneda singled to lead off the game. After a stolen base, he scored from second on a Maui Olivas single, beating a throw from center field. However, Olivas was thrown out at second by catcher Dante Tovar.

Buckeye loaded the bases, but starting pitcher Matthew Trujillo got out of the jam by getting a two-out ground out.

Castaneda scored Buckeye’s second run as well. He was hit by a pitch, then stole second and third before coming home on an Olivas single.

Neither team scored until the fifth. Daniel Carfagno walked and advanced on a Basil Molina sacrifice bunt. Carfagno then stole third and came home to score when the throw from the catcher was off target and went into left field.

Down 8-1 Flowing Wells managed one run in the seventh.

Flowing Wells managed just four hits, with Gallego, Carfagno and Molina.

Flowing Wells moves to the elimination bracket where they will face Payson. They will need to win three games in three days to advance to the championship bracket and will need to win five straight games to win the tournament.

“We’ve been here before,” noted Tovar. “We know it is tough, but we’ve had our backs against the wall before.”

Two times in the past three seasons the core of this team advanced to the championship series of their respective District 5 tournaments from the elimination brackets. Two years ago, they won the district juniors title after an early loss. Last year they faced a similar challenge of needing three wins in the elimination bracket, winning two before being eliminated.

Buckeye will face Tucson’s San Xavier, who edged Blythe 7-5, for a chance to advance to the championship series and would need a single win to advance to the Western Regionals.

SATURDAY, JULY 11

B 8-10: PHOENIX
Canyon View vs. Ahwatukee, 5:30 p.m.
Douglas vs. Four Peaks, 7:45 p.m. (ELIMINATION)

B 9-11: TEMPE
Rincon vs. Cactus Foothills, 6 p.m.
Sonoita vs. Arrowhead, 8 p.m. (ELIMINATION)

S 9-11: COTTONWOOD
Thornydale vs. TBD, 5:30 p.m.

B LL: ORA MAE
Continental Ranch vs. Chandler National, 8 a.m.
San Xavier vs. East Mesa, 8 a.m. (ELIMINATION)

S LL: MESA
Tanque Verde vs. Maricopa, 6 p.m. (ELIMINATION)

B JUNIORS: MESA
Western vs. Mountain Pines, 5:30 p.m. (ELIMINATION)
Randolph/San Xavier vs. Douglas, 7:30 p.m.

S JUNIORS: MISSION MANOR
Douglas vs. Four Peaks, 5 p.m.
Marana vs. Mountain Pines, 7:30 p.m.

B INTERMEDIATE: NOGALES
Marana vs. Buckeye, 9 a.m. (CHAMPIONSHIP)

S SENIORS: COTTONWOOD
Siera Vista vs. Avondale, 5:30 p.m.

SUNDAY, JULY 12

B 9-11: TEMPE
Tanque Verde vs. TBD, 6 p.m. (ELIMINATION

MONDAY, JULY 13

S 8-10: AVONDALE
Continental Ranch vs. TBD 5:45 p.m. (CHAMPIONSHIP)

S LL: MESA
Copper Hills vs. TBD, :30 p.m. (CHAMPIONSHIP)

LOCAL WEST REGION TOURNAMENTS

BASEBALL 50/70: JULY 23-30: NOGALES
SOFTBALL JUNIOR: JULY 23-29: ARTHUR PACK

AMERICAN LEGION

Post 132 Crush (Sunnyside) beat Post 24 Monsoon (San Pedro Valley) 5-4 in walk-off fashion with Andres Valenzuela coming through with an RBI single to send Sunnyside to the state tournament where the team will face Post 53 Buckeye in a best-of-3 series starting July 17 in… pic.twitter.com/iBUaH6i3Jl

— Andy Morales (@AndyMorales8) July 11, 2026