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Corona del Sol ends No. 1 Queen Creek's baseball season in semifinal
TL;DR
Tempe Corona del Sol defeated No. 1 seed Queen Creek 6-3 in the 6A baseball semifinals, advancing to the state final. Conor Rae, a position player turned pitcher, contributed significantly with 6 1/3 innings pitched.
Key points
- Corona del Sol defeated Queen Creek 6-3
- Conor Rae pitched 6 1/3 innings
- Team faced challenges with injuries and player graduations
- Top position players were used as pitchers
- Corona del Sol advances to the state final
Corona del SolQueen Creek6A baseball state final
Tempe Corona del Sol is returning to the 6A baseball state final behind infielders asked to pitch out of necessity this year.
Conor Rae, who never took the mound before this season, pitched 6 1/3 innings Friday, May 15, and helped himself at the plate in a 6-3 win over No. 1-seed Queen Creek in a semifinal at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa.
After the defending state champion Aztecs graduated three Division I pitchers, and because of injuries to pitchers this season, coach Dave Webb turned to top position players to deliver on the mound.
"We came into the season with everybody doubting us," Rae said. "Last year was such a fun ride. We lost a good part of our team.
"This year we had a bunch of guys step up and compete their tails off. Me, Kellan (Tom) and Colton (Floyd), the three pitchers as starters. I think Kellan threw two innings last year. I didn't throw any. Colton wasn't here. Us stepping up to start games and be there for our guys, that was big."
No. 4 Corona del Sol (22-7) moves into the Tuesday, May 19, 7:30 p.m., championship game at Tempe Diablo Stadium, awaiting either No. 3 Chandler Hamilton or No. 10 Phoenix Sandra Day O'Connor.
O'Connor (26-9) staved off elimination in the double-elimination tournament with a 2-1 win over the Huskies (20-10) on Friday in the later semifinal, as pitcher Matthew Del Carlo outdueled Tyler Nelson. Gio Boncore-Montoya pitched the seventh for the save. Those teams meet again Sunday, May 16, at Hohokam at 6 p.m.
Corona del Sol Aztecs Conor Rae (3) bats against the Queen Creek Bulldogs during the 6A semifinal at Hohokam Stadium in Mesa, on May 15, 2026.
Rae helped himself at the plate with a triple to lead off Corona del Sol's half of the first inning. He scored on a groundout, part of a two-run first.
In the second, when Queen Creek scored all three of its runs, Webb visited Rae on the mound.
"He's like, 'Thanks for coming out here, I'm exhausted,'" Webb said. "That was when he gave up the three runs. Once he got his feet under him, he was going to be OK."
After giving up five hits in the second, Rae got through the next four innings, yielding only two hits and getting leadoff batter Jet Berry, one of the most dangerous hitters in the state, to pop up twice on change-ups.
Q&A
How did Corona del Sol beat Queen Creek in the semifinals?
Corona del Sol won 6-3, with Conor Rae pitching 6 1/3 innings and contributing offensively.
Who are the key players for Corona del Sol in the semifinal game?
Conor Rae, Kellan Tom, and Colton Floyd were key players who stepped up as pitchers for Corona del Sol.
What challenges did Corona del Sol face this baseball season?
The team faced challenges due to the graduation of three Division I pitchers and injuries to their pitching staff.
When is the 6A baseball state final for Corona del Sol?
The exact date for the 6A baseball state final has not been specified in the excerpt.
