No. 9 Tucson defeated No. 6 Canyon del Oro 8-2 Thursday night to advance to the final game of the Division II Elimination Bracket where the Badgers will take on No. 10 Ironwood Ridge. Tucson and Ironwood Ridge will play each other on Saturday night at Amphitheater High School. Game time is set for 7 p.m.

Some might call the Badger win a case of “redemption” while others will use the term “revenge” after the Dorados defeated Tucson in the playoffs twice last year including a 3-1 defeat in the D-II state championship game. (Actually, the rivalry goes back to 2002 when the Dorados beat the Badgers 8-6 to win the 5A title.)

So, call the win whatever you want, most of the players on the field Thursday night saw little to no action last year because Canyon del Oro graduated nine as did Tucson. Last year belonged to CDO but this year stands alone and it belongs to Tucson.

One player who did see action against Canyon del Oro in the state championship game last year is sophomore pitcher George Arias. Arias threw four innings against one of the top lineups in the country and only surrendered one earned run in that game. Not bad for a lanky 5-foot-10, 125-pound freshman.

Arias has added about 30 pounds since then and the more mature version threw six innings, gave up two runs (one earned) and struck out five batters for the win. Oh, and he also went 3-for-3 at the plate with a sacrifice, a double and an RBI.

“Last year left a bad taste in my mouth,” Arias said. “We didn’t like losing and I honestly just did my part. This is a team sport and my teammates helped pick us up.”

The son of former Pueblo, University of Arizona and MLB standout George Arias, Arias seems to thrive when given the ball in pressure situations and he can thank his father for that gift.

“My dad knows a lot about baseball and he taught me the mental aspect of the game,” Arias added. “He taught me to treasure everything.”

Canyon del Oro led 2-1 entering the sixth inning but things changed quickly after Martin Garcia led off with a double and Rick Martinez sacrificed him over to second base. Arias delivered on an RBI single to tie the game up and Kyle Rivera followed with a single to put two on.

Michael Santorelli induced a groundball but it was misplayed, allowing another run to score. Luis Samorano followed that up with a sacrifice fly and the Badgers entered the seventh inning with a 4-2 lead.

The Badgers added four more runs in the seventh and the Dorados couldn’t keep pace especially with senior Jose Contreras taking the mound to close out the game.

Santorelli, Tyler Porter and Mason Gavre picked up hits for Canyon del Oro while Alex Bustamante went 3-3 with an RBI. Jake Tucker also saw pitching action.

For Tucson, Jacob Federico went 2-4; Garcia had two doubles, Arias had his three hits; Rivera went 2-3 with an RBI and Ray Carrasco and Anthony Figueroa both added singles.

Ironwood Ridge lost to Greenway 5-2 in the Winner’s Bracket final to set up the game with Tucson on Saturday night. The Badgers beat Ironwood Ridge 6-0 in late March.