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Ironwood Ridge used a touch of baseball wizardry in finally toppling Northwest Side rival Canyon del Oro 10-2 at Kino Sports Complex, advancing the Nighthawks into the 4A Sonoran Region championship.

With one out in the fifth, the game tied at 2, and Dorados speedster Zach Tarbet on first base, Ironwood Ridge coach Nick Allen called for the "Rainbow Play."

Knowing Tarbet's reputation as an aggressive base runner, the Nighthawks tried something new. The trick play went something like this:

As Tarbet took off from first, Ironwood Ridge ace Zach Morales threw a fastball to catcher Jake Wilhelm. Rather than try to gun down Tarbet, Wilhelm tossed a rainbow-arched pop-up toward second baseman Brandon Collins.

The entire Ironwood Ridge crew — coaches included — screamed "pop fly" and pointed toward the sky, drowning out the CDO voices. Running with his head down, Tarbet tried to read the Ironwood Ridge fielders that were selling and yelling for the phantom fly ball, and he stopped and turned back toward first base.

If Tarbet would have continued toward second, he would have stolen the bag easily.

Instead Collins fielded the throw from Wilhelm, and Tarbet was caught between first and second base and was tagged out.

"We've practiced that play specifically out of respect for (Tarbet), and what he's done against us. He's one of the fastest kids around, and he runs whenever he gets on," Allen said. "The whole team had to sell that play; everyone out there had to make it look like a pop fly. We did and that lit a fire."

Still amped from that sequence, Ironwood Ridge posted seven runs in the seventh inning, highlighted by RBI singles from Morales, Seth Markzon, Angel Amado and a two-RBI hit from Caleb Wenzel.

"That play woke everyone up," Morales said. "That was what we needed to get our heads back. After that happened, we felt like we should win. And that carried into the (seventh)."

The Dorados (21-9) pounded Ironwood Ridge (17-12) by a combined score of 22-4 in the teams' two previous matchups.

● Desert View 4, Santa Rita 3: Desert View ace Nico Rosthenhausler sparkled in the 4A-II Gila semifinals at the Kino Sports Complex, giving up one earned run over seven innings, striking out five and walking none as he stifled Santa Rita for the second time this year.

The Jaguars (12-11) will play Douglas in the region championship.

"If you don't bring your 'A' game against Santa Rita, you're done. You'll have no chance," said Rosthenhausler. "We all came knowing what needed to be done to move onto another game."

Rosthenhausler shut out the Eagles (14-10) in the regular season.

Desert View scored three times off Santa Rita ace Tim Reed with two outs in the third, including a two-run single from first baseman Anthony Othon.

Othon was tagged out trying to score later in the inning when the throw into the catcher hit Othon squarely in the eye, forcing him to miss home plate.

Desert View coach Bill Godbout said Othon was taken to a hospital after being removed from the game.

● Sahuaro 9, Catalina Foothills 1: Sahuaro had 12 hits, and Cougars pitcher Kyle Waddell allowed just four hits and one run in a complete game against Foothills (25-4) — the state's No.3-ranked 4A-I squad — to advance into the 4A Kino finals.

"I threw strikes with the first-pitch curveball, got ahead early in the count, and when you're doing that you can beat anybody," said Waddell. "A win like this has us pumped up for state. We're playing like we want to right now."

Sahuaro scored seven runs off Foothills ace Kayvon Bahramzadeh, including five in the second inning.

The Cougars (15-11) will take on Amphi for the Kino title.