Tempe Corona del Sol’s baseball team was the steadiest in 5A Division I this season. The Aztecs received their just reward Saturday night for their effort.

SLIDESHOW: 5A-I Baseball State Championship

Corona del Sol, playing nearly a flawless game, scored nine runs in their final two at-bats and dethroned defending champion Chandler Hamilton, 11-1, in six innings at Tempe Diablo Stadium.

It’s the second state title in Corona’s three-decade history. The other came in 1993 when the Aztecs defeated Glendale Deer Valley. Senior Tyler Giannonatti, one of seven seniors in coach Dave Webb’s starting lineup, kept Hamilton’s offense at bay, tossing a two-hitter and completing a remarkable pitching turnaround this season.

And a two-out, no-one-on rally that produced four Corona runs in the bottom of the fifth proved to be the turning point of the contest.

“(Giannonatti) really worked after last season at becoming a pitcher and not a thrower,” Webb said. “(Pitching) coach (Cory) Nenaber worked with him on fundamentals and mechanics. He’s always been bigger than kids his age, and he was used to trying to blow it by people. He became a pitcher this year.”

Giannonatti, who had an earned run average of 4.81 last season, won his third start of the postseason by beating Hamilton and improved to 7-1 on the year. His final ERA this season is 1.64. He struck out five and issued no walks.

The game was much closer than the final indicated for most of its duration.

Corona (25-7) held a 2-0 lead heading to the top of the fifth when Hamilton (23-12) managed to score its only run without the benefit of a hit. Hamilton shortstop Jorge Flores was hit by a pitch and stole second. Flores moved to third on a ground out and scored on a sacrifice fly by Manuel Mancilla to cut the lead to 2-1.

Hamilton sophomore Zak Johnson, despite giving up seven hits in the first four innings, kept the Huskies in the game with his work. But after getting the first two outs in the bottom of the fifth, Johnson hit the Aztecs’ Mike Felton with a pitch.

Giannonatti, who also added three singles in the game, rapped out his second hit.

Trever Allen also was hit by a Johnson pitch that loaded the bases and brought up right fielder Greg Ryan.

Ryan, a left-handed hitter, jumped on Johnson’s first pitch and ripped it over Mancilla’s head in right for a bases-clearing double. Ryan scooted home on a bloop single by Evan Ritchey to cap the inning, improving the lead to 6-1.

“Greg has been incredibly clutch all year,” Webb said.

If that wasn’t enough to demoralize Hamilton, Corona center fielder Ryan Moore tacked one on in the top of the sixth. The Huskies’ Justin Rosales hit a ball deep to left center that Moore tracked down running into the wall after shading Rosales slightly to right center.

Corona put the game away with five runs in the bottom of the sixth, taking the 10-run lead and finishing on a ground ball by catcher Andy Nist that hit third base and tumbled down to the Huskies third baseman Cory Bernard, who had no play as the 11th run crossed the plate.

“There’s no kid in the state that catches that ball except him,” Hamilton coach Mike Woods said. “They are a great champion. They played great tonight. We have to tip our hat. It was Corona’s night.”

Eight of Corona’s nine hitters had at least one hit in the game and seven had at least one RBI. Corona outhit Hamilton, 15-2.

“I’m still proud of our kids,” Woods said. “They did something special (two wins on Thursday) getting here. Maybe we were spent.”