Despite all speculation and the naysayers out there telling everyone the Camp Verde High School baseball team doesn’t deserve a No. 4 seed, isn’t really that good, and shouldn’t have gotten a first-round bye in the 2A conference state playoffs, the Cowboys didn’t listen and have now silenced the critics.
The No. 4 Cowboys easily defeated Williams High School on Friday,
May 7, 19-6, then dismantled Northwest Christian Academy in the quarterfinals by the final score of 11-1.
These two wins are two of the biggest in Cowboys baseball history and the offensive attack has punched Camp Verde’s ticket to the 2A final four, which is scheduled to begin Friday, May 14, at the Peoria Sports Complex.
They won’t be playing on one of the side fields though, as these Cowboys have earned the right to make it to the show, one might say, playing in the big stadium at 7 p.m., May 14.
“We played two great games and our pitching was good, too. We’re all excited to play down there this weekend,” first-year Camp Verde Head Coach Steve Hicks said.
In the Northwest Christian game, Curtis Hawk took the ball for the Cowboys and was fantastic, pitching six innings of one-run baseball while allowing six hits and striking out two.
The offense came alive in the first two innings to take a 5-1 lead but in the bottom of the fourth scored five more runs to make it a 10-1 affair.
Camp Verde tallied one more run in the bottom of the sixth to 10-run rule Northwest Christian and send themselves to the final four.
Mike Boler was 2-3 with an RBI and three runs scored while Taylor Matthews was the big hitter on the day, going 3-4 with four RBIs and two runs scored.
The Cowboy offense had 16 hits against Northwest Christian, keeping the bases busy all morning long.
Randy Justice was 2-3 with an RBI while Hawk was 2-4 with an RBI. Tanner Rezzonico also pitched in, going 2-4 with an RBI and a run scored.
The 20-8 Cowboys will now turn their attentions to No. 8 Valley Christian Academy, a baseball powerhouse the last few years in the 2A conference.
Camp Verde will face off against the Trojans on Friday at the Peoria Sports Complex with a first pitch scheduled for 7 p.m.
In the other semifinal game, defending state champion Pusch Ridge High School will take on
No. 6 Bourgade Catholic at 3:30 p.m. at the stadium.
If the Cowboys can get past the Trojans, Camp Verde will play for a 2A state title on Saturday, May 15, in the stadium.
First pitch for the championship game is scheduled for 7 p.m.
