After making the big push to be a state title contender, grasping the second-to-last spot in the tournament with a big win over Sedona Red Rock, the Camp Verde Cowboys baseball team were knocked out by the No. 10 seed.
The Cowboys, ranked No. 23, lost to the Chino Valley Cougars, 10-0, on Tuesday, April 30, in the first round of the Division III Baseball State Championship tournament.
The two teams met twice in the regular season with the Cougars squeaking out a 7-6 win in the first game, despite a comeback attempt that put the Cowboys one run shy of tying the game. In the second meeting, the Cowboys were down early 4-1, but came back to down Chino Valley 5-4. The Cowboys were hoping for another comeback after being down early on April 30, but the comeback never came.
“The pitcher [R.J. Bell of Chino Valley] kept us off balance all night,” Camp Verde Head Coach Will Davis said. “We struggled on base which is usually our strength.”
The Cowboys’ Jesse Fullbright played very well both on the mound and on the plate. Fullbright was two for three hitting, the only Cowboy to get any hits, fielded well and pitched the first five innings with nine strikeouts and 16 first-pitch strikes. Taylor Hicks relieved Fullbright after the Cougars tallied nine runs, four earned, on seven hits.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, May 8, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
