Nine errors spoiled the Camp Verde High School softball team’s outing against visiting Bourgade Catholic High School, falling 9-2 on March 14.
The Cowboys [5-4] got out to a 2-0 lead in the first inning, but mistakes in the middle innings allowed the Golden Eagles to come away with the win.
“We always try to teach to apply pressure and teams will make mistakes. That’s what happened to us,” Cowboy head coach Henry Smith said. “They applied pressure, they were making us make plays and they exposed, you know, that we have a questionable defense right now.”
Camp Verde’s defense started off on the right foot, holding Bourgade Catholic without a baserunner in the first two innings. But it scored four runs in the third.
Golden Eagle junior pitcher Mallory McDowell and junior right fielder Daisy Hernandez reached on errors, and the bases were loaded on an infield single.
Senior third baseman Crystal Stokes batted home McDowell and Hernandez on an RBI double, and the third scored on a dead ball. A passed ball on the next play allowed Stokes to score the fourth.
The defensive mistakes kept coming in the fourth for the Cowboys.
Consecutive errors put two Golden Eagles on with no outs before McDowell popped out to senior shortstop Kayla Hackett. But two more errors, including a poorly-executed rundown, allowed three more runs to cross home plate.
In Smith’s opinion, the game should have read much more like a typical pitcher’s duel, with a final score of 3-2 or 2-1.
Camp Verde freshman pitcher Jacy Finley did not struggle in her own regard, finishing with four strikeouts, one walk and throwing first-pitch strikes to the majority of the Golden Eagle batters.
“Today I’ve got to say our defense let our pitcher down,” Smith said.
Three consecutive singles saw Bourgade Catholic tack on the final two runs in the fifth inning.
After the first inning, Camp Verde managed just four baserunners. Two came in the second on a hit batter and a fielding error. A bunt single in the third and another reached on an error in the fourth.
McDowell and the Golden Eagle defense combined to retire the last nine Camp Verde batters.
All told, the Cowboys collected four hits.
“Hitting was okay, she [McDowell] was a really good pitcher, she kept us off balance,” Smith said.
Smith mentioned that he and the Cowboys coaching staff would make position changes, calling upon younger players to step up on defense.
The team played in the Grace Lee Haught Invitational from Thursday, March 17 to Saturday, March 19 at Payson High School.
It went 1-4 in the tournament, but complete results were not available at press time.
The Cowboys hosted Tonopah Valley High School on Tuesday, March 21, winning 17-6. Kayla Hackett and Amanda Punkoney had a game-high four RBI while Tyra Smith had a team-high three hits.
Hailey Moore pitched four innings, giving up two earned runs on five hits, seven walks and four strikeouts to earn the win. Finley tossed the fifth, giving up one walk, one hit and striking out two.
They next play in their Central Region debut at 3:30 p.m. Tuesday, March 28, at Glendale Preparatory Academy.
