As it heads into the thick of Central Region play, the Camp Verde High School baseball team rounded out some of the tougher games on its schedule that head coach Will Davis thought would be a good test for his team.
The Cowboys [5-2] fell at Conference 3A Payson High School 12-9 on Saturday, March 25, after having beaten 2A Scottsdale Preparatory Academy 13-1 on Friday, March 24.
“We have good senior leadership, to go down 12-1 then come back and go down 12-9,” Camp Verde head coach Will Davis said. “They have a lot of heart and they played really hard and I’m proud of the way they played.”
The Longhorns put up five runs in the first and three more in the second behind seven hits, three walks and an error. Senior Darren Franklin relieved senior starter Carson Zale after two and a third innings.
Camp Verde senior first baseman John Castillo got the Cowboys on the board with the help of an error, too. Zale batted him in on an RBI ground out before Payson got three more in the third, mostly from walks and being hit by pitches.
In the fourth inning, Camp Verde poured in eight runs with a lot of help from the Longhorns defense as well. Two walks and a single plated the second run, then a single and a sacrifice fly plated two more.
Senior third baseman Rafael Zapata doubled Zale and senior catcher Wyatt Howe before another error aided in the eighth run before senior shortstop Ryan Cain scored the final run on a passed ball.
“They just jumped out on us then we jumped out on them,” Davis said. “And everything flattened out from there. It was really them having a big first and second [inning] and us a big third and fourth.”
It was a similar story against Scottsdale Prep, this time in favor of the Cowboys, who led 7-1 after the third inning.
The first run was scored on the second hit of the game, an RBI double by Howe to plate Castillo, then Zapata grounded out to see Howe touch home. Cain scored the third to round out the first frame.
An error and a fielder’s choice allowed the Spartans’ lone run to get in scoring position in the second before being singled in. But it was the only run the hosts would get.
A walk and a single set up a streak of four straight scoring at-bats, starting with a single by senior catcher Easton Braden and capped by sophomore left fielder Dakota Battise, who reached on an error.
Three more runs in each of the next two innings gave them the lead necessary to claim a run-rule victory and an early bus ride back to the Verde Valley.
Camp Verde hosted Tonopah Valley High School on March 21, winning 17-1 in five innings.
With region play now on the horizon, the goal is clear for the Cowboys: Reclaiming the regional title after losing it to Verde Valley rival Sedona Red Rock High School a season ago.
“Anyone on any given day can win, regardless of their level,” Davis said. “But we expect to win the region, we’re not expecting anything less.”
It opened region play on Tuesday, March 28, at Glendale Preparatory Academy, but results were unavailable at press time. The Cowboys play the first Verde Valley rivalry game at Sedona Red Rock High School, with the first pitch scheduled for 3:45 p.m. on Friday, March 31.
“It’ll be a big matchup on Friday and we’re looking forward to it,” Davis said.
