The Camp Verde High School baseball team picked up where it left off last season by defeating Mayer High School 13-0 on Feb. 20.
“I think we ran the bases very well on Wednesday,” Camp Verde coach Will Davis said. “We had a couple of mistakes but that is to be expected this early into the season.”
Camp Verde’s 13-run triumph was its biggest margin of victory since the Cowboys’ 16-3 victory over Mayer on Feb. 21, 2018.
Nine different Cowboys crossed home plate as Camp Verde generated nine runs in two innings.
“We look at the first couple of innings to assess how our starters performed in limited action,” Davis said. “With a game like that, I look at the first two innings and see we committed no errors and scored 10 runs against their best pitcher.”
The Cowboys improved to 1-0 on the season.
Dakota Battise earned the start and allowed no hits in five innings.
“Dakota was awesome, he had a little bit of control issues but he looked very good,” Davis said. “Throwing a no-hitter does not happen often, no matter who the team is, so Dakota dominated tonight.”
Camp Verde took a 1-0 first inning lead after a Mason Rayburn hit drove in Coke Bast.
A Mayer error brought Rayburn home and extended the Cowboys’ lead to 2-0.
After one inning, Camp Verde led 3-0.
The Cowboys found themselves in a jam to start the second inning, however, as Battise walked three batters.
Battise recovered quickly and retired the rest of Mayer’s hitters in the second inning, keeping the Cowboys’ 3-0 lead in tact.
Camp Verde kept its momentum from the first inning and scored off of a walk to hold a 4-0 advantage.
A Battise single drove home Kolby Hedges and Shawn Daniels and gave Camp Verde a 6-0 lead.
The Cowboys offense drove in six runs in the second inning as Camp Verde’s lead ballooned to 9-0.
Battise drove in three runs in the second inning and also crossed home plate himself.
Camp Verde added four runs in the third inning and would preserve its 13-0 advantage for the remaining three innings.
Battise struck out 12 out of 18 batters faced and allowed four walks against Mayer.
That was not all for Camp Verde’s ace: Battise racked up three RBIs in three at-bats.
With the abundance of snow hitting Camp Verde, the Cowboys must seek alternative routes to maintain
their competitive edge.
“We get into the gym and work on the mental aspects of the game to keep our minds sharp,” Davis said. “We have to get our mental work in since we do not have an opportunity to get in the physical aspects of the game.”
On a team loaded with upperclassmen, freshman Cole Gillespie made three plate appearances and recorded one run against Mayer.
“I think Gillespie was our only player without varsity experience but the younger players looked good tonight,” Davis said. “He did not hit too many balls but he did a pretty good job at third base and in his time behind the mound.”
The Cowboys return to the field on Tuesday, Feb. 26, to face Payson High School.
As of press time, Dominiq Bruno was slated to start for Camp Verde; Bruno posted a 10-1 record in 12 appearances last season.
“He was the 2A Central Regional Player of the Year last year so I am planning to go out and beat Payson,” Davis said.“Bruno led all of 2A in wins last season, so I expect him to pick up where he left off.”
Bruno registered a 2.21 ERA last year and struck out 44 pitches in 50 innings.
“While Dakota has power, Dominiq does not get by with power pitches,” Davis said. “He has a lot of control in his arsenal and he uses it well to stay in the zone,” Davis said.
Despite facing 233 batters last season, Bruno only allowed 15 earned runs and 47 hits to opponents.
