A 4-3 deficit at Valley Christian High School could not be surmounted April 29 as Camp Verde High School lost its third straight game — and with it, the final seed in the Division III state baseball tournament.
The Cowboys had four errors while the Trojans had none, touching senior ace Ty Williamson for two earned runs in the second inning and two more in the third to seal the CVHS season.
“Ty couldn’t pitch the last three weeks,” said head coach Will Davis, whose Cowboys, heading into the finale, were the 24th and final seed in the Arizona Interscholastic Association power rankings. “He pitched the last game but was limited. We had a lot of big losses late in the year.”
After glass had been removed from a finger on the pitching hand of sophomore Ezekial Casillas, only junior Logan Conrad and sophomore Carson Zale were available for major innings the last five weeks, Davis said — and their arms had worn down.
With other injuries shelving starting second baseman Wyatt Howe and freshman outfielder Rafael Zapata in the final weeks, the odds of making the postseason were against the Cowboys. But Davis felt his young team, which finished 14-12 overall, still played a tough enough schedule that it deserved a shot.
For the full story, please see the Wednesday, May 6, issue of the Camp Verde Journal.
