Camp Verde High School’s softball team knew that wind would have an effect on its Central Region game against visiting Northland Preparatory Academy on Tuesday, April 25, and intended on using it to its advantage.
Cowboys head coach Henry Smith said after the game that the team [16-2, 9-1 Central] changed its game plan on the way to their 8-2 senior day win over the Spartans. Five seniors were honored before the game: Amanda Punkoney, Kayla Hackett, Tiauna Day, Amber Dodge and Madison Johnson.
“We were trying to bait them into giving us some outside pitches so we can hit with the wind,” Smith said. “As far as discipline it may not have looked like it from the stands, but they hit with very good discipline … we tried a different approach and to me at this point of the season was good that they were able to develop a plan and execute it the whole game.”
Four Camp Verde baserunners were stranded across the first two innings, and Northland Prep struck first in the third.
In the third inning, a walk and a throwing error gave the Spartans a runner at third before a passed ball allowed the run to score.
Cowboys junior catcher Jade Oium, who had allowed the passed ball, did not let the deficit live long. Oium crushed a solo home run over the center field fence in the bottom half of the third.
“I felt like I was a little shaky behind the plate but I was like ‘You know what I’m going to go up in this at bat and I’m going to get my team going and I’m going to get them rallied my team,’” Oium said. “Because that’s what we need to do is come back from our errors every time no matter what happens.”
The wind changed the direction of a Northland Prep pop fly to drop in for a single in the fourth, but a double play killed off the threat.
Another wind-aided single put the Cowboys’ go-ahead run on base in Punkoney.
Punkoney advanced to third on a passed ball and Oium drew a walk before being replaced by junior Skylar Russell. Freshman Jacy Finley belted a two-run double off the center field fence to open a 3-1 lead.
The lead expanded to 5-1 in the fifth inning. Sophomore Tyra Smith walked and later scored off of a Spartan error. Northland Prep gifted the fifth run after Day reached on an error, stole second, reached third on a passed ball, and scored on a mishandled toss at home plate following a bunt.
Camp Verde returned the favor, allowing the second Spartan score after a series of errors in the sixth inning. Three more runs by the hosts immediately after sealed the deal and the championship.
The last time out, the Cowboys, No. 3 in Conference 2A, beat Northland Prep 13-0.
With the Conference 2A State Championship on the horizon, Henry Smith believes the team is ready.
“I’m excited to be able to bring the power and the small ball at the same time, it’s huge,” Henry Smith said. “Not very many teams can do that, along with the pitching staff that we have I think we’re good to go and we can compete with any team we face in the state tournament.”
The state tournament brackets were released on Thursday, April 27. The Cowboys were seeded No. 4 in the tournament, and will play at 7:45 p.m. Friday, April 28 at Rose Mofford Softball Complex in Phoenix against No. 12 seed Arizona College Preparatory Academy.
“We talk to our girls often about how rare it is to have a team that genuinely has a shot at competing for a state title,” Henry Smith said. “What does that mean to us? It means that we have to give 100 percent 100 percent of the time. That’s all there is to that and that means focus and that means paying attention and playing heads up ball the whole time. They’re ready, they’re good to go.”
This story was updated with information about the team’s seed and first round schedule at 10:30 a.m. Friday, April 28.
