The Indians came into the final as the District’s top seed after their 16-3 regular season while Benton was seeded third. 

In Friday’s championship game, CV was outhit 10-4 by the Tigers despite a number of well-hit balls by the Indians that just repeatedly seemed to be right at a Benton player, while the Tigers dropped several hits in front of Cowanesque Valley’s outfielders.

Benton scored first, plating a run in the third inning, but CV answered in the bottom half.

Gavin Churchill led off with a single, but a fielder’s choice off the bat of Cam Stahli would leave the Indians with a man on first with one out in the inning. 

After William Kies and Dave Hess were both hit by pitches to load the bases, Ayren Morgan stroked a single that scored Cam Stahli and Levi Stahli reached base on a Benton error that scored Kies’ pinch runner, Max Millard, to give CV a 2-1 lead. 

The Indians still had the bases loaded with only one out, but they couldn’t capitalize and hit into a double play to end the inning. 

Benton would rally in the top of the fourth for four runs and took that 5-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth. There, Cam Stahli led off with a single and after a fly out, Hess would bring Stahli home with a triple. The throw to the plate got by the Tigers’ catcher and Hess scampered home to cut the Benton lead to 5-4, but Benton added an insurance run in the sixth and shut the Indians down the rest of the way to seal the win.

Hess (3b, RBI, R), Morgan (RBI), Churchill and Cam Stahli (2R) had CV’s base hits in the loss.

Levi Stahli started on the mound for the Indians and went three innings, allowing one earned run on four Benton base hits while striking out three. 

Drayden McGee started the fourth and went a third of an inning after giving up two runs (1 earned) on one hit and a walk and Morgan threw the final three and two-third innings and was tagged with the loss after allowing three runs (2 earned) on five hits with four K’s.

Cowanesque Valley finishes the 2026 season with a 17-4 record and as the NTL small school champs. 

Check back here for more on the Indians’ ’26 season soon.