For the week of May 21 - 27, 2003

Wood River beats Buhl 3-2 for district title

Kinghorn delivers Conover
with game winner

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By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

It’s a good thing Wood River High School’s baseball team has two players named Kellen.

The Wolverines needed both Kellens to beat the upset-minded Buhl Tribe 3-2 last Tuesday in Hailey in the Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference championship game.

As the home Founders Field crowd roared its approval, pinch-hitter Kellen Kinghorn ripped the game-winning single up the middle and delivered Matt Conover with the tie-breaking run in the seventh.

Earlier, in the visitor sixth, Buhl had the bases loaded in a 2-2 game. But Wood River catcher Kellen Chatterton tagged out Tribe runner John Puente at home plate—completing a nifty fake pick-off attempt by pitcher Ryne Reynoso.

"It was a great ball game. Buhl gave us everything we could handle," said Wood River coach Lars Hovey.

Successfully defending its league tournament championship, Wood River (22-4-1) won its 10th consecutive game this season and captured its fourth Fourth District SCIC tournament pennant in five years.

Wood River righthanded ace Ryne Reynoso (9-2), winning his sixth straight decision, threw a one-hitter at Buhl and whiffed nine Tribe batters. The lone hit was a Josh Ussery line drive single in the fourth.

But Reynoso walked three and plunked three Buhl batters. The senior wasn’t as sharp as he’s been in controlling the strike zone and allowing just 12 runs in his last 42 innings.

Indeed, the Wolverines (6 errors) didn’t seem as focused as they should have been after beating Buhl teams six consecutive times over two seasons by a margin of 76-24.

"We just weren’t up for the district championship game," said Hovey, whose teams have been in the district title game for six straight years—and four of those games have been decided by just one run.

Hovey added, "But from Day One of the season, we’d been aiming to have the district championship at our place. Having the home field makes a big difference. And Reynoso kept us in the game again."

Wood River (8 hits) scored first against Buhl junior pitcher Ussery with one in the first. Conover (2 hits, 3 runs) drilled a one-out single, Chatterton (2 hits) singled and Reynoso swatted an RBI grounder.

In the home third, Conover’s leadoff single followed by a Chatterton single and a Paul Tinker sacrifice fly increased Wood River’s lead to 2-0.

Second-seeded Buhl hung in there and pushed a run across with a double steal in the fifth. In the sixth, Buhl made it 2-2 when Reynoso hit a batter with the bases loaded. But he averted more problems with a tricky play.

Reynoso wheeled and faked a pickoff throw to second base. The Wood River fielders played their parts, pretending that Reynoso had thrown the ball to second. The tomfoolery got Buhl’s Puente motoring down the third base line to home.

Reynoso pivoted again and threw to Chatterton at home for the big out.

In the seventh, Conover led off by drawing a walk. Chatterton came up, and Hovey signaled for the catcher to lay down a bunt. Little did Wood River know that an attempted bunt would injure the sturdy Chatterton.

Hovey said, "I thought we’d have Kellen sacrifice Matt over. But the ball glanced off Kellen’s bat and hit him square in the face."

Injured around the eye, Chatterton had to leave the game. At first Hovey said he planned to put back-up catcher Billy Kramer up to pinch hit, since he played Chatterton’s position.

Hovey changed his mind and picked Kinghorn. Reserve outfielder Kinghorn hadn’t been playing much for the Wolverines this spring.

"Kellen has been chomping at the bit to get in there," said Hovey. "He’s had a tough year batting with people on base but he swings the bat fine."

Conover, a senior, helped the situation by enticing a balk and advancing to second base with no outs.

"Then Kellen took a free swing on a 2-2 pitch and hit the ball back up the middle," said Hovey.

Kinghorn’s hit just eluded a diving catch by the Buhl infield and Conover turned like gangbusters around third and headed for home with the winner.

"I tried to focus on keeping my head on the ball and driving it back up the middle. It worked out fine," said "Special K" Kinghorn.

Wood River, which beat Kimberly by the identical 3-2 score for the district championship at Founders Field last May, qualified for its fifth straight State 3A tourney trip.

The Wolverines, fourth at state last year, play Fifth/Sixth District runner-up Sugar-Salem Thursday, May 22 at 4 p.m. at Treasure Valley Community College in Ontario, Ore.

Other first-round games Thursday: Bonners Ferry vs. Teton at 11 a.m.; Preston vs. Middleton at 1:30 p.m.; and St. Maries vs. Fruitland at 6:30 p.m. in a rematch of last year’s title game won by Fruitland 6-3.

Last year American Falls beat Wood River 12-8 for third place and Shelley won the consolation 13-3 over Teton. New teams at state this year are Preston, Middleton and Sugar.

Hovey said, "There are definitely some good teams in the tournament. We’ll just concentrate on our game and not worry about how the other teams are doing. Hoepfully we can shore up our defense, but really I think we’ll be just fine."

 

WOLVERINE NOTES—Ryne Reynoso (21-5) has now tied Matt Zachary (21-5) in the career pitching ranks…..In its streak of four district tournament titles in five years, Wood River has won three of those championships on its home field—all in one-run nailbiters. The exception was a 4-1 victory at Buhl in 2000….The Wolverines are 22-1 at home the last two years and have dominated in SCIC play—going 18-0 in all league games that counted and 26-1 in all league games. This spring, Wood River went 15-0 in all its league games and outscored SCIC opponents 187-66.

 

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