The 2003 Nelson 11-12 runner-up team, Wood River South. Front, from left,
Gus Engelhardt, Spencer Fullmer, Greg Wakefield and Tracy Bailet. Middle, from
left, Sean Bunce, Pat Gove, Travis Job, Michale Brunker, Bryan Tidwell, Shane
Carden, Bryan Bray and Hayden Waller. Back, from left, coach Ron Stewart, head
coach Mike Brunker and coach Kurt Tidwell. Courtesy photo
Nationals keep
Nelson crown
WR South is second in Little League
Wood River South, the best defensive team
in the 14-team "Majors", was one swing away from winning last weekend’s 32nd
annual Ray Nelson Invitational Little League baseball tournament in Hailey.
Unfortunately for head coach Mike
Brunker’s determined kids from Hailey, that swing belonged to clean-up hitter
Ryan Petersen of the Twin Falls Nationals. And that one swing gave Twin Falls
its second consecutive Ray Nelson "Major" title Saturday.
Petersen belted a two-out, three-run homer
in the third inning that was all Twin Falls needed to beat Wood River South 3-1
in the "if necessary" championship game at Nelson Field. Earlier, Twin Falls had
beaten WR South by an identical 3-1 score.
It was a great comeback for Twin Falls
Nationals (7-1 over two days). The champs dropped their first game 5-2 to Nampa
Americans Friday—and then won seven straight, allowing just five runs in their
last four games.
Pitching the maximum 18 innings in Twin
Falls’ six games Saturday was shortstop Michael Williams, who was nearly
unstoppable at the plate as the leadoff hitter. Williams was the winning pitcher
in the finale with three innings of scoreless work.
Gus Engelhardt, South catcher, gets ready to apply the tag. Express
photo by David N. Seelig
The Nationals’ batting hero was Petersen,
the son of Ken Petersen, one of Twin Falls’ best softball players. Besides his
clutch homer in the finale, left fielder Petersen stroked a two-run triple in
the first inning of the first title game won by Twin Falls 3-1.
Coming oh-so-close to Hailey’s first
Nelson title since WR East did it 12-5 over Salmon in 2000, Wood River South’s
group of talented 11-12 year olds had a lot to boast about.
Brunker’s crew went 4-2 and allowed only
12 runs in six games with tough pitching from key players like Shane Carden,
Hayden Waller and Sean Bunce. They won their all-important first game, a
nailbiter, then ripped off three huge victories.
In Friday’s opener, Carden launched a
two-run homer and Travis Job nailed a solo shot as WR South nipped Boise Cal
Ripken 4-2.
Everybody scored in Friday’s 11-hit, 13-2
win over Boise Gators. Top hitters were Job (triple, double, 2 runs), Michale
Brunker (2 hits, 2-run HR), Waller (double), Bryan Tidwell (3 runs), Bryan Bray
(2-run HR) and Greg Wakefield (2 hits).
Waller’s two-out, three-run homer in the
first sparked WR South to an 8-1 triumph over Rupert. Then, in Saturday’s
semi-final, singles by Bunce, Brunker and Spencer Fullmer highlighted a four-run
fifth that put WR South over Meridian Velocity 6-1.
Catcher Gus Engelhardt had a good
tournament for WR South. Other players were Pat Gove and Tracy Bailet.
Third place went to Meridian Velocity
(3-2) and fourth to Nampa Nationals (3-2). Consolation winner was Boise Gators
8-0 over Twin Falls Americans. The Sportsmanship Award was given to
Heyburn-Paul.
WR North, made up of mostly 11-year-olds
and coached by Pancho Cortez, finished 1-2 at the Nelson Invitational. WR North
lost to Buhl 6-5, beat Heyburn-Paul 21-0 and lost 18-2 to the Nampa Nationals.
Michale Brunker goes hard into second base in Saturday’s Ray Nelson title
game against the Twin Falls Nationals. Express photo by David N. Seelig
Down in the ranks, the up-and-comers from
Rupert dethroned last year’s "Minor" 9-10 champion Twin Falls Pioneers 8-1 in
Saturday’s final. Rupert emerged unbeaten at 4-0, scoring 36 runs and allowing
only 11.
Behind runner-up Twin Falls Pioneers (4-2)
were Meridian Storm (2-2) and Burley (2-2). Wood River’s 9-10s coached by Tracey
Farrow went 1-2—beating Twin Falls Cowboys 13-4 before losing to Meridian 7-1
and Twin Falls Pioneers 15-0.
Consolation winner in the "Minor" category
was Boise Cal Ripken 11-7 over Twin Falls Cowboys. The Sportsmanship Award was
presented to the Twin Falls Cowboys.
The kids played 45 games over two days to
the credit of the volunteer crew headed by tournament director Ken Uhrig. Games
were played Friday and Saturday primarily on three diamonds at Nelson Field in
Hailey, but also at Lions Park and on the high school softball field in Hailey.
The tournament is named for Ray Nelson, a
baseball booster from Hailey who bequeathed a love of the game to family members
and friends after he passed away in 1970.
Next: Wood River South goes to
the Twin Falls tourney this weekend.
Ray Nelson Invitational Little League
tournament results
July 18-19, 2003 headquartered at
Nelson Field in Hailey, the 32nd annual Little League baseball tournament held
in memory of Hailey’s Ray Nelson.
MAJOR (11-12) DIVISION
TEAM
RECORD RUNS RUNS VS.
(1) Twin Falls Nationals 7-1 51 25
(2) Wood River South 4-2 33
12
(3) Meridian Velocity 3-2 40 19
(4) Nampa Nationals 3-2 43 26
Boise Gators 3-2 31 36
Rupert 2-2 28 20
Nampa Americans 2-2 24 30
Buhl 2-2 15 34
Wood River North 1-2 28 24
Boise Cal Ripken 1-2 26 15
Meridian Reds 1-2 30 23
Twin Falls Americans 1-3 11 33
Burley 0-3 5 33
Heyburn-Paul 0-3 6 41
WINNER BRACKET GAMES
Rupert 16, Twin Falls Americans 0
Boise Gators 10, Burley 2
Wood River South 4, Boise Cal Ripken 2
Buhl 6, Wood River North 5
Meridian Velocity 9, Heyburn-Paul 1
Nampa Americans 8, Meridian Reds 6
Rupert 8, Nampa Nationals 7
Wood River South 13, Boise Gators 2
Meridian Velocity 12, Buhl 1
Nampa Americans 5, Twin Falls Nationals 2
Wood River South 8, Rupert 1
Meridian Velocity 17, Nampa Americans 9
Wood River South 6, Meridian Velocity 1
LOSER BRACKET GAMES
Boise Cal Ripken 16, Burley 0
Wood River North 21, Heyburn-Paul 0
Buhl 4, Twin Falls Americans 0
Twin Falls Nationals 11, Boise Cal Ripken 8
Nampa Nationals 18, Wood River North 2
Meridian Reds 18, Boise Gators 4
Twin Falls Nationals 17, Buhl 4
Nampa Nationals 11, Meridian Reds 6
Twin Falls Nationals 5, Rupert 3
Nampa Nationals 5, Nampa Americans 2
Twin Falls Nationals 8, Nampa Nationals 2
Twin Falls Nationals 2, Meridian Velocity 1
CHAMPIONSHIP GAMES
Twin Falls Nationals 3, Wood River
South 1
Twin Falls Nationals 3, Wood River
South 1
CONSOLATION GAMES
Twin Falls Americans 11, Heyburn-Paul 5
Boise Gators 7, Burley 3
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
Boise Gators 8, Twin Falls
Americans 0
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Heyburn-Paul
MINOR (9-10) DIVISION
TEAM
RECORD RUNS RUNS VS.
(1) Rupert 4-0 36 11
(2) Twin Falls Pioneers 4-2
54 25
Meridian Storm 2-2 28 27
Burley 2-2 35 36Wood River 1-2 14 26
Buhl 1-2 24 35
Boise Cal Ripken 1-2 22 31
Twin Falls Cowboys 0-3 17 39
WINNER BRACKET GAMES
Meridian Storm 9, Buhl 4
Wood River 13, Twin Falls Cowboys 4
Burley 13, Boise Cal Ripken 7
Rupert 6, Twin Falls Pioneers 3
Meridian Storm 7, Wood River 1
Rupert 10, Burley 0
Rupert 12, Meridian Storm 7
LOSER BRACKET GAMES
Buhl 15, Twin Falls Cowboys 6
Twin Falls Pioneers 11, Boise Cal Ripken 4
Burley 20, Buhl 5
Twin Falls Pioneers 15, Wood River 0
Twin Falls Pioneers 14, Burley 2
Twin Falls Pioneers 10, Meridian Storm 5
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
Rupert 8, Twin Falls Pioneers 1
CONSOLATION CHAMPIONSHIP
Boise Cal Ripken 11, Twin Falls
Cowboys 7
SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD
Twin Falls Cowboys