Wednesday, May 5, 2004

No-hitter nails down WRHS’s victory

Hansen hurls gem in Preston finale

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It’s been a great late-season stretch of pitching and defense for the Wood River High School baseball team, which will carry a string of nine consecutive wins by a 116-13 margin into this week’s Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference tourney.

Coach Lars Hovey, pointing to the Wood River pitching staff’s 1.74 ERA, said, "Our pitching has been doing the job and our defense has been solid." That earned run average compares favorably to the 2.90 ERA of last year’s state championship baseball squad.

The most recent success was Wood River’s pitching-rich 4-0 march through last weekend’s Preston Invitational tournament. The Wolverine defense committed only one error in 24 innings and outscored foes 33-2.

Capping the tournament was Steve Hansen’s five-inning no-hitter in Wood River’s 12-0 championship game win over Sugar-Salem of Sugar City Saturday. Hansen (1 K, 1 BB) worked effectively with 52 pitches to improve to 6-2.

"Steve threw a great game and we got the hits when we needed them," said Hovey, referring to Wood River’s nine-run first inning outburst that gave Hansen an early cushion.

Big blows in the big inning were Steve Durkin’s RBI double, a two-run single by Tyler Thiede and a three-run triple off the bat of Dylan Fullmer (2 hits). Brady Femling chipped in two hits to the seven-hit attack.

Wood River, ranked first in the Idahosports.com 3A poll, had expected to play #4-ranked Preston in the title game, but #7 Sugar-Salem shocked the host Indians with a three-run seventh in the semi-final.

In other Preston tourney games, Wood River opened with a 6-0 shutout of South Fremont Friday giving 13th-year coach Hovey (203-155-1) his 200th career win, then beat the Madison JV 11-1 in five innings and Mountain Crest (Utah) 4-1.

Tyson Reynoso (5-0) hurled a six-hit shutout against a South Fremont team that "swung the bat pretty well," Hovey said. Four unearned runs in the fourth gave Wood River (4 hits) a 4-0 lead. Hansen singled and Durkin added an RBI hit in the decisive frame. Reynoso (8 K, 3 BB) also had two hits at bat.

A big first inning—staple of Wood River’s winning diet this spring—helped the Wolverines past the Madison JV 11-1. Reynoso and Ben Molyneux drilled RBI singles in Hailey’s six-run first, and righty Tyler Thiede (4-1) finished with a one-hitter plus six strikeouts.

Steady Ted Dankanyin (3-0) was in charge on the hill as Wood River (6 hits) advanced to the championship contest with a 4-1 win over Mountain Crest Saturday. Dankanyin yielded only four hits in five innings, then was relieved by Hansen for the final two stanzas.

Wood River chipped away with single runs in the third, fourth, fifth and sixth. Jonathan Dittmer cracked an RBI double and Molyneux added a leadoff triple in the fifth. Femling went 2-for-3 with an RBI.

The result meant that Wood River is entering the SCIC tournament with a better record (20-3) than last year (19-4-1), but the Wolverines have lost a league game to #3 Filer (16-4). Hailey’s 2.9 runs per game defensive average is also an improvement over 4.2 in 2003.

Coach Hovey’s top-seeded Wolverines (20-3, 5-1 SCIC) will open the four-team double elimination tourney Friday, May 7 with a 5 p.m. home game against the winless Kimberly Bulldogs at Founders Field.

The Wolverines will have to play without senior center fielder Joe Paisley, who injured his ankle skateboarding Sunday, according to Hovey.

Wood River, reigning State 3A champion, is targeting its third straight district championship and fifth in six years. Second-seeded Filer and third-seeded Buhl will also clash Friday, the winner visiting Hailey Saturday for the 11 a.m. semi-final at Founders Field.

Championship game is Tuesday, May 11 at 5 p.m. The SCIC champion will open the State 3A tourney against the Sixth District champion (South Fremont, Sugar-Salem) Thursday, May 20 at 10 a.m. at Treasure Valley CC in Ontario, Ore.

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