Wednesday, June 30, 2004

Legion sweeps Blackfoot 13-3, 8-5

Successful homestand for Hailey nine

---

Finding a way to win with small ball, the Wood River American Legion baseball team continued its successful homestand Monday with a 13-3 and 8-5 doubleheader sweep of Blackfoot in Area C "A" action at Founders Field in Hailey.

Wood River (12-6 overall, 7-1 home, 10-4 league) got a strong five-inning pitching job by righty Huston Brashears (2-0) in the opening game, which was settled on the 10-run rule by Derek Abbott’s two-run fifth-inning double.

With six of its 13 runs unearned, Wood River (12 hits) did a good job by hitting throughout the lineup led by Tyler Thiede (2 hits, 3 RBI), Abbott (2 hits, 3 RBI), Steve Hansen (2 hits, 2 runs), Ted Dankanyin (2 hits, 3 runs), Brady Femling (2 RBI) and Jonathan Dittmer (3 runs).

Dylan Fullmer delivered a perfect squeeze bunt in Wood River’s five-run fifth that ended the game, while Dankanyin and Dittmer had excellent hit-and-run singles. Dittmer made a fine diving catch in right field.

On the mound, Brashears scattered eight hits and settled down after escaping jams in the first three innings. He stranded five runners in scoring position in those frames.

In the nightcap, righty Tyler Thiede (2-2) did his part with a complete-game seven-hitter over Blackfoot. Hailey ripped 13 hits in the 8-5 win.

The only blemish on Wood River’s homestand happened Saturday. Hillcrest of Idaho Falls erased a 7-6 deficit with a nine-run seventh inning and snapped Wood River’s four-game winning streak by a 15-9 score. The Wolverines committed seven errors in the setback.

In the three-hour game, the teams combined for 24 runs and 26 hits. The winner was Hillcrest’s Garrett Rose, who threw 144 pitches in the victory. Wood River used three pitchers, with starter Steve Hansen departing after five innings of 82-pitch, five-hit work in what was then a 4-4 deadlock.

Leadoff hitter Femling went 4-for-5 with two runs scored. Catcher Billy Kramer (3 hits, 3 RBI), Fullmer (3 hits), Dankanyin (2 hits) and Dittmer (2 hits) added to the 14-hit attack.

Kenny Cardona (3-2), the losing pitcher in the opener, started the nightcap against Hillcrest and ended up as the winning pitcher in Wood River’s 10-6 triumph. Wood River (15 hits) scored nine runs in the fourth, fifth and sixth frames to put it away. Dankanyin mopped up and pitched the final two innings.

Top hitters were Abbott (3 hits, double, 2 runs), Dankanyin (3 hits, 2 runs), Kramer (2 hits, 3 RBI) and Femling (2 hits). Kramer’s two-run single in the fifth made it 5-3 Wood River, and coach Eli Lloyd’s Wranglers tacked on five more runs in the sixth.

In its last four games, Wood River has averaged 13.2 hits a game.

Ending its eight-game homestand, Wood River hosted a tough Upper Valley squad at Founders Tuesday, June 29 for a league doubleheader. Upper Valley featured players from the State 3A high school champion South Fremont team.

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.