Baseball is a numbers game put into motion by physical action.
The formula is easy: flawless defense, plus great hitting and great pitching equals wins and Wood River High School has been crunching winning numbers and opponents alike.
Currently enjoying a five-game winning streak, Wood River (15-4 overall, 4-1 league) dusted off Jerome (0-5 league) 11-1 in five frames at Founders Field in Hailey Wednesday.
"It was one of those games you wish you could put in the freezer and save until districts," Hailey coach Lars Hovey remarked.
"We hit well, we pitched well and we played good defense. It was our third game in a row without an error."
Just last week, Wood River hung a Great Basin West Conference loss on Burley by the same 11-1 score, largely on pitcher Steve Hansen's 12 strikeouts.
On Wednesday, Tyson Reynoso (5-1) recorded nary a strikeout, but sent Jerome down in order in four of the five innings, allowing just three hits and two walks.
"It was a totally different ball game, but the defense rose to the occasion," Hovey said.
The offense was pretty potent as well. Wood River belted 13 hits in four innings, led by #5 hitter Billy Kramer's stellar performance.
The senior catcher was 3-for-3 with five RBI as he socked the first home run of the season for the Wolverines, going yard on a first-pitch fastball to 10-run the Tigers.
In fact, every player except Hansen—who scored three runs—had a hit against a trio of Jerome hurlers.
Tyler Thiede (3 RBI) and Morgan Uhrig tagged two hits, including a double, and scored two runs each. Brady Femling smacked two hits and scored once.
Wood River participates in the second annual Tony Hansen Memorial tournament in Preston today and Saturday. Monday, Hailey caps its regular season with a "Senior Night" matchup against league-leading Minico, 4 p.m. at Founders. Seniors include Reynoso, Femling, Hansen, Thiede, Ted Dankanyin, Kramer, Jonathan Dittmer, Ben Molyneux, and Dylan Fullmer.
