Persistent rainfall washed out Monday's championship game of the Great Basin Conference West 4A prep baseball tournament hosted by the Minico Spartans in Rupert.
The clash between the state's top-ranked 4A team, Minico, and #3-ranked Wood River was due to be made up Tuesday afternoon at 4 p.m. at Warburton Field as part of a possible twinbill to wrap up the double elimination meet.
Wood River (20-7) needed to beat Minico (19-7) twice on the Spartan field Tuesday to gain the conference's automatic berth to the State 4A baseball tournament May 19-21 in Boise.
Any other result meant a longer and more treacherous road to what could be Wood River's seventh consecutive state tournament appearance.
Despite Monday's rainout, coach Lars Hovey of Wood River said Tuesday morning that he was sticking to his game plan of sending senior control pitcher Ted Dankanyin (1-1) to the hill against Minico.
Having Dankanyin on the hill strengthens the Wolverine defense—putting Tyson Reynoso at third, Tyler Thiede at first and Steve Hansen in the outfield, Hovey said. And Minico has yet to see starter Dankanyin this season.
Minico has won both of its home clashes against Wood River this season, 11-3 over Hailey ace Hansen April 12 and 8-3 over Thiede Friday in the tournament semi-final game. Wood River's Reynoso and Hansen teamed up to beat Minico 6-5 May 2 in Hailey.
In the event that Minico defeated Wood River Tuesday, the Wolverines were facing the prospect of playing again at Warburton Field Thursday, May 12 in a District 4/5 state play-in game against Preston.
Wood River would play Fifth District runner-up Preston at 4 p.m. Thursday followed by a state seeding game between conference champions Pocatello and Minico on the Rupert diamond.
Let's say Wood River swept Minico twice for the conference title Tuesday. In that event, Wood River would host Thursday's state play-in and state seeding games Thursday, May 12 at Founders Field, Hailey.
Complicated? Yes, but baseball gets complicated at this time of year.
For instance, coach Tom Harrison's Pocatello team, a 6-2 and 16-1 loser to Wood River at Founders Field April 9, was the surprise champion of the three-team Fifth District league.
After losing back-to-back games to Century 15-7 and Minico 15-2 in late April, Pocatello regrouped and eliminated top-seeded and #7-ranked Century of Pocatello (13-12) by a 12-4 score last Thursday. Earlier Thursday, Preston had beaten Century 6-5.
Then, on Saturday, Pocatello traveled to Preston and beat the Indians twice to nail down the conference title. Apparently, Pocatello went down and played with "reckless abandon" at Preston, Hovey said.
Because of various conference tiebreakers, the unexpected developments gave the Fourth District the right to host Thursday's state play-in and state seeding games instead of the Fifth District.
So, if Wood River has to travel for a state play-in game Thursday, it will be to Rupert instead of all the way over Pocatello. And the Wolverines will be playing a rubber game against Preston (16-12).
A potential Wood River-Preston match-up has history.
Preston, for example, defeated the Wolverines 4-2 in the State 3A tournament semi-final game last May in Ontario, Ore. This year, the Wolverines defeated Preston 7-2 at home April 16, behind Hansen's pitching. Then Wood River didn't play a very good game in losing to Preston 7-6 in the championship game of the Preston tournament April 30.
Beating Preston Thursday wouldn't guarantee a state berth, however.
Wood River would have to travel to Pocatello's Halliwell Field Saturday for a 2:30 p.m. state play-in game against the Sixth District (Idaho Falls area) tournament runner-up.
That region was just starting its tournament Monday. The top teams are #2-ranked Madison (17-6) and #5-ranked Hillcrest of Idaho Falls (16-8). Hillcrest won last year's State 4A title 5-3 over Madison.
Hovey was planning to pitch Tyson Reynoso against Preston Thursday and go to Hansen for Saturday's game in Pocatello, if the Wolverines lost to Minico.
Tyson Reynoso rips a hit during Wood River's 9-0 tournament victory over Jerome Thursday in Hailey. Photo by David N. Seelig
