Wood River's American Legion baseball team (17-20 overall, 11-17 league) will carry a season-best four-game winning streak into the American Legion Area C "A" tournament that debuts today.
Coach Eli Lloyd likes the flow that Wood River has developed in the last week with home doubleheader sweeps over Madison of Rexburg 16-15 and 10-6 and, last Thursday, over the Burley Bobcats 8-4 and 13-3 at Hailey's Founders Field.
He hopes the team's improved pitching and defense will carry over to the upcoming four-day tourney.
The Wranglers have already dodged a bullet.
By closing out the season on a hot streak, they avoided the dreaded "do-or-die" play-in tournament game that six lower-ranked Area C teams—Shelley, Pocatello, Burley, Madison, Highland and Idaho Falls—had to endure Monday.
Wood River, having earned the ninth seed in the 12-team tournament, opens the double elimination tournament today, Wednesday with a 1 p.m. game against #8-seeded Marsh Falls at St. Anthony.
The winner plays defending champion Upper Valley (35-3, 26-2) at 6:30 p.m. today on the South Fremont diamond at St. Anthony. The Hillcrest Royals (35-16) are the only team to have beaten Upper Valley this season. Bear Lake is the second seed, Buhl third and Jerome fifth.
If Wood River loses today's opener, the Wranglers will return for a loser-out game Thursday, July 28 at 10:30 a.m. at St. Anthony. Championship game is Friday at 6:30 p.m. at St. Anthony. At stake are three berths for the State Legion "A" tournament on Friday, Aug. 5 hosted by the Boise Barons in Boise.
Lloyd has thrown eight or nine pitchers during the 37-game regular season and he'll have strong and well-rested arms for today's opening-round test in the eastern Idaho city.
Thursday, young Pat Patterson (3-2) stood up to the challenge in an 89-pitch complete-game 8-4 victory over Burley. Patterson spotted the Bobcats four runs in the first inning, only three of them earned, and held Burley scoreless the rest of the game.
Patterson, who ended with a tidy five-hitter, got help from his defense.
Shortstop Tyler Israel and second baseman Morgan Uhrig turned a pair of 6-4-3 double plays after Burley installed its leadoff batter on board in the fifth and sixth innings. Third baseman Danny Kramer was solid with four assists and one putout—three assists chalking up final outs.
Catcher Jimmy Pierson threw out two runners on the basepaths, Uhrig applying the tags, and Uhrig made a sensational outstretched grab on a hard liner to his right in the seventh. Patterson kept his pitches down and enticed 13 ground ball outs.
At the plate, Wood River (11 hits) answered Burley's four-run first with three runs of its own—Israel, Trent Seamons and Pierson delivering RBI hits. The decisive frame was the five-run fifth when the Wranglers batted around and erased a 4-3 deficit.
Uhrig started it by hammering a double to the left field gap and DH Drew Anderson (2 hits) blooped a single. Israel (3 hits, 2 runs) followed with a single to right and center fielder Casey Hawkes (2 hits, 2 runs) made it to first on a passed ball after a strikeout. Eric Jacobson ripped an RBI single and scored on an error.
In Thursday's nightcap, Israel (1-1) threw a six-hitter and whiffed six Bobcats in the 13-3 run-rule triumph that ended in the home sixth. Wood River (11-12 on the road) improved its home mark to 6-8 with the win.
Wood River (12 hits) scored in each inning and each starting player scored a run. Contributors at the dish included Uhrig (2 hits, 2 runs), Anderson (2 hits, double), Tyler Thiede (2 hits, double), Jacobson (2 runs), Hawkes (2 hits, triple, 2 runs) and Pierson (2 hits, 2 runs).
Check the Aug. 10 Local Life edition for photos of this year's Legion baseball team.
