Coming off a confidence-building week of three home wins by a 23-4 score, the Wood River High School softball team is gearing up for a big Great Basin Conference West home contest with Jerome Thursday.
Wood River (7-6, 2-2 league), riding a season-best four-game winning streak, will take on the Jerome Tigers (7-5-2, 2-1) on Thursday, April 27 at 4:30 p.m. at South Valley Sports Complex softball field, Hailey.
Jerome, a 5-1 home winner over Wood River March 15, dropped its first league game last Thursday 3-2 to Burley, at Jerome. But the Tigers bounced back with a 10-0 and 14-3 doubleheader sweep of Bonneville Saturday.
After Thursday's key league game, Wood River entertains Preston Saturday, April 29 for a non-league twinbill at 11 a.m. on the Hailey diamond.
"The Jerome game is a big test," said Wood River coach Dale Martin.
Martin said he was encouraged by last week's Wolverine showing that ended with Friday's 3-1 non-conference home victory over a solid-hitting Filer Lady Cats squad (8-8). Filer had beaten Burley at home 7-6 the day before coming to Hailey. And Filer split a twinbill with Buhl Saturday.
Freshman ace Samantha Engel (6-4) out-dueled Filer junior flinger Amber Sheen (4-7) for the win. Engel (10K, 2 BB, 1 HBP) didn't allow a Lady Cat runner past second until the sixth. That's when Filer, trailing 3-0, scored its only run and filled the bases with one out.
But Engel (103 pitches) bore down and got a three-pitch strikeout and made a fine fielding play on a tough hopper to the pitcher's circle.
She allowed only three hits, two of the infield variety and only one solid safety—a double by Filer leadoff Holly Hansing to open the sixth. Sheen (78 pitches) was nearly as good, but she allowed six hits and gave up four walks in her outing.
Martin said, "We're learning to win, that's the important thing. The chemistry is real good on this team and it's fun to coach girls when they want to play hard. We didn't quit, especially when Filer filled the bases. The girls wanted to stay together."
Wood River pushed across one run in the first on a two-out walk drawn by center fielder Jamie Stone (2 runs) and a rising RBI double over the center fielder's head by Engel on a 3-2 offering from Sheen. The Wolverines didn't do much afterward.
But they did get two insurance runs in the third. Catcher Vennesa Valentine (2 hits) doubled to right and scored on an RBI single by Jamie Stone. Stone ended up at third and scored when Angela Coleman drew a walk and, by design, got caught in a rundown going to second—in the process enabling Stone to score.
