The losing streak is over, and the battling Wood River American Legion baseball team is looking ahead for a strong finish to the 2006 season.
Wood River (7-19) snapped an 11-game skid Monday with a convincing 9-1 victory over the host Burley Bobcats (11-14) in the second game of a twinbill.
Starting pitcher Michale Brunker and reliever Pat Patterson tamed the Bobcats. In posting his first win, Patterson (1-8) was particularly effective, retiring the final eight batters including seven whiffs.
Coach Matt Nelson said, "Pat threw hard. They couldn't hit him. We just played well. It was a real positive game for us. The boys seemed determined to end the season on a strong note and surprise some people."
Austin Carden's first-inning RBI single made it 1-0. In the second, Brunker singled and came around to score on Tyler Israel's RBI single and Patterson's RBI double.
Wood River broke it wide open with a four-run fifth sparked by singles off the bats of Shane and Austin Carden, a two-run Kenny Cardona single and Drew Anderson RBI single.
The nine runs were welcome, since Wood River had scored only 12 in seven games.
Burley, losers of four straight lopsided games to Buhl and Twin Falls, won Monday's opener 5-0 despite a strong five-inning relief performance by Austin Carden of Wood River.
The Burley outcome energized the young Wood River squad entering the final stretch featuring a six-game homestand and one Area C "A" twinbill at Kimberly July 21.
Wood River entertains Logan (Utah) Friday, July 14 for a 3 p.m. doubleheader at Founders Field, then Hillcrest of Idaho Falls arrives in Hailey Saturday for a 1 p.m. doubleheader. Blackfoot comes to Founders for a make-up twinbill Monday.
They've been close several times, dropping three one-run games during the recent 10-game losing streak, and Hailey players nearly knocked off the top team in the Area C ranks Thursday at Founders Field.
Upper Valley's 'Dawgs (28-4) pushed across four runs in the eighth inning and won the second game of the doubleheader 11-7 over Wood River.
Wood River, matching Upper Valley with 11 hits apiece, led 3-2 and 6-5 but needed a solo homer by Billy Kramer to tie it 7-7 at the end of the regulation seven frames.
Tyler Israel (3 hits) ripped an RBI double in the first. Singles by Shane Carden, Chris Coupe and an RBI single by Anderson (2 hits) made it 3-2 in the second. A two-out single by Israel, RBI double by Patterson and two-run single by Austin Carden plated three and gave Hailey a 6-5 lead in the fifth.
In Thursday's opener, Albertson College-bound righty Cam Hammond of South Fremont tossed a tidy 84-pitch four-hit shutout and beat Wood River 5-0. Upper Valley's Hammond out-dueled Hailey's Patterson (0-8), who threw 121 pitches, scattered eight hits and allowed only two earned runs.
Catcher Austin Carden tripled for Wood River and first baseman Bryan Bray reached base three times.
After sweeping Wood River, Upper Valley went home to St. Anthony and added four more league victories last weekend, run-ruling Kimberly twice Friday and taming highly-regarded Buhl twice Saturday.
Meanwhile, Wood River made the long trip to Logan and dropped 10-0 and 11-1 decisions Saturday.
The defense of center fielder Trent Seamons has been a bright spot for Wood River. Seamons grabs an Upper Valley fly ball Thursday. Photo by David N. Seelig
