Friday, May 8, 2009

State-bound Wolverines hope sweet ending is just a start

Engel pitches WRHS softball to league crown 4-2 over Jerome


By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

The happy Great Basin Conference West softball champions pose near home plate at Jerome’s Forsyth Park Tuesday after beating Jerome 4-2 for the title. Front row, from left, are freshman Kaitana Martinez, junior Alex Lindbloom, senior Angela Coleman, senior Samantha Engel, sophomore Madison Gove, sophomore Josie Dawson and freshman Noe Garing. Back row, from left, are sophomore Taylor Gove, assistant coach Dick Coleman, junior Rachel Maier, freshman Rebecca Jaramillo, sophomore Ali Levy, head coach Dale Martin, freshman Maddy McInnis, freshman Haylee Thompson, assistant coaches Jeff Martin and Kim McKinnon. Photo by David N. Seelig

Wood River High School senior Samantha Engel feels very, very comfortable pitching in the biggest games of her team's softball season at Jerome's Forsyth Park. Her track record is pretty awesome.

Three times there and three times winning it all for Hailey.

Tuesday afternoon, Engel (13-9 season, 35-30 career) pitched the No. 3-seeded Wolverines to their third Great Basin Conference West tournament title in four years with a 4-2 victory over the top-seeded Jerome Tigers at Forsyth Park.

"I like it here fine," she said, filing her latest accomplishment away with her league-winning 7-6 win over Jerome as a freshman in 2006 and dramatic 6-5 extra-inning victory over Burley in 2008, at Forsyth.

The youngest of three sisters who have played softball for Wood River, Engel has been on the mound for her team's amazing late-season run—five consecutive wins over Pocatello, Burley and Jerome, including three shutouts. Wood River's defense has allowed a grand total of three runs in those 35 innings, while scoring 30 runs.

"Our team has been awesome at the plate," said Engel about the recent stretch of success. "And our defense, well, I've been confident in our defense the whole year, but my confidence has been growing recently. We've just started to click at the right time."

Wood River (13-10), which starts four sophomores, two freshmen, two seniors and one junior, has made a believer of veteran coach Dale Martin.

"If you asked me three weeks ago if we'd be where we are now, I'd have said no," said Martin after Tuesday's title-game victory—Wood River's sixth district title, third at the 4A level and fifth in fast pitch. "As young as it is, this team has matured quickly. They're very focused and confident."

Wood River carried its five-game winning streak into Thursday's Great Basin Conference West championship game at South Valley Sports Complex softball field, in Hailey. It was an important game for seeding purposes into the eight-team State 4A tournament May 14-16 at Post Falls High School.

Just as hot, the unheralded 5th District champion Preston Indians challenged Wood River in Thursday's title game.

Preston's journey to Thursday's Great Basin title game was simply incredible—an 8-6 extra-inning win over Century Monday followed by a 5-3 extra-inning victory over Pocatello, and Tuesday's come-from-behind 3-2 win over Pocatello.

Providing the winning blows with clutch homers in all three games was Preston freshman Regan Hyde. Hailey coach Martin didn't say if he'd pitch carefully or walk Hyde in Thursday's match-up, but he didn't pull any punches about what the game meant to his team.

"We're going into the game to win. And we'll be going up to Post Falls to win the state tournament. We're peaking at the right time and have the components to do it," Martin said.

The winning team between Wood River and Preston Thursday will open state next Thursday at 5 p.m. against the Boise-area third-place team, very likely defending state champion Kuna (18-8). The Wolverines split two tough home games with Kuna April 4.

Thursday's loser crossed into the opposite State 4A bracket and drew the northern Idaho champ for Thursday's 3 p.m. opening game. The northern Idaho winner has yet to be determined because its tournament has been rained out two days this week at Moscow.

Favorite at state this year is Mountain Home (19-5), the top seed in the Boise Valley. The Tigers and Emmett (19-7) will clash today, Friday, for the 3rd District title. Mountain Home junior Nickayla Skinner, who no-hit Skyview of Nampa with 15 strikeouts Wednesday, threw the Tigers to second place in last year's state meet.

In the eight years the State 4A meet has been contested, only one school has won from outside the Boise area, Madison of Rexburg in 2004. Otherwise, it's been Bishop Kelly five times, Emmett and Kuna once.

Engel has pitched all five Wood River games at the State 4A tournament in 2006 and 2008. The Wolverines won only once in those five, 4-3 over Post Falls in 2006 at Pocatello. This will be Wood River's seventh state softball tournament trip.

She's happy to be going, and Engel was happy to contribute at the plate Tuesday at Jerome.

Jerome, a 5-4 winner over Burley in Tuesday's semi-final, put its leadoff batters aboard in the first, second and third innings and manufactured two runs for a 2-1 lead. The Hailey batters had trouble getting around on the fastballs of Jerome freshman Colby Argyle. Then, Jerome (17-9) made a couple of costly mistakes.

In the home third, Madison Gove lifted a high infield fly ball with one out. Argyle and third baseman Nicole Valle collided and the ball fell safely. Hailey catcher Alex Lindbloom walked with two outs, and Josie Dawson hit a bouncing ball that went for an error and made it 2-2. Engel ripped an 0-2 offering into the hole for an RBI single and 3-2 Wood River lead.

"We were tight at the beginning of the game and struggled at the plate," said Engel. "I haven't been hitting well, so it was nice to explode in this game and contribute both pitching and at the plate."

Getting plenty of help from her defense, Engel (126 pitches, 4 hits, 2 BB, 9 K) settled down from the fourth through seventh innings and allowed only one hit, a sharp single on a slow change-up. She retired eight straight at one point. She went to full counts only four times all game and started retiring the Tiger leadoff hitters.

"Keeping the first couple of batters off base keeps me from stressing out too much," Engel said with a smile.

Long, lanky freshman right-fielder Haylee Thompson helped with a sparkling, running catch to her left in the sixth. "Here's a girl who has never played the sport and she makes a great catch and gets a hit in the championship game," said Martin about Thompson.

Added coach Martin about Engel, who was pitching her third complete game in 24 hours at Jerome, "Sam didn't have her usual velocity and stuff, but she's really learned how to pitch this season. Her catcher Alex (Lindbloom) and Jeff (assistant coach Martin) called a great game for her."

Engel (2 of WRHS's 6 hits) provided her own insurance run in the fifth. Lindbloom singled with one out, shortstop Josie Dawson bunted her to second and Engel punched a run-scoring single to right.

Martin said, "We told the girls at the start of the season they had a chance to be something special. Here we are."

Check next week's Local Life for more title-game photos.




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