Coming off a home doubleheader sweep over the Minico Spartans April 13, the Wood River High School softball team had a much tougher assignment Saturday during a road trip for two games to Kuna.
Kuna, State 4A champion in 2008 and third-place finisher in Post Falls last May, currently stands second in the 4A Southern Idaho Conference with a 14-2-1 record and a 6-1 league mark, behind state champ Mountain Home (15-2, 8-0).
Wood River coach Dale Martin said, "Kuna is a very good team and you must play your best to beat a team like them. They have seven seniors who all went to state last year."
And Kuna showed its mettle, sweeping the non-conference twinbill 11-1 and 20-15 with a total 32 hits and just three errors. In the opener, Kaveman pitcher Ashleigh Arizana scattered three hits and whiffed 13 Wolverines, while walking three. Madison Gove accounted for Wood River's only RBI hit.
In the second game, Wood River surged to a 6-1 lead in the second inning, but Kuna (17 hits) pushed across seven runs in the second and fifth frames to prevail 20-15. Wood River (13 hits) scored in each inning but came up a little short.
Martin said, "We were hurt in both games by having to make a lot of adjustments and we had five players playing out of position. With all the personnel moves, we should have won the second game if not for two costly errors that gave Kuna 15 unearned runs.
"Offensively we hit the ball pretty well."
Top Wolverine hitters in Saturday's nightcap were Madison Gove (3 hits, 3 runs), Ali Levy (2 hits, double, 3 runs), Josie Dawson (2 hits, double, 3 runs, 3 RBI), Alex Lindbloom (2 hits, 3 runs, 3 RBI) and Haylee Thompson (double, 4 RBI). Levy (5-4) pitched both games.
For the doubleheader, Madison Gove led the way with four hits in six trips. Not traveling was shortstop Kaitana Martinez, and third baseman Taylor Gove suffered a first-game injury that sidelined her.
The Hailey girls host Twin Falls Thursday, April 22 at 4:30 p.m. for a single Great Basin Conference game at South Valley Sports Complex softball field. Then Wood River travels to Twin Falls for a 3:30 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. twinbill on Friday.
Wood River (6-6, 3-1 league) hosts Jerome in a make-up home doubleheader Tuesday, April 27 at 3:30 p.m. in Hailey.
Currently, Twin Falls (16-4, 9-0) leads the GBC after its 8-3, 6-2 and 3-2 sweep over second-place Canyon Ridge of Twin Falls (16-5, 6-3) last weekend. Jerome (8-10, 4-3) swept winless Burley 16-8, 17-2 and 12-2 last weekend to set up next Tuesday's clash with Wood River.
Wood River junior Madison Gove went 4-for-6 during Saturday’s non-conference road doubleheader against the Kuna Kavemen. Here, Gove slaps one in her team’s Great Basin Conference twinbill win over Minico April 13. Photo by David N. Seelig
