Playing shorthanded with only 10 players at Idaho Falls Monday night, the Wood River Wranglers American Legion baseball team needed some strong pitching—and got it.
Righthanders Taz Lyons and Tyler Peters tossed complete games for Wood River, but the Wranglers couldn't get run-scoring hits when they needed them and dropped a 3-1 and 4-3 Area C "A" doubleheader to the host Skyline Grizzlies.
Coach Matt Nelson said, "Taz threw really, really well in the 3-1 opener—one of the fastest games we've played in. He walked only one and struck out three. Jimmy Hague tripled and scored in the seventh inning to get us on the board."
The Grizzlies chipped away in the nightcap with one run in the second and third, and two in the fifth for a 4-0 lead off of Peters (89 pitches in 6 innings).
Wood River scored three in the seventh to make it close—Keven Abbott opening with a single, Hague drilling an RBI triple, Peters an RBI single and Zach Israel an RBI double.
Nelson said, "We were also shorthanded with only nine guys at Burley last Wednesday but had a 12-3 win in the first game with Jake Freeman pitching a seven-hitter. He threw 87 pitches, walked one and struck out nine Burley batters."
Hague ripped an RBI double scoring Alex Padilla for a 1-0 lead over the Green Sox in the first. A Collin Dean leadoff single, Peters RBI triple and a Padilla RBI single helped stretch the lead to 4-0 in the second. Wood River made it 6-1 in the third with a Peters RBI double and Abbott's bases-loaded walk on a 12-pitch at-bat.
Wood River stashed away its third straight win with three runs in the fifth. Connor Braatz singled and Nic Brunker put down a sacrifice bunt followed by run-scoring doubles off the bats of Abbott and Padilla.
The Wranglers (8-19, 5-5 home, 6-16 league) resume their home schedule at Hailey's Founders Field on Monday, July 5 with a 4 p.m. doubleheader against Bear Lake, followed by another league twinbill Tuesday at 4 p.m. against Canyon Ridge of Twin Falls.
Meanwhile, the Wood River Mud Hogs visited the Twin Falls Cowboys Tuesday and host Kimberly Thursday, July 1 at 4 p.m. at Founders.
Wood River American Legion baseball player Connor Braatz hustles around the Founders Field basepaths during a Wranglers game earlier this summer. Photo by David N. Seelig
