Idle for 11 days over the Fourth of July holiday, the Wood River American Legion baseball team resumed action this week with four home games and four on the road.
And, just as the weather heated up in the Wood River Valley, so did the Legion bats. The Wran-glers tallied 54 runs in four home games this week.
Wood River (6-13, 4-6 home) swept its first doubleheader of the summer season Tuesday with run-rule 22-2 and 12-1 victories over the visiting Skyline Grizzlies from Idaho Falls at Hailey's Founders Field.
The Wranglers made it four consecutive victories on Wednesday with yet another run-rule home triumph, 12-2 over the Jerome Cyclones as lefthander Austin Hafer tossed a five-inning no-hitter.
Wednesday's nightcap saw Jerome take its turn with the hot bats. The Cyclones snapped Wood River's winning streak with a 19-8 run-rule victory behind the complete game pitching of righty Dom Baker.
All in all, Wranglers head coach Trent Seamons was encouraged with his team's hitting and felt the Hailey 15- to 18-year-old boys gained some confidence heading into the season's final 10 games prior to the Area C "A" tournament.
Wood River came out like gangbusters against Skyline.
The Wranglers sent up 19 batters in the first inning of Tuesday's first game and scored 13 runs on just five hits. Indeed, it was 20-0 after two innings as the home team capitalized on 12 free passes (7 HBP, 4 BB) along with nine hits.
Tazmin Lyons (3-run double, 4 RBI), Ben Williams (2 hits, double, 3 RBI), Finn Isaacson (2 hits, double, 3 RBI) and Alex Padilla (2-run single) were the big run producers after leadoff hitter Hafer started it all off with a long triple to center.
Starting pitcher Lyons (2-1) went all five innings giving up only four hits and whiffing eight. Other Wrangler contributors at the plate against Skyline's inexperienced pitching staff were Collin Dean (4 runs) and Zach Israel (3 runs).
In Tuesday's nightcap, righthander Israel (1-3) won his first game of the summer with a two-hitter in the 12-1 five-inning victory. He struck out five. Wood River's 12-hit attack was led by Brax-ton Parish (3-for-3, 2 runs), Dean (2 hits, triple, 2 runs), Israel (2 hits, 2 runs) and Isaacson (2 hits).
Wednesday, southpaw Hafer (2-1) walked eight Cyclones and struck out four but never yielded a hit and wound up with the no-hitter in the 12-2 five-inning divisional win. The Wranglers ended things early in the fifth when Dean (3 runs) led off with a double and scored on the game-winning single by Israel (2 hits, triple, 3 runs).
Others contributing to the 11-hit attack were Alex Padilla (3-for-3, triple) and Marshall Reyburn (2 hits, double).
In Wednesday's finale, Wood River lefty starting pitcher Tim Boyle did his job throwing strikes (47 strikes in 64 pitches over 3 innings), but Jerome (18 hits) found the holes and jumped ahead 6-4 after three. The Cyclones kept pouring it on and forced Seamons to use five pitchers in their 19-8 win.
Wood River (5 errors) didn't help its cause by giving up six unearned runs. Dean (3 hits, 2 dou-bles, 3 runs), Israel (3 hits, double, 2 runs) and Padilla (2 triples) were hitting leaders. Jerome's winning pitcher Baker also had three hits, as did Hunter Niehaus and Garrett Sant (2 doubles). Ethan Bragg (2 doubles) had four hits.
The Wranglers have an overnight trip to eastern Idaho today, Friday and Saturday, July 9—playing Bear Lake at Montpelier today and going to Sugar-Salem on Saturday. The Hailey boys visit Canyon Ridge in Twin Falls on Wednesday, July 13 and host their final home games against Pocatello and Snake River July 15-16.
Babe Ruth baseball part of the Nelson tourney
For the first time, 13-year-old Babe Ruth baseball is part of the Ray Nelson Invitational youth baseball tournament that started three days of action Thursday at fields in Hailey.
The Wood River Baseball and Softball Association is fielding one 13-year-old team in the five-team Babe Ruth division, playing its games on the big diamond at Founders Field.
Wood River opens its quest in the double elimination tournament today, Friday at 8 a.m. against Northside. The winner of that game will play again today at 1 p.m. against Idaho Falls, while the losing team will try to stay alive today at 3:30 p.m. in another contest.
Two other teams, Boise and Treasure Valley, square off today at 10:30 a.m. to complete the field of Ray Nelson Babe Ruth contenders. Final game today is at 6 p.m., with loser bracket games pick-ing up again Saturday at 8 a.m. and the championship final at 1 p.m.
Wood River's team, coached by Billy Kramer, Keven Abbott and Juan Martinez, will finish its 2011 season this weekend competing in its fourth tournament. Kramer said, "We have a great bunch of kids, we've had a great time and we've learned a lot this year."
On the team are Will Long, Hunter Frye, Jake Jorgensen, Gage Jorgensen, Brandon Benson, Dy-lan Broman, Nelson Cantrell, Lane Felger, Gunner Gibson, Wyatt Johnson, Cooper Stone, Nic Tid-well, Reide Whitehead and Alec Nordsieck.
The 12-and-under and 10-and-under tournaments run all day today and Saturday, headquartered at Nelson Field.
