Wood River goes yard, trounces Kimberly 14-4
Three homers, 14 hits subdue Bulldogs in SCIC action
In a key Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference match-up, the Wood River
High School varsity baseball team brought out the big bats Tuesday afternoon at Founderes Field in Hailey.
Jeff Bolton (5 RBI), Jake Upham and Ryne Reynoso slugged homers
lifting the Wolverines (14 hits) to a 14-4 run-rule victory over Kimberly. On the mound, righthander Bolton (5-0) kept his spotless
pitching record intact with a 94-pitch, seven-hitter. He struck out seven Bulldogs.
By beating Kimberly, Wood River (16-4, 4-0 league) remained unbeaten
in SCIC league play and secured homefield advantage for the first round of the SCIC A-2 tournament starting Friday, May 4. Now, all Wood River
needs is one victory over the Buhl Tribe (16-2, 3-1 league) in two huge upcoming meetings with Buhl to nail down the homefield advantage for the
second round of the playoffs--and possibly a home engagement for the state-qualifying district championship game. Wood River plays at Buhl
Thursday, April 26 and hosts the Tribe Tuesday, May 1 at Founders Field, where the Wolverines have a 6-1 record this spring.
In Tuesday's game, Kimberly jumped on Bolton for three runs in the
first inning. But Bolton took care of the deficit by himself in the bottom of the first. After doubles by third baseman Upham (3 hits, 3
runs and 4 RBI) and Cory Goicoechea (2 hits and 2 runs), Bolton crushed a 3-2 pitch for a homer over the left field fence. In the second inning,
left fielder Joe Molyneux (2 runs) singled to right and scored on an RBI single by Upham. Shortstop Goicoechea followed with another single and
Kimberly, with runners at second and third and despite having first base open, elected to pitch to Bolton. Big mistake. Bolton ripped a hard
line drive off the top of the left field fence, near where his big fly left the park an inning before. His two-run double made it 7-3. Pinch
running for Bolton, Evan Peebles scored on a single by second baseman Nic Nottingham (2 hits).
Wood River ended the game early with a six-run explosion in the home
fifth, all the runs unearned. Upham belted a long two-run homer for a 12-4 lead. With two outs, Bolton collected his third hit, an
opposite-field single to right. Then, right fielder Reynoso (2 hits, 2 runs) crunched a towering two-run homer to deepest center field, a
390-yard shot that finished the game.
Kimberly (6-11) fell to 2-3 in league play and will likely to be
seeded third in the upcoming tournament. The Bulldogs will have to travel to Wood River or Buhl for the first round, depending on what
happens when the two-time defending district champion Wolverines and Tribe clash in the week ahead.
