For the week of April 23 - 29, 2003

A rain delay, then Wood River beats Filer 3-2

SCIC baseball at Founders Field

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By JEFF CORDES
Express Staff Writer

Wood River High School’s baseball team wasn’t arguing about the rain Tuesday afternoon in Hailey.

A 30-minute rain delay actually helped favored Wood River during a closely-contested Sawtooth Central Idaho Conference game against upset-minded Filer at Founders Field.

Wood River (12-3-1, 3-0 SCIC) rallied from a 2-1 deficit for a 3-2 victory over a senior-laden Filer squad (9-8, 1-2 SCIC) that was the surprise winner of the Buhl Mid-Season Classic Tournament April 12.

The winning pitcher was Wood River ace Ryne Reynoso (4-2), who threw a 99-pitch four-hitter with nine strikeouts. Reynoso struck out the side in the seventh to preserve Wood River’s first home victory of 2003.

But the big story before the rains came was Filer senior righthander Skyler Collins.

Collins, who needed only 26 pitches to retire Wood River in the third, fourth and fifth innings, was sailing along with a 2-1 lead when umpires Bill Shohoney and Brian Shields waved the players to their dugouts because of heavy rain.

Wood River’s only run was scored in the first on two-out double by Reynoso and an RBI double by Paul Tinker (2 hits, 5-for-6 twinbill). Meanwhile, Reynoso before the rain delay had endured a shaky fifth—walking two, plunking one Wildcat and allowing an unearned run.

But Reynoso weathered the rain delay much better than Collins.

Reynoso set down the ‘Cats 1-2-3 in the visitor sixth.

In the Hailey sixth, Tinker opened with a ground single to center. Then Collins threw six straight balls, walking Matt Conover and going to a 2-0 count on Joe Paisley. Collins inadvertently removed the bunt situation by throwing wildly into the outfield on a pickoff try. Tinker and Conover moved to third and second.

Paisley then drilled an RBI single down the third base line for a 2-2 tie. Dylan McIlhenny’s second hit, a flare to right field, brought Conover home with the eventual winning run.

Collins got out of the jam, thanks to some questionable base running and a missed bunt sign by Wood River, but the damage had been done.

Seven of nine batters hit safely for Wood River (9 hits) during the snappy one-hour, 45-minute game.

In the non-league nightcap, Wood River squandered a 4-1 lead but pushed across a single run in the bottom of the sixth to prevail 5-4.

Shortstop Drew Detwiler scored the game-winning run on a single by Steve Durkin (2 hits). It made a winner of reliever Tyler Thiede (2-0).

Catching both games for Wood River was sophomore Billy Kramer. He spelled Kellen Chatterton, who played as designated hitter while rehabbing his thumb injury.

Wood River, still ranked #1 among Idaho 3A schools in the Idahosports.com power ranking, entertains Preston and Mountain Home Saturday, April 26 starting at 11 a.m., at Founders Field.

 

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