The Wood River Wolverines will take on the Jerome Tigers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. The timing is sure in Wood River's favor as the squad sits on three straight wins at home while Jerome has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
Last Wednesday, Wood River didn't have quite enough to beat Burley and fell 8-6. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Wolverines have suffered against the Bobcats since April 9, 2021.
Everett Carden was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Jerome challenged Filer on Friday. The Tigers were the clear victors by a 13-6 margin over the Wildcats. The Tigers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six games by seven runs or more this season.
Caleb Jones was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-5 with one home run, two stolen bases, and two runs. That home run marked the first that he launched this season.
In other batting news, Jerome let Cristian Orozco and Xaiden Van Tassell run wild. Orozco scored a run while going 2-for-2, while Van Tassell scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-3. The dominant performance also gave Orozco a new career-high in RBI (two). Another player making a difference was Sawyer Tilley, who scored a run while going 1-for-1.
Jerome always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .537. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Filer only posted an OBP of .343.
Jerome's win bumped their record up to 7-9. As for Wood River, their loss dropped their record down to 7-6.
Wood River's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's matchup. The Wolverines have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4.7 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Jerome, though, as they've been averaging only 1.4 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Wood River continue to outrun the ball?
Wood River took their victory against Jerome when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 13-3 score. Will the Wolverines repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
