The Wood River Wolverines will challenge the Jerome Tigers at 3:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
On Tuesday, Wood River got the win against Mountain Home by a conclusive 18-8. Considering the Wolverines have won seven contests by more than six runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Marlee McLean was a standout: she went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and three RBI. That's the most stolen bases she has posted over her last 15 games. The team also got some help courtesy of Hadley Elsbree, who got on base in three of her four plate appearances with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Wood River kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in ten consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Jerome hadn't done well against Twin Falls recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Tuesday. The Tigers had just enough and edged out the Bruins 14-12.
Jerome got a massive performance out of Sawyer Gararad, who went 4-for-6 with four RBI, two runs, and one triple. Another player making a difference was Ellie Helmer, who went 2-for-5 with one home run, three runs, and three RBI.
Wood River is on a roll lately: they've won seven of their last nine contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 9-11 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.9 runs over those games. As for Jerome, their win bumped their record up to 12-6.
Jerome's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Thursday. Wood River has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.8 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Jerome, though, as they've been averaging only 3.7 strikeouts. Will Wood River keep running through batters, or will the Tigers buck the trend?
Wood River skirted past Jerome 10-9 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Wolverines repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
