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Wolverines Sweep Twin Falls in Doubleheader Action
 
           
 
Saturday, April 23, 2016
 

BY MICHAEL DAVID 

The last time the Wood River Wolverines beat the Twin Falls Bruins at Founders Field, Facebook had not yet been introduced to the globe. On Friday, Senior Alec Nordsieck was determined to share a new Facebook post celebrating the end of the losing streak against their Great Basin rivals to the south. 

Nordsieck, on the hill in the first game of an afternoon doubleheader, overcame control issues and limited the Bruins to just 1 hit and 3 runs, leading the Wolverines to a 7-5 victory over Twin Falls. This was their first victory at home over the Bruins since 2004. Teammate Nic Tidwell then took the mound in game 2, shutting down the Twin Falls’ bats and powering Wood River to a 6-4 victory—providing the home team with a critical sweep against the conference leading Bruins.

Nordsieck issued 11 walks, but was able to maneuver himself away from several jams, holding the Bruins scoreless by forcing Twin Falls to strand 7 base runners in the first 3 innings. The senior pitcher also took control at the plate and on the base paths by attaining 3 hits, stealing 2 bases, scoring 2 runs, and knocking in 4 more.

While Alec was keeping Twin Falls off the scoreboard, he and his teammates were able to score single runs off Twin Falls’ starting pitcher Ryan Eller in the first and third innings. In the first, Dylan Broman led off with a triple and was brought home by a Nordsieck ground out.  The Wolverines scored their second run of the game when left fielder Gunner Gibson hit a towering sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Nordsieck from third base. 

Twin Falls was finally able to capitalize on Nordsieck’s wildness in the fourth inning, turning 4 base on balls into 2 runs without the benefit of a single base hit—tying the game 2-2.

The Wolverines would prove resilient, bouncing back with 2 runs in the bottom half of the fourth. Catcher Ike Buxton led off with a double, atoning for his throwing error in top of the fourth that resulted in the second run of the game for the Bruins. Owen Gifford came to the plate and traded places with Buxton, doubling to deep left-center field, and regaining the lead, 3-2. Nordsieck singled up the middle to bring home Gifford, staking the Wolverines to a 4-2 lead heading into the fifth inning.

Twin Falls would not go down quietly though, scoring 3 runs in the fifth inning to recapture the lead from Wood River, 5-4. While this type of Bruin comeback may have deflated the hopes of past Wolverine squads, the 2016 team had plenty of fight left in them.

In the bottom of the sixth inning, Gifford and Broman had back-to-back walks to put the tying and go-ahead runs on base. Nordsieck proceeded to drive a pitch deep over the left fielder, one-hopping the fence, knocking in both runs and giving his team a 6-5 lead. Tidwell followed with a base hit, scoring Nordsieck and adding an insurance run for the Wolverines. 

Christian Hovey shut the Bruins down in the seventh inning, securing the victory and putting their long losing streak to rest.

The Wolverines, behind a dominant pitching performance in game 2 by Nic Tidwell, would start a winning streak of their own by capturing the second game of the doubleheader. Tidwell held the Bruins to 3 hits and 2 runs, while striking out 4. Offensively, the Wolverines Twin Falls pitchers Ryan Harshbarger and Bryson Wolters were able to garner 6 runs. Nordsieck continued his hot spell with 3 more hits and 3 runs scored in the second game. Gibson and Adrian Rojas drove in 2 runs apiece, and Tidwell and Buxton picked up RBI singles as well.

Hovey once again shut the Bruins down in the final 2 innings, preventing any chance for a comeback against the feisty Wolverines.

The Wolverines pinned the first 2 conference losses of the season on Twin Falls, who entered Friday’s games with a conference record of 10-0 and an overall record of 17-1. Wood River is now 7-5 in conference and 13-8 overall. Wolverines face Canyon Ridge next weekend—Friday, April 29 at Canyon Ridge at 4:30 pm and home for Senior Day on Saturday, April 30 at noon at Founders Field.

Game 1:

Twin Falls    0     0     0     2     3     0     0  ---  5

Wood River  1     0     1     2     0     3     x  ---  7

Wood River Wolverines ab r h rbi

Broman rf 3 2 1 0          

Nordsieck p                           4 2 3 4

Whitehead dh                        3 0 2 0

Gibson lf                               3 0 0 1

Tidwell 3b                             4 0 2 2

Rojas 1b                                3 0 0 0

Buxton c                                2 1 1 0

Schott ss                                2 0 0 0

Gifford cf 2 2 1                            

Totals                                    26 7 10 7

2B—Nordsieck, Buxton, Gifford

3B—Nordsieck 

BB—Broman, Whitehead, Rojas, Buxton, Schott, Gifford

Game 2:

Twin Falls  0     0     1     0     1     0     2  ---  4

Wood River 1     0     2     0     3     0     x  ---  6

Wood River Wolverines ab r h rbi

Broman rf 4 0 1 0

Nordsieck 3b 3 3 2 0

Whitehead dh 4 1 2 0

Gibson lf 1 2 1 1

Tidwell p 3 0 2 1

Rojas 1b 3 0 2 2

Buxton c                   3 0 2 1

Schott ss 3 0 0 0

Gifford cf 3 0 0

Totals 26 6 12 5

2B—Gibson

BB—Nordsieck, Gibson (2) 



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