Boys playing best ball of season as tournaments begin

There is no better time to be playing their best ball of the season than right now for the Mountain Home Tigers, who won three straight games last week, extending their win streak to four.

Mountain Home 9

Glenns Ferry 6

The Tigers jumped out to an 8-0 lead after three innings in Glenns Ferry last Monday, only to see Glenns Ferry come back within two, at 8-6 after five. The Tigers got a good relief effort from Michael DesPres to pull out the win.

"It was a game where we probably should have put them away, and that's kind of been the story of our season," said Tiger baseball coach Travis DeVore after the game.

"We get up on teams and then let them back in. It's been one of our Achilles' heel, we get too lax when we're ahead, we don't have that killer instinct, but we did have some guys step up. (Alan) Lawler hit the ball well, Michael DesPres, who has split time between the varsity and JV, hit the ball really well tonight, and pitched the ball really well, and that's going to to go a long way for us, if we're going to make a run at going to state, so it was a nice win for us."

Alan Lawler had three hits and three RBIs. David Wise had a two-run double, and Michael Depress an RBI-double.

Andrew Grodi got the win, getting three good solid innings of relief pitching from Michael DesPres.

Mountain Home 7

Emmett 5

A walk-off grand slam home run by Brett Young in the bottom of the seventh powered the Tigers to a 7-5 win over the Emmett Huskies last Tuesday in Mountain Home.

It was the only lead of the game for Mountain Home, as Emmett got to Michael Hobgood for a run in the first, two more in the third, and single runs in the fifth and seventh before Jacob Dunn came on in relief in the seventh.

The Tigers trailed 5-3 with the bases loaded and two out in the bottom of the seventh, when Young came up to face Casey McCarthy, who had relieved Emmett's starter Heath Korell. Young had homered off McCarthy at Emmett, and did it again for the game-winner.

"I was telling Brett and the whole team, that home runs like that, you will remember the rest of your life," said Coach DeVore after the game. "That is something that no one can take away from him now, and those guys on Senior Night, that's something that they'll be talking about for years to come."

On the night, Young had two hits, a double to go along with his grand slam. Jacob Dunn and Andrew Grodi both had triples, and David Wise and Brian Fields also had hits.

Mountain Home 6

Vallivue 1

The Tigers closed out their regular season schedule at Vallivue last Thursday and jumped out to an early lead, and never looked back.

David Wise had three hits in the game, including a double, and drove in two runs. David Pacheco and Brett Young both had two hits, Young a double, and drove in a run. Alan Lawler and Jacob Dunn both had hits and RBIs.

Brian Fields picked up the win, with relief help from Michael DesPres in the fourth. Fields had four strikeouts and five walks, giving up just two hits.

DesPres struck out four and walked just one in four innings of work, scattering three hits.

"It was a nice win for us," said Coach DeVore. "I was really amazed to see how relaxed and confident our guys were. The top of our line-up had some clutch hits for us."

The Tigers finished conference play 6-4, good for the number three seed, and opened against those same Vallivue Falcons on Monday in first round action of the District III 4A Tournament at Kuna.

Second seed Caldwell faced the winner yesterday (Tuesday). Kuna got the number one seed, and met Monday's Emmett-Bishop Kelly winner.