Tigers face tough road to state after early district loss

The Mountain Home Tigers split their final conference baseball series with Kuna last week, losing at home, but winning at Kuna.

The Tigers then dropped their district tournament opener to Vallivue.

Kuna Kavemen 9

Mountain Home 3

The Kuna Kavemen made the most of eight hits, three walks and two hit batters last Tuesday, shooting out to a 9-0 lead after five innings, and held off the Tigers down the stretch for a 9-3 win.

"We came out a little bit flat and gave them a lot of opportunities and they took advantage of it," said Mountain Home Tiger baseball coach Travis DeVore after the game. "Five of their nine runs were from guys that had got on base either by walks or hit by pitch. They outplayed us a little bit, but what they did best was taking advantage of our mistakes and made it hurt when they had the opportunity."

Brian Fields went four innings for the Tigers, and suffered the loss. He gave up seven runs, five of them earned, and four hits, striking out six, walking three and hitting one. Brett Young pitched the final three innings, giving up two runs on four hits, striking out four and hitting one.

Aaron Swartz had two doubles, Zach Anderson had one, and Joe Poseley and Michael DesPres also had hits for the Tigers, who scored twice in the sixth, and once in the seventh.

Mountain Home 8

Kuna Kavemen 7

The Tigers went to Kuna last Wednesday and scored three runs in the top of the first to take a 3-0 lead. Kuna came back with two in the bottom half to cut the lead to 3-2.

The Kavemen took advantage of two walks by Michael DesPres in the fourth to score two more and take a 4-3 lead, but Mountain Home tied it in the fifth, as a single by Michael DesPres scored Brian Fields, who had singled and stole second.

The Tigers added two more in the sixth inning to take a 6-4 lead, and got to Kuna reliever Ryan Duncan for two runs in the top of the seventh, giving Michael Hobgood, who relieved Michael DesPres in the seventh, a four-run cushion.

A fielding error kept the Kuna alive in the seventh, and a double and a single produced three Kavemen runs, but Michael Hobgood got a strikeout and a groundout to end the inning and the game, Mountain Home winning 8-7.

"It was a tight one down the stretch, but this whole season's been giving me butterflies, so I don't see why the last regular season game should be any different," said Coach DeVore in radio comments after the game. "(Michael) DesPres threw a great game for really not feeling that well. He was sick earlier in the week, and that was a big start for him and a big win for us. (Michael) Hobgood didn't have his best stuff there and couldn't get his curve ball over, so relied on his fast ball a little too much, but our defense didn't help him much either.

"That ball to left should have been caught and the ball to second base should have been fielded for a double play and that would have ended the game, so it's not like he struggled that much, and what you want out of a guy in that position is to throw strikes, and he did that and that gives us a chance to win.

"Joe Poseley came off the bench and had a couple hits and a couple RBIs down the stretch, and those things are huge. He wasn't sitting out tonight because we were disappointed in him, he was sitting because we want guys to get some at bats down the stretch, to make sure that if we call on them in the post season, they feel comfortable at the plate."

Michael DesPres picked up the win, improving to 4-5 on the season. He went six innings, giving up four runs, just two of them earned, and struck out three and walked three. He helped himself out at the plate, getting three hits and three RBIs. Brian Fields also had three hits and scored three runs. Joe Poseley had two hits ands two RBIs, and Chris Rau had two hits and an RBI. Chase Bitterman and Brett Young also collected hits for the Tigers, who improved to 7-7 in conference play and 9-15 overall.

The Tigers' 7-7 league record tied them with Caldwell and Vallivue for third place, but Caldwell, by virtue of sweeping the Tigers, got the number three seed, and Mountain Home, by sweeping Vallivue, got the number four seed going into the District III 4A Baseball Tournament.

Vallivue Falcons 3

Mountain Home 2

The Tigers' road to state took a nasty detour Saturday, when they lost to the Vallivue Falcons in first round action of the District III 4A Baseball Tournament at Mountain Home.

Things started out well, with Mountain Home scoring two runs in the first to take a 2-0 lead.

Unfortunately, those two runs, helped out by two hits, were the last of each the Tigers would get off Vallivue pitcher Adam Cressman the rest of the game.

Vallivue tied the game in the third, getting two unearned runs off Mountain Home's Michael Hobgood. The Falcons then put together two of the only five hits they managed off Hobgood in the sixth, when they scored the go-ahead run, which proved to be the game-winner.

"It's disappointing," said Coach DeVore after the game. "After that first inning, you just saw our energy level sink, it's like we got scared after they showed up to play and got timid, and any team that wants to go to state can't play timid at the plate.

"But, on the other side of it, Hobby (Michael Hobgood) threw an awesome game, definitely good enough to win if we play a little more defense behind him. This is a young team, and a young team, when the pressures on the line, the temptation is to fold a little bit or get scared or feel like you don't deserve to be in this situation, but I don't want the guys making excuses, because I want them to go home saying this is a game we should have won and let's get on a roll come Monday."

Brian Fields had an RBI single, and Chris Rau got the Tigers' other hit.

Michael Hobgood struck out eight batters, walked one and hit two and gave up just five hits in falling to 5-3 on the season.

The Tigers faced Skyview on Monday, in a loser-out game, and though the road to state now will require Mountain Home to win three straight games in the district tourney to win a play-in game.

DeVore was optimistic they can do what they need to do to make state.

"I feel good. We've got, as far as I'm concerned, the best depth of any pitching staff in the conference, so if anyone's going to rise out of that loser's bracket, hopefully, it will be us. Obviously, this wasn't the start to the Ttournament that we were looking for."

In other first round tourney action Saturday, Bishop Kelly beat Skyview, 6-0, Kuna downed Emmett, 6-2, and Caldwell beat Nampa, 7-6.