Weiser baseball are District champions

Weiser Wolverines opened district play on Monday, May 9 hosting the Payette Pirates. The Wolverines were ranked in first place going into district play and beat Payette in a runaway 12-2 final score that ended in the fifth inning. 

 Kaleb Grove started on the mound for Weiser and went all 5 innings allowing 2 runs on 3 hits and striking out just one batter. 

 Weiser’s defense was on point recording just 1 error during play. 

 On offense for the Wolverines, 26 at bat attempts were made resulting in 13 hits and recording 12 runs during the game. The Wolverines also had 9 RBIs and only struck out 3 times. 

 Willy Shirts had a hot night at the plate going 2 for 2 with 2 RBIs and two great hits for a double and a triple. Payton Albertson was also 2 for 2 on the night. Brett Spencer went 2 for 3 with 2 RBIs. Kaleb Grove and Koda Coers went 2 for 4 with Coers recording 2 RBIs for the team. Tommy Johnson went 1 for 2 as did Jack Burke who recorded the most RBIs for Weiser with 3. The offense was definitely moving well. 

 “We hit the ball well,” Head Coach Bowe von Brethorst stated. “We played our game and focused on what we could control and let the rest go during this game. I can’t ask for anything more than that,” he added. 

 The Wolverines weren’t done for the week and hosted Fruitland at home on Wednesday night. 

 Senior Willy Shirts got the start for the Wolverines on the mound and threw all 6 innings, because that is all it took for Weiser to end the game and win the District Championship 10-0. It has been at least since the 1980s since Weiser has picked up the title of District Champs. 

 Every Wolverine who entered the game got a hit against the Grizzlies recording 13 hits for the team and 10 runs. Weiser also was able to pick up 7 RBIs, 4 total coming from both Brett Spencer and Payton Albertson who hit homeruns off the Grizzly pitching. Weiser scored every inning except for the fifth inning of the game. 

 Fruitland started the game off with a ground out to shortstop Koda Coers, followed by 2 of their 3 hits during the game. Two groundouts right after would retire the side for the inning and bring Weiser to the plate. 

 Jack Shirts hit leadoff and reached on a hard-hit ground ball error to second base. Kaleb Grove came up and grounded out, but advanced Shirts to second. Brett Spencer would start off his awesome night with a triple to score J. Shirts. Willy Shirts would single to left field scoring Spencer and bringing Coers up to take a walk. Weiser would then record two outs and retire their side. 

 On defense Shirts would record a strikeout and then the third hit on the night by the Grizzlies to give them a runner on first. With runners on first and second, Fruitland would double steal setting up the fielder’s choice ground ball to third baseman Brett Spencer who made a nice throw home to Jack Burke to prevent Fruitland from scoring in a run down by Burke. Weiser would then get the third out with another fielder’s choice to Brett Spencer at third. 

 Dylan Turrentine came to the plate and got a single to center field, followed by Brock Spencer getting hit by a pitch. J. Shirts would pop up for the first out and leave the runners on first and second. Grove would ground into a fielder’s choice advancing Turrentine to third and getting Spencer out at second. Brett Spencer would be intentionally walked to load the bases and Willy Shirts would reach first on a dropped third strike scoring Turrentine. 

 Weiser would finish the inning with a groundout and a score of 4-0 after two full innings of play. 

 Fruitland wouldn’t be able to get anything going in the top of the third and had a controversial play where the runner interfered with the play at first and was called out. 

 Weiser capitalized on this hitting the ball well in the bottom of the third. 

 Payton Albertson would single on a ground ball to left field, followed by a nice bunt by Burke to get on base. Turrentine would ground into a fielder’s choice taking Albertson out trying to advance to third. Brock Spencer would get a nice bunt down right down third base line and advance the runners to load the bases. J. Shirts would single to center field scoring both Turrentine and Spencer. Grove would ground into a fielder’s choice and Shirts would be out advancing to second. 

 Weiser would end the inning with a tag out at second on an attempted steal with the score 7-0 in favor of Weiser.

 The Grizzles couldn’t muster any offense in the top of the fourth with 2 strikeouts and a line out to third base. 

 Weiser had its chance again and Brett Spencer came to the plate and hit a shot out of the park in left field that cleared the fence and landed in the middle of the road. W. Shirts would hit a single to second base to get on next. Weiser would then record a strikeout and a line out and another fielder’s choice to end the inning stranding Shirts. 

 Fruitland was 3 up and 3 down due to a Shirts strikeout, a pop up to Turrentine in left field, and a ground out to Spencer at third. 

 Weiser then got their chance to add some more points but could only muster two hits by J. Shirts with a single and Grove with a double to left field. Weiser would end up leaving those 2 batters on the bases. 

 Fruitland was again 3 up and 3 down in the top of the sixth inning and Weiser only need two batters to finish off the game. 

 Coers would hit a nice double to left field to get on base and then advance to third on the throw to bring up Albertson. Albertson patiently let a ball go by and then on the next strike he would turn on it, taking the ball to left field and over the fence for the walk off 2-run homerun bringing the score to 10-0. 

 Weiser Wolverines are your District Champions! 

 Coach Bowe von Brethorst was excited for his team, “Everyone hit tonight because we were ready in the box for the most part. These boys are unstoppable when they are ready to hit and everyone saw that tonight.” 

 Weiser is on to State which will be held this year in Nampa at Northwest Nazarene University  on May 19, 20, and 21. Weiser goes into the tournament with the third place seed and will face sixth seed Homedale on Thursday at 7 p.m.