Moscow swipes Legion baseball doubleheader from Lewis-Clark Cubs

MOSCOW - Tuesday's Legion baseball doubleheader between the Moscow Blue Devils and Lewis-Clark Cubs featured diving catches, booming home runs and late-inning theatrics.

The Blue Devils squeaked out a 2-1 victory in the first game of the twinbill before blasting their way to a 13-3 win in the second meeting to earn a series sweep at the Moscow School District Community Playfields.

"We're starting to pick up some speed," Moscow coach Stan Mattoon said. "We're seeing the ball better and our defense is coming around along with it. Right now, we're just playing some pretty good ball."

Moscow trailed 1-0 in the sixth inning of the opener before Billy Adams lined the second pitch of his at-bat into left field with two outs to score a pair of runs.

"He is one of our younger guys, but the thing I like about Billy is that he has an incredible eye," Mattoon said. "He didn't try to do too much, he got a pitch he could drive and he put it exactly where he needed to."

Starting pitcher Devin Carscallen dazzled in the complete-game effort for Moscow (9-14). The right-hander used a mix of fastballs and sliders to keep Lewis-Clark (6-11) off the basepaths for most of the matchup.

"He threw a lot of fastballs, but he mixed them really well," Mattoon said. "He stayed inside and outside. They've got some big boys over there and we wanted to make sure we didn't wheel one right down the middle."

Tui Moliga also toed the rubber in a dominant outing for the Cubs. The right-hander tallied six strikeouts and held the Blue Devils to two hits before surrendering Adams' go-ahead single in the sixth.

"He was mixing it up and hitting his spots, which helped him get ahead of hitters," Lewis-Clark coach Ramon Royce said. "He executed his pitches and changed speeds. He could've gotten a few more calls his way, but he competed on the bump."

Carscallen closed the game with a scoreless seventh, forcing a groundout with runners on first and second to pick up the 2-1 win for Moscow.

"Their guy was probably one of the best arms that we've seen, hands down," Royce said. "I think we had some quality at-bats against him, so I was proud of our guys and the way they competed."

While the first game may have played out as a pitchers' duel, the second matchup featured a little more firepower.

Casey Grady and Mat Shears recorded RBI hits to put Moscow on the scoreboard early in the second inning. Seth Wadsworth later added a bases-clearing double as part of a seven-run outburst in the frame.

"They were very loose, there was no tension," Mattoon said. "We've been very tense the past few weeks. You can put that kind of pressure on yourself, but then you need to realize it's just a game."

Lewis-Clark tried to chip away at the lead in the third when Tyson Wallace knocked a grounder through the infield to score Treyson Lejameyer. But an RBI bloop single from Eric Redinger and a balk call on pitcher Hayden Woods gave the Blue Devils a 9-1 advantage.

The Cubs tacked on a pair of runs following a defensive miscue in the fifth, but Shears launched two-run homer over the right-field fence to make it 11-3 before Moscow put the finishing touches on the mercy-rule victory in the sixth.

"They're enjoying the game of baseball right now," Mattoon said. "You should have fun, and now we're in a flow since we've started to loosen up.'

FIRST GAME

Lewis-Clark Cubs 001 000 0-1 4 2

Moscow 000 002 x-2 3 2

Tui Moliga and Connor Stamper. Devin Carscallen and Brysen Gottschalk.

Lewis-Clark hits - Hayden Woods, Treyson Lejameyer, Dalton Hart 2 (2B).

Moscow hits - Jack Dunn, Billy Adams, Theo Howard.

SECOND GAME

Lewis-Clark Cubs 001 020- 3 6 0

Moscow 070 222-13 11 3

Treyson Lejameyer, Hayden Woods (2), Bill Alspach (6) and Jason Hanchett. Theo Howard, Mat Shears (6) and Tristan Wilson.

Lewis-Clark hits - Daniel Mason, Bill Alspach, Keegen Tanata, Dalton Hart (2B), Jason Hanchett 2 (2B).

Moscow hits - Casey Grady 3, Mat Shears 3 (HR, 2B), Seth Wadsworth 2, Eric Redinger 2, Logan Shears.