Strikeouts stall Moscow in loss to Post Falls

Moscow coach Griffin Rod said there were some positives, with better play on defense, and said he thought some of the pitchers did well, but the strikeouts from Post Falls (8-8-1) were too much for the Bears (3-7) to handle. "Too many strikeouts," Rod said. "We had some success trying to use the small ball a little bit, but at the end of the day, 15 strikeouts is too much to overcome.

But (this is a) young group (that is) still cutting their teeth at the varsity level. So again, we're kind of hunting different versions of success right now, but definitely 15 strikeouts, too many to compete against these big schools. " How the game played out Early in the contest, Moscow looked like it was going to compete with Post Falls, keeping it close after giving up three runs in the first inning.

Moscow clawed back into the game with a two-run first inning and one run apiece in the second and third innings to tie it at 3-3. The Trojans took more control in the third and fourth innings, scoring two runs and five runs, respectively. Advertisement In the fourth inning, Huckleberry O'Donnell came in to to pitch for the Bears and walked Caden Reese, who then stole second and advanced to third on a passed ball.

Then Gavin Wienker doubled on a fly ball to center field, followed by an Ayden Carrasco single through a gap between the third baseman and the shortstop, which scored Wienker and moved Carrasco to second on an errant throw. Rod said O'Donnell did some good stuff on the mound with his knuckleball keeping batters on their toes. A couple of singles and a sacrifice fly later, Post Falls held a 10-4 lead at the end of the top of the fourth.