Moses Lake Sun Devils win Titan Invitational

SPOKANE - The Moses Lake 16U Sun Devils placed first in the Titan Invitational, a tournament featuring the top hardball teams in eastern Washington.

Weather played a factor in game one against Mt. Spokane as it was played in constant rain that battled to a tie.

Game two was delayed due to the weather. The Sun Devils beat West Valley 5-0 in the fifth inning in the shortened game. Pitcher Luke Valdez struck out six, walked one and held West Valley scoreless for a shut out.

Sunday's game saw sunny skies and action on the playfield. Taking on Lewis and Clark, the Sun Devils scored eight runs in the first three innings to take an 8-1 lead that was the final score. All nine Sun Devils starters got a hit in the game, including Kody Samuels who went 2-for-3 with a run scored and an RBI.

In the final it came down to the Sun Devils and the University Titans, a team that finished 18-2 during the regular season. The Titans jumped out to an early lead scoring five runs in the first six innings. The Sun Devils came back to cut that lead to two. Moses Lake tied it up in the seventh inning and scored the winning run on a wild pitch.

Coach Quintz Whitaker was pleased with his team's performance over the weekend.

"The boys played good team baseball all weekend," he said. "It is exciting to watch their improvement as they realize the importance of 'team.' I was very proud of them."