Pirates begin homestand Saturday

MOSES LAKE — The Moses Lake Pirates baseball team will wrap up a nine-game road trip tonight in Spokane before returning to the friendly confines of Larson Playfield for the Fourth of July.

The Pirates enter the holiday weekend looking for their first win of the season after opening West Coast League (WCL) play with a 19-game losing streak.

Although the Pirates find themselves at the bottom of the WCL standings, Moses Lake head coach Steve Keller said his team is improving.

“We played great (on the road trip),” Keller said following Wednesday afternoon’s 12-3 loss to the Bend Elks. “We are excited to get home for the Fourth of July.”

The Pirates will take on the Spokane RiverHawks tonight at 6:35 p.m. before kicking off a nine-game homestand at 4:05 p.m. Saturday with the first game of a two-game set with the RiverHawks.

Moses Lake enters the home series with an 0-4 record against Spokane although two of their loses were by three runs or less.

Despite an 0-19 WCL record heading into the weekend, the Pirates have remained competitive this season.

Of Moses Lake’s 19 losses, the Pirates have lost 11 by three runs or less — including five by one run.

The Pirates will wrap up their two-game series with Spokane on Sunday with an autograph poster night presented by the Columbia Basin Herald.

The gates for Sunday night’s contest will open at 6:35 p.m. with the first pitch scheduled for 7:35 p.m.

While the Pirates enter the homestand looking to break their 19-game losing streak, Moses Lake batters have been impressive at the plate.

Moses Lake’s Chris Casazza and Nick Fuoco are two of the WCL’s most powerful hitters.

Casazza leads the West Coast League in home runs with four and Fuoco ranks third with a pair of home runs for the Pirates. Casazza ranks third in the league in total bases (27).

Casazza and Fuoco have been offensive leaders for Moses Lake this season. Fuoco leads the team in RBIs with eight and Casazza is nipping at his heels with seven.