Pirates earn team award
Derrick Pacheco/Columbia Basin Herald<br> Moses Lake second baseman D.C. Legg (4) greets teammates at home plate after a home run July 15 against the Spokane RiverHawks. Moses Lake won the second annual Tom Dietz Sportsmanship Award for their performance throughout the season.
MOSES LAKE — Although the Pirates wrapped up their 2009 West Coast League season 24 games behind first place Wenatchee, Moses Lake earned the Jim Dietz Team Sportsmanship Award this season.
The Jim Dietz Team Sportsmanship Award is voted on by the West Coast League managers and owners and Moses Lake is just the second team to earn the award. The Corvallis Knights won the inaugural sportsmanship award in 2008.
The Moses Lake Pirates lost their first 19 games to start the season before winning 10 of their final 29.
The Pirates finished the 2009 season 10-38.
The sportsmanship award wasn’t the only postseason award for the Pirates. Moses Lake’s D.C. Legg was an honorable mention All-West Coast League selection for the Pirates.
Despite a 10-38 overall record, Moses Lake proved to be one of the most powerful teams in West Coast League history. Shortstop Chris Casazza led the league with nine home runs, breaking the previous league record of six. The Pirates as a team led the league in home runs with 23.
— Staff report