Moss throws a perfect game, River Dogs win 2 in Wyoming
GILLETTE, Wyo. — Columbia Basin right-hander Logan Moss was spot-on with his command on the mound. Nic Lopez drove in three runs with a base-clearing double and the River Dogs rolled through the first day of the Hladky Memorial in Gillette, Wyo., with two victories.
Moss was flawless in the River Dogs’ 15-0 win over Laramie, Wyo., striking out five without allowing a runner to reach in a three-inning perfect game in the Gillette Post 42 American Legion tournament.
“He was dominating. I was happy because he stayed ahead of hitters,” coach Randy Boruff said. “The main thing is that he threw strikes. He was only behind one batter with 3-2 count. He was pretty impressive.”
It was just three innings, but perfect is perfect and it was another display of dominance for the Ephrata right-hander. The River Dogs have been explosive at the plate on this Wyoming swing. They put up 28 hits in two games the day before in a twin bill with Sheridan, Wyo., and continued to pound the ball on the first day of the Hladky Memorial. They finished off Laramie in short order. Lopez’s double to clear the bases in the bottom of the second inning set the tone for a team swinging the bats extremely well.
“I thought Nic’s double got us off on the right foot,” Boruff said. “Joe Taylor had a base hit to drive in two, so we’re seeing the ball well right now.”
River Dogs 8, Rawhide Iron Horse (Colorado) 2
Zach Askin struck out 12, walked four and scattered two hits in a seven-inning gem in the tournament opener against Rawhide Iron Horse of Colorado.
Iron Horse scored two in the first inning, but the experience of Columbia Basin was on display as the pitching set the tone. They have gotten complete games out of their pitching staff to go along with explosive offense.
“I was real pleased with Zach’s location. He throws pretty hard and had 12 strikeouts. Both of the runs he gave up were unearned,” Boruff said. “He’s consistently around 85 mph with his fastball and he located the ball well.”
Glenn Dawson was 2-for-4 with two RBI. Griffey Halle was 2-3 with a triple and two RBI. Cooper Larsen was 2-2 with two doubles.
The River Dogs will play a team from Denver at 5 p.m. tonight. The winner will advance to the semifinals.
“We stack up well with the rest of the teams and I would say we have a good chance of making it to the championship game on Sunday,” Boruff said.