Moscow hasn't had much luck against Lewiston recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Bears will welcome the Bengals at 2:00 p.m. Moscow is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Moscow took a loss when they played away from home last Thursday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Saturday. They walked away with a 6-1 win over Pullman.
Butch Kiblen
| 03/25/25 @ Coeur d'Alene | 4 |
| 03/20/25 @ Timberline | 1 |
Butch Kiblen tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over six innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Moscow is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-5 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Gunnar Holloway was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That home run marked the first that he launched this season. Another player making a difference was Andrew Hurley, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Meanwhile, Lewiston came into Saturday's matchup having lost four straight, but that streak is now in the rearview. They walked away with an 8-3 victory over Post Falls on Saturday.
Lewiston also got a great performance from Jayden Estlund as he pitched 6.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off five hits. The dominant performance also gave Estlund a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
At the plate, Keatan Phillips and Jackson Casey did most of the damage at the plate: Phillips scored a run while going 3-for-4, while Casey scored a run while going 2-for-3. That's the most hits Phillips has posted since back in April of 2024.
Moscow pushed their record up to 5-5 with the win, which was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.9 runs over those games. As for Lewiston, they now have a winning record of 7-6.
Lewiston's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Tuesday. Moscow has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Lewiston, though, as they've been averaging only 3.7 strikeouts. Will Moscow keep running through batters, or will the Bengals buck the trend?
Moscow took their win against Lewiston when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 6-0 score. Will the Bears repeat their success, or do the Bengals have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
