The Lakeland Hawks will face off against the Moscow Bears at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lakeland gave up the first runs last Thursday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with an 8-5 win over Sandpoint.
Jace Taylor and Evan Shanley made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, Taylor pitched five innings while giving up just two earned (and three unearned) runs off six hits. Meanwhile, Shanley pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. At bat, Taylor scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances, while Shanley scored a run while going 3-for-4. Those three runs gave Taylor a new career-high.
Hunter Averitt
| 04/10/25 @ Sandpoint | 2 |
| 03/25/25 vs Sandpoint | 1 |
| 03/22/25 @ Coeur d'Alene | 1 |
| 03/12/25 vs Timberlake | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hunter Averitt, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in hits (two). Cash Lund was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-3.
Lakeland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .424. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post a batting average of .375 or better.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Moscow and Lewiston meet (two straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Thursday. The Bears were the clear victors by an 8-2 margin over the Bengals. Considering the Bears have won five matchups by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Max Winfree looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits.
On the hitting side, JP Breese was excellent, scoring three runs while going 2-for-3. He continues to improve, besting his previous point total in each of the last three games he's played. The team also got some help courtesy of Gunnar Holloway, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Moscow is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-6 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.0 runs over those games. As for Lakeland, their win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-8.
Lakeland might still be hurting after the 21-5 defeat they got from Moscow in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Can the Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
