‘Who we really are.’ Curtis baseball gets momentum boost with win over Puyallup
Coming into Tuesday’s game against Puyallup, Curtis had lost four out of its last five games. What better way to turn things around than by beating one of the state’s best teams?
Curtis jumped out to an early lead and pitcher Josh Moore was lights out, leading Curtis to a 2-1 win in University Place.
“It makes us know who we really are,” Moore said. “We’re really able to see what our true potential. We’re a super young team.”
Moore didn’t actually get the start. It was senior night, so the start went to senior Vayden Lawrence, who pitched one inning to open the game. Moore took over in the second inning and mowed through Puyallup’s vaunted lineup, allowing two hits, an earned run, three walks and striking out five in six innings of work.
Curtis plated two runs in the first inning — on a Joseph Giles RBI single and a fielder’s choice — and held on from there.
“My changeup, my slider,” Moore said was working for him on the mound. “Especially with their lefty’s, it was really running away.”
Curtis coach Bryan Robinson said the improved changeup has taken Moore’s game to the next level this season.
“The changeup has been a plus for him this year,” he said. “He always had a pretty good slider, but when you’ve got that changeup working, that fastball jumps out of his hand.”
Curtis shortstop Parker Mady, who was a TNT All-Area football first-team selection last fall, said he thinks Tuesday’s win will provide some positive momentum for the Vikings heading into the postseason.
“Really just ending the season with a bang,” he said. “We had a rough first half. Beating that team and going into the playoffs, we’ve just got a big chip on our shoulder right now.”
The play of the game came into the seventh inning. With Moore on the mound looking to close out the game, Curtis center fielder Micah Yanos made a diving catch in the outfield for the second out. Had it dropped in, Puyallup likely would’ve tied the game with Keagen Soliza on second base.
“That was huge,” Mady said. “Him putting his body on the line for us to win that game was just big time.”
Yanos slid over to center field recently because of an injury to Curtis’ starting center fielder, Robinson said.
“To have it come down to that — you get that one-out double in the gap and if that ball gets down, we’re tied,” Robinson said. “He committed to it, didn’t hold up and made the catch.”
Puyallup starter Keenan Masters, a UW commit, was strong in the loss, pitching six innings, allowing two hits, two runs (one earned), walking one and striking out four.
This story was originally published April 30, 2024 at 7:42 PM.
