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Mar. 26—In 2024, Moscow won a state title in baseball for the first time since 1984. It was the Bears' first state title in any sport since girls golf won a state championship in 2011.
Moscow previously made it to the Idaho Class 4A state tournament in 2023 but went 0-2. In 2024 the Bears wanted to make history — and they did just that.
Now, the Bears are hoping to continue that momentum into this season. The 5A Bears are 4-3 so far after splitting a doubleheader with 6A Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday.
Moscow coach Griffin Rod said that the team never had expectations of winning State in 2024; he said that they knew with a hardworking foundation that they built and a mostly returning team that they were just going to try to do better than the previous season.
"We're going to get back to (state) and do better — that was the mission," Rod said.
Looking back at the magical ending to the 2024 season
During the state tournament, pitchers Levi Anderson and Butch Kiblen were the keys to success for the Bears. Anderson pitched a complete game in a win against Minico and Kiblen pitched nearly a complete game in 6 2/3 innings in a victory over Blackfoot.
Rod said that the team was more mature and ready for the moment than the year before. With their new-found confidence, the Bears decided that they were as good as anyone in the tournament and could beat just about anyone.
When they went against Blackfoot, the Broncos decided to rest their best pitcher to prepare him for the championship. Moscow took this as a sign of disrespect and had a jolt of energy run through the team. A more energized team meant a highly productive offense.
The result? The Bears beat Blackfoot 8-1.
When Moscow advanced to the state championship, it faced Bishop Kelly of Boise — a team known for its excellence in baseball. The Knights won the state championship in 2022 and were looking for their second in three years.
Bishop Kelly made the game dramatic by scoring four runs the fourth inning to cut the Moscow lead of 5-1 to a 5-5 tie. Then, the Knights scored a run in the top of the seventh and led the game 6-5.
This set up the Bears for what every kid dreams of in their backyard playing wiffle ball — a chance to walk it off to win the championship.
"For the first time ever, you can feel that the culture had changed. We were probably the least nervous of anybody in the entire park," Rod said. "Well shoot, we were going to have to hit anyway we might as well go and get it done."
Moscow loaded the bases with no outs and the tournament MVP Connor Isakson was up to bat. Rod said that most teams would have bunted in this situation, but he trusted Isakson to find his pitch and take a swing — and Isakson did exactly that.
He ripped the ball down the first base line and his RBI tied the game. This put runners on first and second and senior Tommy Holt came up to hit.
He hit it towards third base, Jack Driskill scored on an errant throw and Moscow won the state championship.
The celebration was on.
Continue reading...
Moscow previously made it to the Idaho Class 4A state tournament in 2023 but went 0-2. In 2024 the Bears wanted to make history — and they did just that.
Now, the Bears are hoping to continue that momentum into this season. The 5A Bears are 4-3 so far after splitting a doubleheader with 6A Coeur d'Alene on Tuesday.
Moscow coach Griffin Rod said that the team never had expectations of winning State in 2024; he said that they knew with a hardworking foundation that they built and a mostly returning team that they were just going to try to do better than the previous season.
"We're going to get back to (state) and do better — that was the mission," Rod said.
Looking back at the magical ending to the 2024 season
During the state tournament, pitchers Levi Anderson and Butch Kiblen were the keys to success for the Bears. Anderson pitched a complete game in a win against Minico and Kiblen pitched nearly a complete game in 6 2/3 innings in a victory over Blackfoot.
Rod said that the team was more mature and ready for the moment than the year before. With their new-found confidence, the Bears decided that they were as good as anyone in the tournament and could beat just about anyone.
When they went against Blackfoot, the Broncos decided to rest their best pitcher to prepare him for the championship. Moscow took this as a sign of disrespect and had a jolt of energy run through the team. A more energized team meant a highly productive offense.
The result? The Bears beat Blackfoot 8-1.
When Moscow advanced to the state championship, it faced Bishop Kelly of Boise — a team known for its excellence in baseball. The Knights won the state championship in 2022 and were looking for their second in three years.
Bishop Kelly made the game dramatic by scoring four runs the fourth inning to cut the Moscow lead of 5-1 to a 5-5 tie. Then, the Knights scored a run in the top of the seventh and led the game 6-5.
This set up the Bears for what every kid dreams of in their backyard playing wiffle ball — a chance to walk it off to win the championship.
"For the first time ever, you can feel that the culture had changed. We were probably the least nervous of anybody in the entire park," Rod said. "Well shoot, we were going to have to hit anyway we might as well go and get it done."
Moscow loaded the bases with no outs and the tournament MVP Connor Isakson was up to bat. Rod said that most teams would have bunted in this situation, but he trusted Isakson to find his pitch and take a swing — and Isakson did exactly that.
He ripped the ball down the first base line and his RBI tied the game. This put runners on first and second and senior Tommy Holt came up to hit.
He hit it towards third base, Jack Driskill scored on an errant throw and Moscow won the state championship.
The celebration was on.
Continue reading...
