POCATELLO — Riley Peck walked off the mound and crossed the third-base line before reaching Century coach Duane Rawlings.
Rawlings stopped, turned to Peck and reached out for a handshake. The two shook hands as Rawlings congratulated the Pocatello pitcher. Peck showed off his skills Wednesday at Halliwell Park, helping the Indians sweep Century in a doubleheader. The Indians won game one 2-1 before Peck’s arm guided Poky to an 11-0, six-inning win in game two.
Pocatello’s pitching shined Wednesday as Trei Hough and Peck kept Century off balance in both games.
Hough and Century’s Skyler Warner battled in a pitcher’s duel in the opener. Poky’s senior pitcher tossed seven innings of one-hit ball, striking out eight, walking three and surrendering no earned runs.
Hough threw 100 pitches, and one Diamondback advanced past second base. Hough’s no-hitter was ended with no outs in the top of the seventh frame.
“As pitchers, we are confident and have that varsity experience,” Hough said. “We are pitching pretty well.”
Warner pitched seven innings, allowed two hits, one earned run and struck out three. Poky scored one run apiece in the first and fourth frames.
“Skyler pitched a great game,” Rawlings said. “We could not have asked for a better game. I was very proud.”
Peck controlled the nightcap, tossing six innings of two-hit ball. He struck out 10 batters, walked four and hit three batters. Peck did not allow his first hit until the fourth frame, had three innings where he struck out two Diamondbacks and worked out of a no-out, bases-loaded jam in the fifth inning.
Peck has surrendered two earned runs or fewer in three starts this season and has a 1.24 ERA and 23 strikeouts in 17 innings.
“He did a good job of throwing his off-speed pitches for strikes,” Pocatello coach Vinnie Benavidez said. “He then picked his spots when he was ahead. He got people chasing. He’s pretty good when he gets going.”
The Indians’ pitching has been a strong suit this season. Pocatello has four players with at least 10 innings pitched and three have an ERA of 1.40 or better. Hough leads the team with a 0.71 ERA in 19 2/3 innings.
Pocatello (7-4-1, 5-1 4A District 4-5) has a 2.24 team ERA and has allowed 57 hits in 75 innings. The staff has also surrendered 24 earned runs. Twenty-six unearned runs have also been scored.
Pocatello’s Hunter Casper fields a ground ball during game two of a doubleheader Wednesday at Halliwell Park against Century.
Last season, Pocatello’s pitching staff had a 5.53 ERA in 164 2/3 innings. The staff combined for 189 walks/HBP in 164 2/3 innings. The Indians have 64 walks/HBP in 75 innings this season.
“Our pitching has been really good,” Benavidez said. “We’ve given ourselves chances each game. That is all you can ask. ... If we make plays behind them, we’ll be OK.”
Payton Cleaves had a team-high three hits in game two, while teammates Nick McAdam and Jadon Marley had two RBIs apiece. Century’s Cole Roske and Ben Cook had one hit each in game two.
The D-backs (2-8, 2-4 4A District 4-5) have lost six games in a row and have been outscored 62-20 during that span.
“We battle, but we just haven’t broke through,” Rawlings said. “We are not hitting the ball well in our losses. ... We are hitting well in practice, have a good approach. We just to have to carry it to the field.”
BOX SCORES
POCATELLO 2, CENTURY 1
Pocatello 100 100 0 — 2 7 1
Century 000 001 0 — 1 1 2
Pocatello — WP: Hough.
Century — LP: Warner.
POCATELLO 11, CENTURY 0 (6)
Pocatello 300 314 x — 11 12 1
Century 000 000 x — 0 2 3
Pocatello — WP: Peck. 2B: Cleaves 2, Curtiss.
Century — LP: McCurdy.





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