Exactly as the clock struck 3 p.m., Pocatello Razorbacks right fielder CC Burrup squeezed in his glove the final out of the 2014 American Legion Single-A State Championship.

    An instant later the pitchers mound was swarmed with jubilant Razorbacks who had put the final stamp on a remarkable season.

    By virtue of their 6-5 win over the Moscow Blue Devils Sunday at Rodeo Park in Nampa, the Razorbacks are now the state champions of Idaho after rolling through a season with an incredible 52-1 record. While many of the victories may have seemed easy, many were not. And few of the Razorbacks 52 victims this season were as difficult to slay as the tenacious team from Moscow which fought Pocatello to the bitter end.

    "That's a good team over there that never let up," said Razorbacks coach Dan McCaskill. "There may have been some guys thinking we were on cruise control when we were up 6-2, but I said, 'no.' I knew that team wouldn't just give it to us."

    While the temperatures in Nampa were oppressive as the mercury again climbed past the 95-degree mark, the Razorbacks will soon be headed for a cooler climate. By virtue of their state championship, Pocatello will represent Idaho in the American Legion Regional Tournament in Anchorage, Alaska, beginning later this week.

    Pocatello started its ace, Trevor Bowers, for the second time in three games. After a masterful performance where the Marsh Valley senior-to-be shutout the Nampa Braves on Friday, he was a little less invincible against the veteran team from Moscow.

    Though he struggled more than usual, Bowers was a at his best with runners on base. Bowers gave up a leadoff single in the first inning and a double in the second, but he managed to escape both times. In the third inning, though, the Blue Devils scored a pair of runs on three hits to equal the two runs Poky had scored in the opening frame.

    "That's an older team there with some really good hitters at the top of their lineup," said Razorbacks catcher Cory Meyer. "When you get a team that can hit your ace — and one as good as ours — you know they have to be good."

    Mason Foltz, who picked up the win after entering a tie game at 2-2, came on in the fourth inning and closed out the game. He too blanked Moscow in his first two innings of work and struggled in his third. With Poky leading 6-2 in the sixth inning, the Blue Devils mounted a rally and scored three times on four hits.

    "On a couple of those guys, I left curveballs up in the zone and they took advantage," Foltz said. "I was trying to keep them off balance as much as I could, but they were able to take advantage of a couple of mistakes."

    With the exception of those sixth-inning mistakes, Foltz did keep the Moscow hitters at bay for most of his four innings. On many occasions he dropped down to a side-arm delivery with off-speed pitches that left Moscow hitters looking foolish.

    Though Moscow fought the champs every step of the way, Pocatello never trailed in the game. The Razorbacks drew first blood with a pair of runs in the first inning.

    Braedon Boyer scored the first run after opening the game with a single. After being moved to second on Meyer's base knock, Kam Farnsworth smoked a double the opposite way that easily scored Boyer. Meyer, in turn, came home when Bowers sent a long sacrifice fly to left.

    After Moscow tied the game in the home third, the deadlock stood until the fifth when the Razorbacks opened some daylight with four runs. Meyer knocked in the first score with a one-out base hit. After Farnsworth walked to load the bases, Bowers stung a hard single to center for the second run of the inning.

    The third run came via a long outfield fly off the bat of Burrup which scored Meyer in a cloud of dust. Conner LaMont brought in Farnsworth with the final run of the inning with a base hit.

    "I think last night really helped our confidence with our hitting," LaMont said. "We went into the batting cages again today and I think we all feel really good about the way we're hitting now."

    Moscow managed to get their leadoff hitter on in the seventh with the benefit of an error. From there, however, Foltz slammed the door shut and the celebration began.

Pocatello Razorbacks 6, Moscow Blue Devils 5

Pocatello    200    040    0 — 6 9 3

Moscow    002    003    0 — 5 12 0

Pocatello — Trevor Bowers, Mason Foltz (4) and Cory Meyer. Moscow — Mark Amos, Jake Randall (3), Jacob Elliot (5) and Duke Richardson. 2B — Augustus Nash (M), Jarod Paul (M), Kam Farnsworth (P), Mason Foltz (P).