By Patrick MacCoonNo one was caught off guard except maybe Brandon Moeller about his first performance back Monday.After being away on a mission trip for two weeks, Moeller was sharp in his first start since June 4 for the Warrenton Senior Legion baseball team.The right-hander struck out nine in an eight-inning start and also singled twice to help Post 122 defeat Elsberry, 6-3.“We know Brandon is going to do that for us every time he goes out there,” said teammate Ben Stephens. “He’s consistent on the mound and at the plate. It’s just the way he plays baseball.”At the midway point of the summer baseball season schedule, the shortstop/pitcher has already been a part of more wins than his previous two seasons with Post 122.As a fierce competitor who hates to lose, Moeller is happy that the wins are starting to pile up.Currently amidst a six-game winning streak, the 1-15 finish from last summer now seems like a distant memory.“Having another arm in our pitching staff like Ben (Stephens) helps, but I think last year we had the pieces too,” Moeller said. “We just weren’t playing together well last season. This year we are playing for each other and we expect to win every game.”With a 7-2 record after Tuesday night’s win against Wentzville, which had previously beaten them earlier in the season, Warrenton has scored at least five runs or more in every game except one.They have also out-scored opponents 71-26 this summer.“We have gotten hot this year and have learned to keep up the winning mentality,” Moeller said. “Last year we were close in a lot of games, but just never found a way to win those games. This year we are grinding them out and coming out on top.”Moeller has succeeded on the pitching mound and hitting in the three-hole, showing off many ways in which the 2014 Warrenton graduate can contribute on the field.The right-hander has posted a 2-1 record with a 3.86 earned run average while striking out 21 in 21 innings.At the plate he is hitting .455 with seven RBIs and four runs scored.“Brandon loves this program and loves this organization,” Post 122 AAA Head Coach Scott Butler said. “He’s doing anything to help it out and right now, he’s doing a lot. He’s a great ball player and we love to have him on this team.”While Moeller did not play college baseball this past school year at Truman State University, he plans to try and play this upcoming season as a pitcher.Over the past year he has worked on his pitching with former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Pat Perry.“Last year I just tried out for infield because I wanted to be an everyday player,” Moeller said. “This year I am definitely thinking about trying out for pitching.”For now, Moeller wants to keep working on his craft and is focused on helping lead Post 122 back to its first district title game since 2006.“I’m super competitive,” he said. “I hate losing so much. This team can win a lot of games and it’s been a fun ride.”
Brandon Moeller pitched eight innings to log his second win of the summer against Elsberry this week. He hopes to be able to pitch next season at Truman State University as an upcoming sophomore.
