Relief pitcher Cameron Moyer is happy to take the ball whenever Wright City Coach Cody Bair asks him.

The switch for Moyer came on Saturday when Bair handed him the ball to start against rival Warrenton in the team’s game at Fort Zumwalt East. It was his first time opening a game on the mound this season.

The sophomore didn’t disappoint, tossing the complete game, four-hitter as the Wildcats rolled to the 9-1 win. The dominant performance came after Moyer had hurled four relief appearances, spanning six innings, where he’d earned a save.

“I figured out this morning that I was starting,” Moyer said. “I knew I had to go out there mentally prepared, ready to attack the opportunity. This was really great.”

Bair said that seeing the sophomore surrender a first-inning run and nothing more was, for him, emblematic of Moyer’s growth as a pitcher.

“He’s pitched in some big spots for us in relief,” Bair said. “He’s continued to progress, hitting his spots and doing a nice job, being competitive. I thought this would be the perfect spot for him to show that. (The complete game) is something every coach wants to see. You want to see a guy who won’t blink when things aren’t going right. He didn’t change a bit when there was an error behind him.”

While Moyer was in command throughout, the offense started clicking early and maintained throughout.

Wright City (7-6) scored a pair of first-inning runs and tacked on three each in the third and fifth innings and one more in the seventh.

Sophomore shortstop Tyler Martin, who reached on an error, stole a base and scored a run, lauded his team as Wright City collected 12 hits and had five different players drive in a run. Easton Feise, Leighton McDonald, Logan Rose, Kolby Bass, and Fin Parra each recorded multiple hits in the win.

“This feels good because that kid (Moyer) has been working hard all winter,” Martin said. “Warrenton beat us pretty bad the last few times we’ve played them, so this feels really good. We know that they’re a real good team, so to get a win means a lot.”

The win ends a five-game losing streak dating back to a win on April 1, 2023, at Zumwalt East. That streak included a 15-1 win by the Warriors over Wright City on March 28.

“Warrenton is a great team that plays really well,” Bair said. “That makes this a big effort for us. It’s a nice team win.”

Mason Eultgen suffered the loss for Warrenton (5-7).

After a pair of games against conference rival Holt this week, Warrenton will play host to St. Chair at 4:15 p.m. on Friday. 

After conference games early in the week against Louisiana and Silex, Wright City will host Orchard Farm, also at 4:15 p.m. on Friday, before playing a pair of games – one each against Fulton and Osage on Saturday.