Austin Dillon came up to bat for the Sandpoint baseball team in the bottom of the sixth inning of game one of its doubleheader against 4A Inland Empire League opponent Moscow at Memorial Field on Tuesday with the game tied at five runs.

With two outs, Austin Dillon stepped up to the plate and hit a line drive into center field to score Ethan Butler and Zeke Roop making the score 7-5.

This would ultimately give the Bulldogs the win in the opener.

“I just was focusing on what coach has been telling me,” Dillion said. “So I focused on it and drove it the other way.”

Sandpoint won the nightcap 7-3.

Dillon was effective at the plate and on the mound during the opener. He went 3-for-4 at the plate and registered six strikeouts on the bump.

“First of all, it's his birthday today,” Sandpoint baseball coach Chase Tigert said. “That kid on the bump did amazing. For him to get it done not only up there but on the plate, too, was huge. I’m so proud of that kid.”

After two innings of work, Sandpoint was ahead 4-0.

During the top of the third, Moscow became unglued and got five runners home.

Ethan McLaughlin scored two runners with a two-run RBI single to put the Bears down one. During the next at bat Levi Anderson hit a two-run double to give Moscow its first and only lead of the ball game.

Sandpoint then held Moscow scoreless for the rest of the game.

“As good as this feels, I know it’s just one game,” TIgert said. “It’s a confidence booster for the guys. So our focus is building on that and getting better from it.”

This win against the Bears snaps an eight-game losing streak for the Bulldogs. Its last win came nearly a month ago against Bonners Ferry on March 29.

Fighting with the mental side of the game has hurt the Bulldogs in the past, but on Tuesday, they played one of their cleanest games of the season.

“This is the competitive fire that we’ve been striving to get to,” Tigert said. “I just love seeing them have that fire and that passion.”

Sandpoint only registered one error throughout the entirety of the doubleheader. The outfield was also constantly making routine plays along with exceptional ones.

Collin Roos made a sliding catch in the outfield in the top of the fourth inning.

“It was all about the difference in mindset,” Tigert said. “The pitchers were also throwing strikes, so it kept the outfield alive.”

In the nightcap, Moscow looked to split the series, opening the game up with a two-run first inning.

The Bears held a 3-2 lead heading into the bottom of the fourth inning. Sandpoint then scored five unanswered runs for the final margin.

“We made the most out of every opportunity,” Tigert said. “We’d get a free bag or a passed ball and maximize our opportunities.”

Sandpoint improved to 4-9 overall and 2-7 in Inland Empire play. The Bulldogs will next play Timberlake on Thursday at Memorial Field.

GAME ONE

MOSCOW 005 000 0 — 5 4 2

SANDPOINT 130 012 X — 7 7 1

Levi Anderson, Cody Isakson (6), and Izzo. Austin Dillion and Auggie Lehman.

HITS: MOS — Kibbin, McLaughlin, Anderson, Isakson. SPT — A. Lehman, Dillon 3, MacDonald 2. 3B — Lehman, MacDonald.

GAME TWO

MOSCOW 201 000 0 — 3 8 3

SANDPOINT 011 500 X — 7 6 0

M. Kibbin, Isakson (3), and Izzo. Jack Zimmerman, Jack Ringer (4), and Auggie Lehman.

HITS: MOS — Kibbin 2, Cod Isakson 2, Abendroth 2, Anderson, Con. Isakson. SPT — Sherrill 2, Butler, Wagoner, Zimmerman, D. Lehman. 2B — Kibbin, Con. Isakson, Sherrill, Wagoner.