Moore throws perfect game, Norway sweeps IM

Norway junior Cole Baij hurls a pitch toward home plate at LIUNA Field in Iron Mountain on Wednesday. (Sean Chase/Daily News photo)

IRON MOUNTAIN — It was a successful trip to Iron Mountain for the Norway varsity baseball team on Wednesday as they picked up two wins, including a perfect outing in the second game from Carsyn Moore.

The Knights beat the Mountaineers 5-1 to start the day and followed that with a 10-0 win at Liuna Field.

Norway is currently 11-2-1 on the season while Iron Mountain falls to 1-9-1.

Game One.

The Knights got things going in the first inning as a Lamdon Amundson sacrifice fly to center scored Cameron Varda. Senior Alex Ortman scored on a wild pitch later in the inning and Norway took a 2-0 lead.

Iron Mountain couldn’t get anything going in the bottom of the opening frame and the Knights took advantage in the second.

Hayden Amundson drove in Carter Cazzola with a sacrifice fly to left. Two batters later, Varda scored on a balk and Norway held a 4-0 advantage.

The Knights scored their last run in the third inning on a double from Bryce Adams that scored Ortman making it a 5-0 game.

Iron Mountain broke through in the bottom of the fifth when Jake Powell hit a single to right field that scored Niko Burgoon. The Mountaineers trailed 5-1.

Varda picked up the win on the mound for Norway. He pitched five innings and struck out four while allowing one earned run. Cole Baij closed the game with a strike out in an inning of work.

Ortman and Varda led the way with a 2 for 3 performance at the plate. Adams, Landon Amundson and Hayden Amundson each recorded an RBI. Cole Baij and Hayden Amundson drew a walk apiece.

“Cameron Varda did a really nice job mixing it up in the strike zone and our defense was pretty good,” Norway head coach Tony Adams said. “Offensively, I thought we had too many poor at bats. Give Connor Pickett some credit, he pitched well. Good thing we manufactured some runs early.”

Connor Pickett started the game for Iron Mountain. He struck out three in four innings.

Powell was 2 for 3 at the plate with an RBI. Pickett also had two hits. Burgoon and Gerald Sampoll-Torres each recorded a hit in the game. Burgoon stole a base for the Mountaineers.

Game Two

The final game of the day turned into the Carsyn Moore show as he struck out six in four innings without allowing a run, hit or walk.

“Great debut on the mound for Carsyn Moore,” coach Adams. “Very excited for him. He has waited patiently, worked on some mechanics in practice and it paid off with a perfect game. It’s always a little scary to lead off the game with a home run, but our at bats were better in game two.”

Moore is the second Knights’ pitcher to throw a perfect game this season. Cole Baij did it on April 23.

The Norway offense took care of the rest as they recorded 10 runs in nine hits. It scored three runs in the first, four in the second, two in the third and one in the fourth, en route to a 10-0 win.

Owen Baij finished the game 3 for 3 at the dish. Ortman was also 2 for 2. Owen Baij and Ortman each recorded two RBIs. Varda notched a homerun, a walk and a stolen base.

Lane Wender started the game on the mound for Iron Mountain. He walked two in two innings of work. Aiden Ellis also took the mound for the Mountaineers. He struck out one in two innings.

Report compiled by Daily News sports editor Sean Chase.