Montana natives making mark at Washington State

Washington State left-hander, Joe Pistorese, delivers a pitch during the Cougars game on Friday night in Pullman, Wash. against the Cal Bears.

A pair of former Montana American Legion standouts are making their names known while playing key roles on the Washington State University baseball team.

Kalispell native, Joe Pistorese, hurled a complete-game gem on Friday night against the Cal Bears as he shut them out 3-0, allowing just five hits and striking out five as well.

Pistorese, who was selected by the Chicago White Sox in the 44th round of the MLB First-Year Player Draft in 2011 but opted to play collegiately instead, earned notoriety during his final two seasons with the Kalispell Lakers with a perfect game -- one of four no-hitters he has thrown -- as well as striking out 21 hitters in a game during the 2011 State AA Montana-Alberta American Legion Baseball tournament.

Pistorese improved to 2-1 in eight starts this season and recorded the first complete-game shutout of a conference opponent for the Cougars since Kyle Kawabata did it against Washington on April 15, 1995.

“I’d like to say I don’t think about it, but I was definitely hunting it out,” Pistorese told the Spokesman-Review on Friday night. "I think I got to the seventh – in the fifth inning I was just going to take it one inning at a time -- but by the time the seventh rolled around I wanted it.”

While Pistorese has been opening eyes on the mound, Missoula native Ben Roberts has been doing it with his bat for the Cougars.

Roberts, who was selected in the seventh-round of the 2011 draft, is hitting .333 and has driven in 12 runs in 22 games. He was 1-4 on Friday night as the designated hitter.

Roberts is also 4 for 4 in the stolen base department and has committed just two errors in the Cougars outfield.

Washington State (13-13, 4-3 6th place Pac 12) concludes their three-game series against Cal with games Saturday and Sunday afternoon.