The Moon American Legion baseball team is in the home stretch of playing 22 Ohio River League games in 25 days. This has made it difficult to win on a consistent basis.

Moon (6-10) dropped a doubleheader Monday at West Allegheny, 4-3, in eight innings and 11-1, creating a must-win situation for the team for its remaining league games, which began last night at home against Robinson.

Eight of the players on the roster come from the Moon Area varsity team that reached the PIAA Class AAA semifinals before losing to Pine-Richland last month. Because the Tigers varsity did not complete its spring season until June 12, the start of the American Legion season was delayed three weeks.

"Just when we were ready to go, it was graduation weekend [at Moon] and that set everything back a few more days so we had to deal with senior trips and graduation parties when we first started playing our games," manager Frank Sorosky said.

Moon began playing its Ohio River League schedule June 15 and the team got off to an uncharacteristic 3-8 start. Three of the Legion team's more experienced players -- center fielder David Campo, pitcher/infielder Jeremy Barchie and shortstop/pitcher Eric Chimenti -- displayed their leadership in a time of crisis, according to Sorosky.

"They had a meeting with the guys at the end of the first half and told them, 'Hey! Let's turn this around and do our best for the second.' Now we're playing good baseball, a lot better than we did in the first half."

Campo was a starter for the Moon varsity as a junior this spring. Barchie, a 2005 Moon graduate, who played in college for Mercyhurst North East this year. Chimenti was a standout for Our Lady of the Sacred Heart during the high school season, leading OLSH to the WPIAL Class A quarterfinals.

Chimenti and third baseman Brandon Eberle, both 2006 OLSH graduates, are among the non-Moon varsity players on the roster along with 2006 Sewickley Academy graduate Luke Brocks, who serves as a pitcher.

In addition to Barchie, the team's other college player is the manager's son, pitcher Ben Sorosky, who attends Pitt-Greensburg. Ben Sorosky leads Moon with 30 strikeouts.

The top pitcher has been Barchie with a team-leading 1.98 ERA. He is tied for the team lead in winning decisions with two, along with Jordan Giralico who fired a one-hitter last Saturday during an 11-1 win against C.I.T. It was part of a doubleheader sweep for Moon that day against C.I.T. Moon also routed Keystone Oaks, 11-1, the day before the sweep of C.I.T.

Moon lost in extra innings in the first game of the afternoon doubleheader at West Allegheny when it could not hold onto a 3-1 lead in the late innings. Barchie went the distance on the mound for Moon. The second game at West Allegheny ended after five innings due to the 10-run mercy rule.

"The second game was kind of a fluke," Sorosky said. "It was a 2-0 game going to the fifth inning before we gave up nine runs, which had never happened all season. I guess the heat got to us."

Some of the other key players for Moon include outfielder/catcher Ken Sofranko, outfielder Brett Hogle, outfielder/cleanup hitter Dan Pitaro, first baseman Corey Gracey, outfielder/pitcher Ben Smith and catcher Spencer Seigle. Pitaro and Smith are recent Moon graduates. The others will graduate from Moon in 2007.

Moon plays host to Old Allegheny tomorrow and plays twice on Saturday. The first game is at home in the morning against Elliott and the second game is a late-afternoon contest at West View-Ross.

"For Moon, we're used to these late starts in the season because the high school season always seems to go well into June," said Sorosky, citing the Tigers' 2001 and 2002 state-title seasons and 2005's state quarterfinal campaign.