Scouts love a good pitching matchup because it allows them to see multiple guys in one sitting. About 30 flocked to Menchville High in Newport News, Va. Tuesday night to see righthander Deshorn Lake go against lefthander/outfielder Jake Cave of Kecoughtan High (Hampton, Va.)

However, neither player was at his best and both exited early due to pitch counts. Cave went three innings, allowing four runs on four hits and three walks. He struck out six while taking the loss. Lake took the win after going four innings and giving up two runs on three hits while walking three and striking out four. Both threw around 85 pitches.

"Neither pitcher was very sharp," Kecoughtan head coach Chad Ochsenfeld said. "With Jake, he's still trying to get into a groove. He hasn't thrown his slider at all yet because he doesn't have confidence in it. But I'd rather be working out the kinks now."

On the positive side, scouts did get to see the arm strength these players have. Lake sat at 92-93 mph and touched a 95 while Cave was mostly 91 but did hit a 94.

"They showed arm strength, but aren't really polished right now," one scout said. "The command was bad. It was early season type stuff. A little bit of rust is being shaken off."

Lake's command could be attributed to his arm swing in the back of his delivery. There is some length to it and he sometimes has trouble getting his arm through his delivery, which causes him to miss up in the zone.

Cave is also a prospect as a position player and scouts seem to be split on where they prefer him right now. He went 2-for-3 with a double and a home run.

While the arms didn't perform to expectations, a hitter did stand out for Menchville. Shortstop Josh Moore is a junior and went 2-for-3 with a double, two runs, an RBI and a stolen base. A lefthanded hitter, Moore is about 6-foot-4, 195 pounds, and is getting some interest from Division I programs.

"He's a great player," Menchville head coach Philip Forbes said. "He hit a double off Cave and drove in our first run. He's a specimen."