Hastings, Nebraska – Solid starting pitching and timely hitting wins ball games. The sentence is cliche’. However, the statement doesn’t lie as was shown by the Fremont Moo in a 6-1 victory over the Hastings Sodbusters at Duncan Field, Tuesday night. Fremont starter Zach Vincent struck out six over seven innings and catcher Bridger Coleman tallied three hits in the Moo victory.
Hastings started the scoring on Tuesday night in the bottom of the third inning. Luke Ray began the inning with a single off Fremont starter Zach Vincent. After a wild pitch advanced Ray to second, leadoff batter Alexiel Delgado laid down a sacrifice bunt, advancing Ray to third base. The next batter, Josh Prinner, hit a sacrifice fly to center field, scoring Ray, to put Hastings ahead 1-0.
The Moo responded immediately by scoring four runs in the top of the fourth. Cooper Fuchino started the inning with a single off Hastings starter Markus MIller. Making his Moo debut, Grant Nottlemann followed up with a single to put runners at the corners. Then, Bridger Coleman poked an rbi single, scoring Fuchino, to tie the score at one. The next batter, Dylan Brandenburg, hit an rbi single, bringing home Nottleman, to give Fremont its first lead, at 2-1. Cole Fowler hit a sacrifice fly to right field, scoring Coleman, to make it a 3-1 Moo lead. Two batters later, Brayden Chaney hit an rbi single, scoring Brandenburg, to put Fremont up 4-1.
Fremont extended the lead in the eighth inning. Facing Hastings reliever Brendan Wabick, Cole Fowler was hit by a pitch to leadoff the inning. After a wild pitch advanced Fowler to second, Fremont pinch-hitter Hayden Kelberlau drew a walk to put runners at first and second. Then, leadoff batter Brayden Chaney drew a walk to load the bases. The next batter, Isaac Bonner hit a bouncing ball deep in the hole at shortstop. Hastings’ Matthew Werk threw to third base late and everyone was safe with Fowler scoring, to make it 5-1. Another Fremont newcomer, Wyatt Yetter, drew a bases loaded walk, scoring Kelberlau, to put the Moo ahead 6-1.
The score remained that way going into the bottom of the ninth. Fremont reliever Logan Anderson got Matthew Werk to fly out to right and struck out Jackson Crain, swinging, for the first two outs. Luke Ray extended the game with a single up the middle. However, Anderson got Alexiel Delgado to swing and miss at a 1-2 pitch to end the game.
Fremont (4-1) scored six runs off 12 hits and committed one error. Hastings (0-1) had one run off nine hits with no errors. Dating back to the final week of the 2022 season, Fremont has won 12 of the last 13 games it has played against the Sodbusters.
Moo starter Zach Vincent (1-0) picked up the win. The Tucson, Arizona native from Midland University pitched 7.0 innings, giving up seven hits, one unearned run, struck out seven and walked two. Theo Hughes, a Nebraska Wesleyan product, from Seward, pitched 1.0 inning and gave up one hit. Logan Anderson, an Omaha native at the University of Sioux Falls, pitched 1.0 inning, gave up one hit and struck out two.
Hastings starter Markus Miller (0-1) took the loss. He pitched 4.0 innings, giving up nine hits, four runs and struck out two. Brandon Cork pitched 3.0 innings, striking out six and walked one. Brendan Wabick faced five batters but did not record an out. He gave up two runs and walked three. Creighton Jacobitz pitched 2.0 innings, struck out two and walked one.
Offensively for Fremont, Brayden Chaney, the Gretna native at Wayne State College, was 2-for-4 with an rbi. Isaac Bonner, the University of Sioux Falls product from Omaha, was 1-for-5 and drove in a run. Wyatt Yetter, an Omaha native from Barton County Community College, had an rbi. Cooper Fuchino, the Creighton University product from Rolling Hills Estate, California, was 3-for-4. Bridger Coleman, the native of Lompac, California, from Allan Hancock College, went 3-for-5 and drove in a run, plus caught two Sodbusters attempting to steal, from his catcher position. Dylan Brandenburg, the Skyline College product from San Carlos, California, was 1-for-4 with an rbi. Cole Fowler, a native of Murrieta, California from Cerro Coso Community College, had an rbi.
For Hastings, Josh Prinner had an rbi and Jack Borgmann went 2-for-4.
The Sodbusters will return to action Thursday, when they host the Oahe Zap. Fremont will play its home opener, Thursday night, when they host the Casper Spuds. First pitch is 7:05pm. The first of a two-game series is a rematch of the 2023 ILB Championship Series, which Fremont won three games to two.
