Pierre, South Dakota – Same Script….Same result. After trailing early in the second straight game, the Fremont Moo came from behind with another big inning and defeated the Oahe Zap, 6-4, Sunday afternoon at Hyde Stadium. Facing a 2-0 deficit at the end of the second, Fremont scored three in the sixth and three more in the seventh to secure the win, and took three out of four games from Oahe in the opening weekend of ILB play.
In the bottom of the second, Oahe’s Leondro Guevara led off with a double against Fremont starter Reese Kortum. After a wild pitch advanced Guevara to third, three batters later, Andrew Phillips reached on a throwing error from Moo shortstop Brayden Hodges, scoring Guevara, to put the Zap ahead, 1-0. The next batter, Brandon Weigel, delivered an rbi triple in the left-center field gap, scoring Phillips, to give Oahe a 2-0 lead.
Like the Saturday night game unfolded, Fremont struggled against the Oahe starter. Nathan Palacioz pitched five innings of one-hit ball. Lucas Crichton took over on the mound and the sixth, and Fremont’s offense showed some life. Leadoff batter Miles Meadows singled and advanced to second on a passed ball. Two batters later, Cooper Fuchino drew a walk. After a strikeout, a double steal put runners at second and third with two outs. Brayden Chaney delivered an rbi single, scoring Meadows, to make the score, 2-1. Kobe Sandstrom drew a walk to load up the bases for Brayden Hodges. On a 1-1 pitch, Hodges delivered a two-rbi single, scoring Fuchino and Chaney, and put Fremont in front, 3-2.
Fremont sent seven batters to the plate in the top of the seventh, and scored three more runs. Trystan Mills reached base on an errant throw at first base and Miles Meadows followed with a single to put runners at first and second. The next batter, Carson Burnett hit an 0-2 pitch into the gap in right center field, scoring Mills and Meadows, and put Fremont ahead 5-2. Cooper Fuchino followed next, with an rbi single, plating Burnett, to make it a 6-2 Fremont lead, going into the seventh inning stretch.
Oahe tried to chip away at the deficit in the bottom of the seventh. Brandon Weigel was hit by a pitch from Fremont reliever Luka Vukcevic. A pair of wild pitches later in the inning would score Weigel, making it 6-3, in favor of Fremont.
The Moo took the three run lead into the bottom of the ninth and brought in reliever Ryan Semin. Oahe’s Emiliano Quadell led off the inning with a single and would later advance two bases on a wild pitch. Two batters later, Brandon Weigel delivered an rbi groundout to third, scoring Quadell, to make it 6-4. After the Zap’s Tyler Hoffman doubled, Semin got Oahe’s Trey Martin to ground out to second base, for the final out of the game.
Fremont (3-1) scored six runs off eight hits and committed two errors. Oahe (1-3) tallied four runs with seven hits and also committed two errors.
Moo starter Reese Kortum (1-0) picked up the win. The Lincoln native from Fort Scott Community College pitched 5.0 innings giving up four hits, two unearned runs, struck out two and had no walks. Luka Vukcevic, a native of Auckland, New Zealand, from Skyline College, pitched 3.0 innings giving up one hit, one run, struck out one and had one walk. Ryan Semin (1) picked up the save. The Lincoln native from the Colorado School of Mines pitched 1.0 inning giving up two hits and one run.
Oahe starter Nathan Palacioz pitched 5.0 innings giving up one hit, struck out one and walked one. Lucas Crichton (0-2) took the loss. He pitched 1.0 inning giving up three hits, three runs, struck out two and walked two. Garrett Bergmann pitched 3.0 innings giving up four hits, two earned runs and struck out three.
Offensively, Fremont’s Miles Meadows was 2-for-5. The native of Fairfield, California from Solano Community College had multiple hits in each of the last three games of the series. Carson Burnett, the Poway, California native from Ohlone College, was 1-for-5 with two rbi’s. Cooper Fuchino, a Rolling Hills Estate, California native from Creighton University, was 1-for-5 with an rbi. Brayden Chaney, the Gretna native from Wayne State College, was 1-for-4 and drove in a run. Brayden Hodges, the Omaha native at Briar Cliff University, was 1-for-4 with two rbi’s.
For Oahe, Leondro Guevara was 2-for-4. Brandon Weigel was 1-for-3 and drove in two runs.
Oahe will return to action Tuesday, hosting the Spearfish Sasquatch. After an off day on Monday, Fremont will travel to Hastings to play a single game versus the Sodbusters, on Tuesday. First pitch will be 6:35 p.m. at Duncan Field.
