Moo close out road trip with two games at Sodbusters

Alex Burstein

Cooper Fuchino leads the Moo in batting average at .318. (File photo/Mindy Wittig)

Hastings, Nebraska - The Fremont Moo (11-11) will look to break a season-long six-game losing streak and salvage a win on their longest road trip with a two-game set against the Hastings Sodbusters (13-5) on Thursday and Friday.


The Sodbusters are one of the hottest teams in the league right now, having won six straight games to jump into second-place in the Independence League Baseball standings. Hastings kept its streak going with a pair of wins over the Plainsmen on Tuesday and Wednesday. In game one, Hastings got a walk-off 4-3 win thanks to a single from Jackson Crain. And then in game two, it was all Sodbusters as Hastings tallied 13 hits in a 15-3 win.


Hastings has found a more balanced offensive effort as the year has gone on. Sawyer Duddleston (.370 AVG), Drew Verga (.349) and Jackson Crain (.345) have all been reliable hitters on the plate. For the Sodbusters, it has been more of a small-ball approach leading to wins. The team only has three homers on the year, from Josh Prinner, Secundino Morales and Alexiel Delgado. The balanced approach is also shown on the RBI leaderboard, with Crain, Morales, Delgado and Duddleston all tied for the team lead with eight.


On the mound, Jack Kruger has been the ace for Hastings. He also owns a win over the mound, as part of a 3-0 record with a dominating .474 ERA. Braden Cork has been a reliable closer, with three saves and a .947 ERA.


While Hastings has been dominant as of recent, the Moo have found struggle after struggle, most recently in a two-game set against the league-leading Casper Spuds. In the first game Tuesday night, it was all Casper from the start. The Spuds scored five first inning runs and never looked back in a 11-3 victory. It was a different score Wednesday, as Fremont entered the eighth inning up 3-1. But seven eight-inning runs for Casper gave the Spuds a 8-3 win and the Moo a sixth-straight loss.


The Moo offense has not managed more than three runs in a week, dating back to a 7-2 win over the Prospects on June 12. In the recent losing streak, batting averages have dipped by Cooper Fuchino (.318), Tyrus Petsche (.308) and Bridger Coleman (.306) are all still hitting over .300. Like Hastings, there has been no true power leader, with Stephen Espinoza, Fuchino, Coleman and Petsche all tied for the lead with one homerun. Coleman has the RBI lead at 11, with Dylan Brandenburg (9) and Espinoza (8) close behind.


As the Moo shift around their rotation, Robert O’Malley (2-0) and Kadyn Van Hill (2-1) have emerged as two of Fremont’s strongest starters. O’Malley sports a .636 ERA, while Van Hill sits at 3.170. Alex Oliver (0.00 ERA) and Hayden Kelberlau (1.68) both hold a pair of saves,


Five games into a seven-game road trip, Fremont has yet to pick up a victory, plummeting their away record on the season to 4-6.


The road trip struggles started with a road trip to Hastings. In a doubleheader last Saturday, the Moo managed just one run in both games en route to 3-1 and 5-1 losses. Then on Monday, the offensive struggles continued with another one run performance, this time in a 3-1 loss. The Sodbusters now lead the season series 3-1.


Among playoff eligible teams, the Casper Spuds are trying to hold on for the first-half championship, with a two-game lead over Hastings and four games left in the first half. Spearfish sits in third, 5.5 games back, with the Moo in fourth a 6.0 games back and the Zap in last 13.5 games back. Casper and Hastings are the only teams vying for the first-half title.


That gives the Moo a chance to play spoiler in this road series. First pitch from Duncan Field is set for 6:35 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

July 1, 2025
The Fremont Moo wrapped up their road trip with a 6-2 victory over the Hastings Sodbusters on Monday from Duncan Field. The Moo made the nine-hour trip west from Casper to face their in-state rivals in Hastings to wrap up the road trip. The Bovine Nine entered Duncan Field with one thing in mind: getting win number two of the second half. Both Fremont’s Aiden McGrath (Skyline) and Hastings' Markus Miller would work a one-two-three scoreless first inning. Going to the second, the Moo would score first for the fourth game in a row. Brinden Floyd (RCSJ) would get grazed by a pitch to be put on first. Behind him, big bad Brayden Jones (Doane) would line a double into center to score Floyd from first to make it 1-0 Moo. Next batter, Grant Ryan (Northwest CC) would slap a slow-rolling single into center to score Jones to make it 2-0 Moo at the end of the top of the second. McGrath would shut down the Sodbusters in the bottom half, striking out two batters to keep it at 2-0 Moo. The top of the third would be a quiet one for the Moo. Three batters, three outs for Markus Miller to send it to the bottom half. The Sodbusters would get on the board from a Drew Vega RBI single to bring home Zane Wilson to cut the lead in half. McGrath would work out of it with a fly ball to left, ending the threat, stranding a runner. The scoreboard read 2-1, Moo heading to the fourth. The Moo once again went in order. A four-pitch inning for Markus Miller as the McGrath would answer with a three-batter up, three-batter down fourth inning. The fifth would see the Moo strike for four runs and chase Miller out of the contest. Caiden Brezinski (Butler) would bring home two on a slow bouncer through the right side. Then, Joshua Hardamon (Midland) would bring home a run on a single. To round out the scoring, Brinden Floyd would double home Brezinski to end the frame up 6-1. McGrath would shut down the Sodbusters in the bottom of the fifth, and the Moo would go scoreless in the top of the sixth. The bottom half would see the Busters burst for a run to close the deficit to four runs. It was 6-2 as it went to the seventh. Both teams would go scoreless in the seventh. Aiden McGrath was dynamite in his start, going seven innings, allowing two runs, four hits, and a trio of walks, while striking out nine batters. Chase Nelson (St. Thomas) would come in relief in the eighth and secure the win in the ninth, to give the Moo their second win of the second half. 6-2 Moo the final. The final line saw the Moo score six (6) runs on nine (9) hits and commit one (1) error. The Sodbusters scored three (3) runs on six (6) hits and had no errors defensively. Aiden McGrath picks up the win for the Moo while Markus Miller gets handed the loss. Fremont moves to a 12-14 record overall and a 2-1 second-half record. The Sodbusters move to a 15-13 overall record and a 0-1 record in the second half. The Moo are back tomorrow night at Moller Field to take on the Nebraska Prospects at 7:05, to begin a two-game series.
June 30, 2025
This is the Daily Moo! Getting Moo fans ready for every single game day with storylines, insight, stats, and more about the Fremont Moo. Check in every day for the Daily Moo here on the Fremont Moo official website. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview - Game 26 Duncan Field, Hastings, Nebraska, USA FREMONT MOO (11-14 / 1-1) vs. HASTINGS SODBUSTERS (15-12 / 0-0) First Pitch: 6:35 CT Radio: Big Dog Country 98.9 FM / 1340 AM Audio Stream: Moo Mixlr Video Stream: Hastings Sodbusters on YouTube -Game Notes --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORYLINES Not So Friendly Spuds The Moo dropped the final game of the three game series against the Spuds 12-2 in seven innings. The Moo are now 2-8 versus the Spuds all-time. Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop Michael Baker (Cal State-Chico) has reached base safely in his last 10 games. In the same span, Caiden Brezinski (Butler) also has himself a 10 game on-base streak. Seve Aguirre (Southeastern Oklahoma State) also has an 8-game hit streak going for him A Quick One The Moo’s four game road trip is the longest road trip until July 16th throught the 20th. The Moo will only play one away game before then on July 4th in Hastings. Start of the Second Half The Spearfish Sasquatch punched their ticket to the 2025 ILB Championship Series by clinching the first half pennant. The second half began on June 28th. This means that the records effectively return to 0-0. The winner of the second half will face the Sasquatch in the ILBCS. If the Sasquatch win the second half, then the team with the second-best overall record will clinch the second spot in the championship series. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLAYERS OF NOTE: MOO: #2 - OF JAKE MITCHELL (B/T: L/R) Mitchell is batting .500 this summer in the two contests against the Sodbusters played. Mitchell has an OBP of .667, SLG of 2.000, and a OPS of 2.667 with one home run against the Sodbusters this season. #20 - INF JOSHUA HARDAMON (B/T: R/R) Hardamon (Midland) has proven himself as a worthy bat during road trips. Hardamon has 11 hits on the road this season, including a team leading 9 runs batted in. SODBUSTERS: #26 - C/INF WESTON JOHNSON (B/T: R/R) Johnson has been a big cog in the Sodbusters offensive machine, leading the team with a .343 batting average. He also leads the Sodbusters with 17 RBI’s this summer. #25 - OF LUKE CAUSSEY (B/T: L/L) Caussey has been dynamite for the Sodbusters this summer. Caussey brings a lot of power to the plate, with one home run this season at the expansive Duncan Field (It was the first home run for a Sodbuster batter in two season!).
June 30, 2025
The Moo can’t overcome a seven-run Spud attack in the sixth and fall 12-2 in Casper. The rubber match of the series took place on a sunny day in Casper. The Moo looked to carry over their success from their nineteen-run performance the night before and start the second half 2-0. The first two innings would be quiet on both sides. The Spuds and Moo would threaten but were unable to break the deadlock until the third. Fremont would strike first in the third. Walks to Caiden Brezinski (Butler), Michael Baker (Cal State-Chico), and a single from Cooper Fuchino (Creighton) would load the bases for Seve Aguirre (Southeastern Oklahoma State). Aguirre would drop a single into right to bring home two runners to make it 2-0 Moo after the third. The Spuds would strike with an RBI double from Cael McCarville in the fourth to cut the Moo lead in half. Dickinson would strand McCarville on second to keep the Moo in front 2-1. An inning later, the Spuds would strike for another as Preston Gajewski (NOC-Tonkawa) would make an incredible diving back-handed pick at second to get an out, but Matt Marsic would scramble home to tie it at two. Luca Dickinson (Skyline) would work through five, giving up two earned runs on four hits while walking three and striking out two. Grant Rychnovsky (Northwestern-IA) would come in relief and have an unfortunate time in the sixth. Seven runs, one earned, on five hits would blow this one open. His defense would not provide much help, committing two errors. The scoreboard read 9-2 Spuds at the end of the sixth inning. The Moo would go scoreless in the seventh, and Cooper Lucas (East Texas Baptist) would relieve Rychnovsky. Lucas would struggle with command on the mound, and the two runs that would score to end it would be charged against him. The Spuds would take the 12-2 win in seven because of the ILB run rule and win the series. The final line saw the Moo score two (2) runs on six (6) hits and commit two (2) errors. The Spuds scored twelve (12) runs on nine (9) hits and had one (1) error defensively. Mathew Ramos picks up the win for the Spuds while Grant Rychnovsky gets handed the loss. Fremont moves to an 11-14 record overall and a 1-1 second-half record. The Spuds move to a 17-10 overall record and a 1-1 second-half record. The Moo are back tomorrow afternoon at Duncan Field to take on the Hastings Sodbusters at 6:35.
June 29, 2025
This is the Daily Moo! Getting Moo fans ready for every single game day with storylines, insight, stats, and more about the Fremont Moo. Check in every day for the Daily Moo here on the Fremont Moo official website. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview - Game 25 Mike Lansing Field, Casper, WY, USA FREMONT MOO (11-13 / 1-0) vs. CASPER SPUDS (16-10 / 0-1) First Pitch: 4:00 CT Audio Stream: Moo Mixlr Video Stream: Casper Spuds on YouTube -Game Notes --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORYLINES Second Half Smackdown The Moo’s second-half opener couldn’t have gone better, as they scored nineteen runs (eleven in one inning) to take the second game in Casper, 19-5 Cycle-chino Cooper Fuchino (Creighton) had a historic day at the plate, going 5-6 with 5 RBI’s. Fuchino hit a home run in the 1st, a single in the 3rd, a double in the 4th, and a triple in the 9th to collect the cycle. Super Spuds Michael Baker (Cal State-Chico) has reached base safely in his last 10 games. The streak began on June 7th, and since then, Baker’s OBP sits at .609, the second best on the ballclub. Start of the Second Half The Spearfish Sasquatch punched their ticket to the 2025 ILB Championship Series by clinching the first half pennant. Today begins the second half. This means that the records effectively return to 0-0. The winner of the second half will face the Sasquatch in the ILBCS. If the Sasquatch win the second half, then the team with the second-best overall record will clinch the second championship series spot. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLAYERS OF NOTE: MOO: #35 - RHP LUCA DICKINSON Dickinson (Skyline) was phenomenal in his last outing. Against the Prospects, Dickinson fired 9 shutout innings and struck out 11 batters. On top of that, he managed it in under 100 pitches #26 - C COOPER FUCHINO (B/T: R/R) Fuchino has been the best batter by far during this road trip. In 11 games at home, Fuchino had 10 hits and 6 RBIs. In the last two games in Casper, he has 8 hits and 6 RBIs at the plate. SPUDS: #11 - RHP HOUSTON WEDGEWORTH Casper’s best arm this season has been Houston Wedgeworth. Wedgeworth has made 4 starts for the Spuds and has collected a quality start in two of them. His longest outing was his most recent, going 7.0 innings, striking out 3 Sodbusters and giving up 1 earned run. #24 - OF ELIJAH REEVES (B/T: R/R) Reeves had his best night at the plate yesterday, as he collected three hits and two RBI’s at the plate. On top of that, he plays an exceptional outfield.
June 29, 2025
The Moo capture their first win of the second half as they crush Casper Spuds 19-5. The Moo’s second half began along the banks of the North Platte River in Casper for a team that looked to turn around their fortunes from a fourth-place finish in the first half. Much like the night prior, the Moo jumped on the Spuds starter immediately. The third batter of the game, Cooper Fuchino (Creighton), would leave Mike Lansing Field to center for his first Moo home run of the season, a two-run home run to make it 2-0 Moo. The second would see Joshua Hardamon (Midland) lead off the inning with a double. Preston Gajewski (NOC-Tonkawa) would drive Hardamon in on a miss-fielded ball at first to make it 3-0. Gajewski would scramble for third on a failed pick-off attempt and would score on a Brady Brown (South Dakota State) fielder’s choice to make it 4-0, Moo. That’s all they would manage at the end of the top of two. The Spuds would respond much like the night before. The rain began to fall in bunches as the Spuds would flood the bases and put across two runs to make it 4-2 at the end of the second. One on a fielder’s choice and another on a stolen base on a throw down to second. The wind and the rain would cause a break in the action as a rain delay would endure for a little under an hour. The field was dried as best it could, and play resumed in the third. The Moo picked up where they left off. Fuchino reached on an infield hit and stole second. Henry Hayman (Akron) would reach on an error, and amid the chaos of the play, Fuchino would come around to score. The Spuds would go silent in the bottom of the third as the scoreboard read 5-2 Moo. Cooper Fuchino was put on cycle watch as in the fourth, he would double home Preston Gajewski to make it 6-2 Moo. In the bottom half of the inning, Elijah Reeves would single down the left field line to bring home a run to cut the Moo lead in half at 6-3 at the end of the fourth inning. The fifth would see the two batters reach on a walk and a hit. The lead runner, Brody Barker, would make it to third and score the lone run of the frame on a passed ball that clipped the umpire, making 6-4. The sixth inning would see the Moo load the bases on a pair of hit batsmen and a walk. Brinden Floyd (RCSJ) would strike out, and Fuchino would pop out in foul grounds. Michael Baker (Cal State-Chico) would leave his mark with a grounder that would sneak through the legs of the shortstop Jack Opione to bring home two runs. The Moo would take an 8-4 lead at the end of the inning. Wesley Cunningham (Howard) would go deep into this one. Six and two-thirds of the seven for the Hotstepper in his first start of the season, giving up four runs on six hits and four walks while registering four strikeouts. An incredible outing in his longest outing of the season. The Spuds would close in on the Moo's lead in the 8th. River Smith would lead off the inning with a walk and score on a fielder’s choice to cut the deficit to three, 8-5 Moo after eight. The top of the ninth would see the Moo push across ELEVEN more runs, highlighted by Joshua Hardamon's grand slam and Cooper Fuchino collecting a triple to secure his cycle. It gave the Moo a fourteen-run lead with three outs to get in the game. The Spuds would go quietly in the ninth, as the Moo secure the 19-5 win. Nineteen runs for the Moo tie the season record for most runs scored in a game. Cooper Fuchino sets the club mark with four extra bae hits and twelve total bases. The final line saw the Moo score nineteen (19) runs on twelve (12) hits and commit two (2) errors. The Spuds scored five (5) runs on eight (8) hits and had eight (8) errors defensively. Wes Cunningham picks up the win while Lawson Moreno gets handed the loss. The Moo drops to an 11-13 record overall and a 1-0 second-half record. The Spuds move to a 16-10 overall record and a 0-1 second-half record. The Moo are back tomorrow afternoon at Mike Lansing Field with first pitch at 4:00 CST/3:00 MST.
June 28, 2025
Second Half begin in second game in Casper
June 28, 2025
The Bovine Nine jumped out to a three-run lead in the first inning, but fell to the Spuds 8-5 in the first half finale. It was a warm Wyoming night in Casper as the Moo looked to end the first half on a high. Both teams entered the contest with 7-3 records in their last 10 games. Something had to give on Friday night. Tyler Vollmar took the mound in the first and was ambushed by the Moo’s attack at the plate. All nine batted in the inning. The Moo had five consecutive hits with Cooper Fuchino (Creighton), Michael Baker (Cal State-Chico), Caiden Brezinski (Butler), Nate Wachter (South Dakota State), and Tyler Wise (Kansas Wesleyan) registering a hit, and Jake Mitchell, Fuchino, and Baker would all score. The scoreboard read 3-0 Moo after the first. The Spuds would retaliate with two runs in the second thanks to a Cannon Billingsley single to put the Spuds on the board. Moo starter Zach Vincent (Midland) would hunker down and get the final out, stranding a runner in scoring position. The Spuds cut into the Moo lead, 3-2 at the end of the second. Fremont would get back on the board in the fifth as Michael Baker would go opposite field with a two-run home run. Baker’s second blast of the season would make it 5-2 Moo. A run would score for the Spuds in the bottom of the fifth to draw closer. The sixth would see the Spuds tie it thanks to a Cael McCarville sacrifice fly and a Cannon Billingsley single, as it would draw the ballgame even at five runs apiece. The bottom of the seventh would see the Spuds strike early off of reliever-coach Tyler Dunham. Kody Clausius would leave Mike Lansing Field with a laser over the right-field wall to put the Spuds up two. Another run would score to make it 8-5 Spuds at the end of the seventh. The Moo would go scoreless in the seventh, eighth, and ninth as the Spuds win 8-5. The final line saw the Moo score five (5) runs on nine (9) hits and commit no errors. The Spuds scored eight (8) runs on thirteen (13) hits and had one (1) error. Kylan Deporter picks up the win while Tyler Dunham gets handed the loss. The Moo drops to a 10-13 record. The Spuds move to a 16-9 record. The Moo are back tomorrow night at Mike Lansing Field with first pitch at 7:30 CST/6:30 MST.
June 27, 2025
This is the Daily Moo! Getting Moo fans ready for every single game day with storylines, insight, stats, and more about the Fremont Moo. Check in every day for the Daily Moo here on the Fremont Moo official website. —------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Overview - Game 23 Mike Lansing Field, Casper, WY, USA FREMONT MOO (10-12) vs. CASPER SPUDS (15-9) First Pitch: 7:30 CT Radio: Big Dog Country 98.9 FM / 1340 AM Audio Stream: Moo Mixlr Video Stream: Casper Spuds on YouTube -Game Notes --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- STORYLINES On the Road Again After twenty-four days in Fremont, the Moo will make their longest road trip of the season to Casper to face the Spuds. Home Success The Moo went 7-7 during the home stand, but ended the historic nine-game losing streak, and racked off seven straight wins. Fried or Mashed? The Casper Spuds enter on their longest win streak of the season. They’ve won their last three contests and begin a three-game series with the Moo Wrapping up the First Half The first half of the ILB season ends tonight as the Spearfish Sasquatch captured the first half pennant and will play for an ILB title in August. --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- PLAYERS OF NOTE: MOO: #3 - INF SEVE AGUIRRE (B/T: R/R) Aguirre (Southeastern Oklahoma State) is currently on a six-game hit streak. It is currently the longest hit streak among Moo batters this season. #18 - OF TANNER JACOBSEN (B/T: R/R) Jacobsen (Cloud County) is currently on a four-game hit streak. All five hits during the streak have been singles, but it has led to Jacobsen scoring five runs in that span. He has raised his BA from .111 to .222. SPUDS: #19 - IF HUNTER BILLINGSLEY (B/T: L/R) Billingsley has been the best batter for the Spuds this season. In 20 games played, Billingsley has a team-best .366 AVG and an OPS of 1.016. He also leads the team with 2 HRs and 8 RBIs #11 - RHP HOUSTON WEDGEWORTH Casper’s best arm this season has been Houston Wedgeworth. Wedgeworth has made 4 starts for the Spuds and has collected a quality start in two of them. His longest outing was his most recent, going 7.0 innings, striking out 3 Sodbusters and giving up 1 earned run.
June 24, 2025
Tonight's game between the Fremont Moo and the Nebraska Prospects has been postponed because of rain. A make-up date will be announced as soon as possible.
June 23, 2025
Tonight's game between the Fremont Moo and the Nebraska Prospects has been postponed because of rain. A make-up date will be announced as soon as possible.
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