Moo welcome first-place Spuds for two-game set

Fremont celebrates after a walk-off win over Spearfish on June 9, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Wittig)
Fremont, Nebraska - For the first time since the 2023 Independence Baseball League championship series, the Casper Spuds will return to Historic Moller Field Monday night for a two-game set with the Fremont Moo.
Casper (10-2) enters the series with a 2.5 game lead on the rest of the league. In five series so far this year, the Spuds have won four, splitting a two-game set with the Nebraska Prospects this past weekend. Leading up to the Prospects series, Casper had won five straight, including two over Spearfish and three-game sweep of Hastings.
Spearfish has been a common opponent to both of the Moo and Spuds this year. While Fremont is coming off droppinig three of four to the Sasquatch, Casper has already won six of seven against Spearfish this year.
Elijah Reeves has been a star early on for Casper, batting .405 in 12 games played this year. He’s joined by three other teammates batting over .300 on the young season. When it comes to power hitting, Josh Phillps takes the lead with three home runs in 11 games, to go along with two doubles. Three other players have homered.
On the mound, six Spuds pitchers have undefeated records, with Justin Estrada and Ty Vollmar both already at 2-0 on the season. Estrada sports a .778 ERA in 18 innings, while Vollmar has worked 12 innings for a 2.333 ERA.
The Moo (7-5) enter this series still trying to find their footing early in the season. Fremont is coming off its first series loss of the year, as the big bats of Spearfish took games one, two and three of the series at Historic Moller Field.
But the tides changed Sunday night. In a back-and-forth affair, Fremont entered the bottom of the ninth down 7-6. Issac Bonner reached via an error and came around to score and tie the game. Then, with Trey Brooks at third and Bridger Coleman at first, Stephen Espinoza hit a single up the middle to score Brooks and break the three-game skid.
The win kept Fremont from falling to .500 for the first time since game two of the season. It also kept the Moo at third place in the ILB standings, .5 games behind Hastings and three behind Casper.
Bobby Simmons, Theo Hughes and Robert O’Malley all sport perfect 1-0 records on the year. The relief pitching has kept Fremont in multiple games already this year. Alex Oliver and Hughes, both relievers, have yet to give up an earned run, along with Robert O’Malley, a left-handed starter.
After a slow start to the year, Moo bats seem to have awoken recently. Tyrus Petsche, Cooper Fuchino, Miles Meadows, Trey Brooks, Grant Nottleman and Bridger Coleman all are hitting above .300, with Coleman, Fuchino and Petsche all having gone yard this year. Coleman is also the RBI leader, with 9 already this season.
The last time these two teams met, the Moo defeated Casper three games to two to capture the 2023 ILB title. Game five was held at Moller Field and the Moo took the win 8-1. In the 2023 regular season, Casper took the lone series 2-1 in Wyoming.
First pitch for both Monday and Tuesday is set for 7:05 p.m.. Game one will be Make a Difference Monday, with a kids clinic from 5:30-6:30 p.m. Game two will be College Night, with $2.50 Coors Light, 2 for 1 general admission, popcorn, and hotdogs, a postgame party at The Door with DJ L4ZR and a free The Door cup.



