Luke Vukcevic fires a pitch agains t the Nebraska Prospects on June 13, 2024. (Photo by Mindy Wittig)
Fremont, Nebraska - On a night in which both offenses struggled to be effective, the Fremont Moo recorded a 2-1 victory over the Nebraska Prospects in ILB action, Thursday at Historic Moller Field. Fremont recorded two hits, both in the seventh inning, but the result was enough for The Moo to record their fifth straight victory.
Fremont got on the board in the bottom of the second inning. Grant Nottleman led off with a walk against Prospects starter Carson Obrecht. Then, Carson Burnett was hit by a pitch to put runners at first and second. After getting hit by the pitch in the helmet, Burnett left the game two pitches later as a precautionary measure and was replaced by Dylan Brandenburg. Two batters later, Hunter Snyder reached on a fielder's choice, to give the Moo runners at first and third. An Obrecht wild pitch scored Notteleman, to put Fremont ahead, 1-0.
The Moo offense could not get the bats going until the bottom of the seventh. With one out, Cole Fowler singled off Prospects reliever Josh Kilzer, giving Fremont its first hit of the game. On the play, Fowler advanced to second when the ball was misplayed by Prospects center fielder Blake Stenger. Two batters later, Miles Meadows delivered a single, scoring Fowler, to put Fremont ahead, 2-0.
The Prospects cut the Moo lead in half in the top of the eighth inning. With one out, Paul Schuyler singled off Fremont reliever Bobby Simmons. A wild pitch advanced Schuyler to second. Two batters later, Brice Waller hit an rbi double off the right field fence, scoring Schuyler, to make the score, 2-1.
After Fremont was held scoreless in the bottom of the eighth, Alex Oliver came on for The Moo to close out the ninth. After recording the first two outs, Prospects pinch-hitter Trenton Barry singled, to produce some late-inning drama. However, Oliver got the next batter, A.J. Lucas, to hit a chopper back to Oliver on the mound. Oliver took the ball to first, himself, to record the final out of the game.
Fremont (11-5) scored two runs off two hits and committed no errors. The Prospects (3-8) had one run off six hits, with three errors.
Fremont starter Baylor Hicks, a Suwanee, Georgia native at Columbia University, pitched 4.0 innings, giving up three hits with five strikeouts, walked three and hit one batter. Luke Vukcevic (1-0) earned the win in relief. The Skyline College product from Auckland, New Zealand pitched 3.0 innings, striking out one, walked two and hit five batters. Bobby Simmons, the Katy, Texas native at Nebraska Wesleyan, pitched 1.0 inning, giving up one run off one hit, struck out two and had one wild pitch. Alex Oliver (2), the Colorado State-Pueblo reliever from Grove, Oklahoma, earned the save. He pitched 1.0 inning, giving up one hit.
Nebraska Prospects starter Carson Obrecht (1-1) took the loss. He pitched 5.0 innings, giving up one run, struck out four, walked four, had one wild pitch and hit two batters. Josh Kilzer pitched 2.0 innings, giving up one unearned run off two hits, struck out three and hit one batter. Charlie Mosser pitched 1.0 inning, striking out two.
Offensively for Fremont, Miles Meadows, the Solano Community College product from Fairfield, California, was 1-for-3 with an rbi.
The Prospects Blake Stenger went 2-for-4 and Brice Waller was 1-for-5 with a run batted in.
Fremont has won the first two games of the series and will go for the sweep, Friday night. First pitch is 7:05 p.m., at Historic Moller Field.
More Information: With the win, the Moo have won five straight, which is a season high. Fremont still remains one game behind the Casper Spuds in the league standings, after Casper pulled out an extra-inning win over Oahe, Thursday night.
Friday night's Moo/Prospects game will wrap up a 12-game homestand for Fremont. It's also "Fireworks Friday" and "Most Valuable Dad" day. Celebrate Father's Day with the Moo, then, stick around for the post-game fireworks show, presented by The Nebraska Lottery. For tickets, go to: www.fremontmoo.com/tickets.
Friday night's game will be broadcast on Big Dog Country, 98.9 FM and 1340 AM, KHUB, with audio also streaming live at: www.fremontmoo.com/mixlr. Live video of the game will stream on YouTube at: BSDN Live. Rich Ray and Alex Burstein will have the call, with coverage beginning at 6:45 p.m.