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.