Behind Brock Reller’s three home runs, the Fremont Moo erased a five-run deficit and defeated the Badlands Big Sticks Sunday, 15-11. The win is Fremont’s 10th straight, an ongoing team record.
Reller closed a dominant series in his home state. In three games against the Big Sticks, the Grand Forks, N. Dak., native was 6-for-12 with five home runs and 10 RBI. Sunday, Reller was 3-for-4 with three home runs and seven RBI.
Reller began his big day with a first inning sacrifice fly to put the Moo ahead, 1-0. In the third inning, Ryne Hays lined an RBI double to left, scoring EJ Taylor, who doubled earlier in the inning. Badlands (2-9) erased the 2-0 lead with a seven-run bottom of the third, taking a 7-2 lead to the fourth.
Fremont (10-1) wasted no time responding. With one out in the top of the fourth, Chase Reynolds drew a walk. Dillon Sears followed with an infield single. A Tyler Push walk loaded the bases. Darien Morphew lined a two-run single to center, scoring Reynolds and Sears and cutting the Big Sticks’ lead to 7-4. With Reller at the plate, a wild pitch scored Push. Then Reller hammered a two-run home run high off a light pole in right-center, tying the game at seven. A Carson Lundmark home run put Badlands back ahead in the bottom of the fourth, 8-7, but Alex Narayan answered with a home run to left to tie the game at eight. A two-run homer by Badlands’ Joe Osborn, a native of Hickman, Neb., gave the Big Sticks a 10-8 lead in the bottom of the fourth.
Reller and the Moo responded in the top of the fifth. After Taylor led off the inning with a single to left, Reller clubbed his second home run of the day to right field, tying the game at 10. Then in the seventh, the Moo took the lead for good. Morphew drew a one-out walk, then two batters later, Reller hammered his third home run of the game, putting Fremont ahead, 12-10. The Big Sticks scored one in the seventh to cut the lead to 12-11, but Fremont tacked on two in the eighth and one in the ninth to wrap up the victory.
Grant Hubka (1-0) earned the win in relief, allowing just one earned run in 2.1 innings pitched. Hubka, Jackson Krause and Steven Boyd, settled the game down for the Moo, allowing just one earned run over the final 4.2 innings.
While Reller led the offense, Fremont got contributions from all nine in the lineup. Every Moo starter had at least one hit and eight of the nine either scored a run or drove one in. Taylor was 3-for-6 with an RBI and a double. Naran was 3-for-6 with a home run and an RBI, while Drew Mize was 3-for-5 with a double.
After a 5-0 road trip, the Moo return home to historic Moller Field to take on the Hastings Sodbusters Tuesday night at 7:05. The game can be heard on FremontMoo.com and Big Dog 98.9 FM and 1340 AM.
