Sugar-Salem has gone a perfect 10-0 against South Fremont recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Diggers will challenge the Cougars at 4:00 p.m. Sugar-Salem will be looking to extend their current nine-game winning streak.
Sugar-Salem's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Saturday. Everything went their way against Preston as they made off with a 23-0 win. The result was nothing new for the Diggers, who have now won nine contests by nine runs or more so far this season.
Dawson McInelly and Will Chappell made a splash no matter where they played. Throwing, McInelly didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out six over four innings pitched. Meanwhile, Chappell pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. McInelly has been consistent : he hasn't given up a single earned run in six consecutive appearances. At bat, McInelly got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run, two runs, and two RBI, while Chappell fired off two home runs, six RBI, and three runs while going 3-for-4. McInelly has become a key player for Sugar-Salem: the team is 10-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 2-3 otherwise.
Kace Malstrom
| 04/12/25 vs Preston | 4 |
| 04/12/25 vs Preston | 3 |
| 03/31/25 vs Snake River | 2 |
| 04/08/25 vs South Fremont | 1 |
| 04/05/25 vs Challis | 1 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kace Malstrom, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs, two triples, and three RBI. Those four runs gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jack Gardner, who went 3-for-5 with two triples, two runs, and two RBI.
Sugar-Salem always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Preston only posted an OBP of .167.
Meanwhile, it was close, but on Tuesday South Fremont sidestepped Teton for a 3-2 victory. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Cougars have posted against the Timberwolves since April 15, 2023.
Colter Hansen spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on one hit and racked up ten Ks.
On the hitting side, Jordan Hammond was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Sugar-Salem's victory was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-4. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for South Fremont, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-11.
South Fremont's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Sugar-Salem has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .514. It's a different story for South Fremont, though, as they've only averaged .363. Will they be able to contain Sugar-Salem's hitters?
Everything went Sugar-Salem's way against South Fremont when the teams last played last Tuesday, as Sugar-Salem made off with a 15-0 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Diggers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
