South Fremont hasn't had much luck against Sugar-Salem recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cougars will welcome the Diggers at 4:00 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, South Fremont sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over Teton. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by just one run.
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. He also tossed a walk, which is notable because South Fremont is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 7-10 otherwise.
Jordan Hammond
| 03/25/25 @ American Falls | 5 |
| 04/15/25 vs Teton | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Bear Lake | 2 |
| 03/22/25 vs Caldwell | 2 |
| 03/20/25 vs Ontario | 2 |
| + 7 more games |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jordan Hammond, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. He is becoming a predictor of South Fremont's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-1 (and 4-10 when he doesn't).
Meanwhile, Sugar-Salem came tearing into Saturday's game with eight straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.6 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitchers stepped up to hand the Indians a 23-0 shutout. 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 big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, 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 nothing but reliable on the mound: 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. Those six RBI gave Chappell a new career-high.
In other batting news, Kace Malstrom was incredible, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs, two triples, and three RBI. Those two triples 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 lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now launched at least two home runs in five consecutive matches.
Sugar-Salem's win was their seventh straight at home, which pushed their record up to 12-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.9 runs over those games. As for South Fremont, the win made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 9-11.
South Fremont might still be hurting after the 15-0 loss they got from Sugar-Salem in their previous matchup last Tuesday. Will the Cougars have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.
