The Filer Wildcats will take on the South Fremont Cougars in a tournament on Saturday. The two teams are strolling into their contests after big wins in their previous games.
It was a proper cat-fight when Filer faced off against Snake River on Friday. The Wildcats were the clear victors by a 14-3 margin over the Panthers. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Wildcats considering their one-run performance the match before.
Brett Paxton
| 04/04/25 vs Snake River | 9 |
| 04/01/25 vs Jerome | 5 |
| 03/12/25 @ Wendell | 4 |
| 03/22/24 vs Parma | 4 |
| 03/18/25 vs Kimberly | 3 |
Brett Paxton made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off three hits. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances. Filer is undefeated when Paxton posts two or more runs, but 1-5 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Bridger Phillips, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Filer's success: when he posts at least three hits the team is undefeated (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Aydyn Burns, who scored two runs and stole three bases while going 3-for-4.
Filer always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .533. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Snake River only posted an OBP of .296.
Meanwhile, South Fremont got themselves on the board against Bear Lake on Friday, but Bear Lake never followed suit. They blew past the Bears 6-0. The result was nothing new for the Cougars, who have now won five games by six runs or more so far this season.
Tayson Farley made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out six over seven innings pitched. Farley was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two triples, one stolen base, and two RBI.
In other batting news, Jordan Hammond was incredible, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-4. Kierce Gold was another key player, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-4.
Filer has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four contests. That's provided a massive bump to their 4-5 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.0 runs over those games. As for South Fremont, the victory got them back to even at 7-7.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Filer has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.3 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like South Fremont struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Filer might still be hurting after the 21-12 defeat they got from South Fremont in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. Can the Wildcats avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
