HASTINGS, NE-In a game that featured twenty runs, twenty-nine hits, eight errors, and eight pitchers. The Fremont Moo came out on the losing end of a roller coaster ride on Thursday in Hastings as the Sodbusters took game one of a home and home two game series by a final score of 11-9.

The Moo offense looked like it would get off to a good start as Tyler Push found himself at third after a walk, a stolen base and an error with no one out. Unfortunately, Push was stranded at third after strikeouts by Ronnie McBride and Luke White and the inning ended on a Brock Reller groundout.

Kale Parks got the start for Fremont and Hastings quickly pounced on the LSU-Alexandria product, tallying two runs in the second and another in the third to take a 3-0 lead.

That is where the score remained through five innings as it looked like the Moo had no answer offensively, until the sixth inning came around. After managing just four hits through five innings the bats came alive for Fremont in the top of the sixth as ten Moo batters came to the plate in an inning in which six Moo runs scored on four hits.

Hastings quickly fought back as Donovan Murray scored in the bottom half of the inning to make the deficit 6-4 for the Sodbusters. In the top of the seventh the Moo continued their hot swinging as two more runs came home to score to give Fremont their largest lead of the game at 8-4.

The lead would be short lived as four Sodbusters came home to score off Fremont reliever Nate Jenkins to tie the game at eight.

Despite scoring what looked to be a game deciding run in the top half of the eighth off a Justin Ledgerwood single which gave the Moo a 9-8 lead, Hastings fought back once more with a three-run bottom of the eighth to put them three outs away from victory.

The Moo faced reigning Expedition League pitcher of the year Trey Kissack in the ninth and Dillon Sears was able to reach third while Jack Simonsen reached first to bring potential go-ahead run Brock Reller to the plate with two out but the Fremont right fielder would fly out to left field to end the game.

The loss went to Jenkins in relief. He now falls to 0-2 on the season as the San Francisco State product allowed seven runs on seven hits in two innings of work. No decision was handed to starter Kale Parks who allowed eleven hits which ties a single-game record for most hits allowed by a Moo pitcher. Hastings rolled six pitchers out on the mound on Thursday which would presumably leave Hastings short-staffed for tomorrow’s series finale in Fremont.

Justin Ledgerwood had one of his best games of the season on Thursday, the California native produced three hits in four plate appearances with an RBI and a walk. After an injury to Ronnie McBride the Moo were forced to make a bit of history as Kale Parks and Nate Jenkins became the first Moo pitchers to register official at-bats in a game. Both players went 0-1 with a strikeout.

The Moo will wrap up this short two-game series Friday at Moller Field in Fremont against the Sodbusters. First pitch is slated for 7:05.