There are many ways you could describe the first game of the 2021 Hastings Sodbusters season... boring would not be one of them. A game that featured 6 lead changes ended with the Moo just missing the 7th lead change; getting the tying run thrown out at the plate. The final score was 10-9 with Grand Island native Rans Sanders getting the win, throwing 2 innings and only giving up 1 run. York College pitcher, Manny Herrera gets the save that was anything but easy. Leading the Busters at the plate were Carson Cahoy of Grand Island and Trevor Mattson, with 2 hits apiece. 

The game was started by Laif Hultine who finished the night with 3 innings, 2 unearned runs and 4 strikeouts. Laif, who played with the Busters in 2020 for a couple weeks, was limited in innings after redshirting at Missouri Southern State University. The top of the 1st started better than it finished with Hultine striking out the Moo leadoff hitter. But, the next hitter reached on an error by Sodbuster shortstop Tyler Monroe, and a single, hit batter, and another fielding miscue lead to 2 unearned runs to put the Busters in an early hole. 

Hultine settled in and didn't allow another run, but it took the Busters until the bottom of the 3rd inning to come up with an answer. The bottom of the Busters order got things rolling with back-to-back singles by Cameron McClure and Justin McGuigan. Trevor Stevens moved them to 2nd and 3rd with a grounder on the right side. An infield single from Cahoy would score the first Hastings run. Cahoy would help the cause with his speed, beating out a potential double play ball at second base, in which the Moo got 0 outs on and McGuigan came in to score. Cahoy would later score the 3rd run of the inning from 2nd on a sharply hit single by Mattson, taking a 3-2 lead.

Another Hastings native, Jake Schroeder would take the ball in the 4th inning. After 3 innings of scoreless relief, Schroeder ran into issues in the 7th. The top of the Fremont lineup went single, walk, single, and error to push Schroeder out of the game without recording an out in the inning. All 4 Moo baserunners would eventually come around to score in the inning, and the Moo would take a 6-4 lead, that would last long.

The top of the Sodbusters lineup began the inning with a couple of singles of their own. Cahoy and Monroe are at 1st and 3rd with no outs and Cahoy makes one of the more exciting plays of the game, again with his legs. A weak grounder back to the pitcher by Nick Carlson looked like a disappointment for Buster fans. But, the pitcher failed to look back Cahoy and 3rd and Cahoy broke for home. The throw from the 1st baseman after recording the out at first was not in time. The pitcher was noticeably shaken and proceeded to throw consecutive wild pitches to score Monroe to tie the game at 6 and hit Mattson with a pitch before being taken out after only recording 1 out. Mattson would later score on another nifty baserunning move by the home team, stealing home after the catcher threw down to 2nd trying to cut down Ian Riley. 

Rans Sanders, who stayed in the game after relieving Schroeder in the 7th, would give up the small lead by allowing a run in the 8th. Sanders pitched very well to escape the inning with only the one blemish. The first 3 Moo hitters reached base on hits, loading the bases with no outs. Sanders then got a fielder's choice which scored only one, a fly to right not deep enough to score the Fremont runner at third and a grounder back at him to keep the score tied 7-7 going into the bottom of the 8th. 

McGuigan would begin the 8th with a walk and come around to score on a Nick Carlson single. Later in the inning, with 2 outs, Mattson would sky a ball in the infield that the Moo 2nd baseman lost in the lights. Both Monroe and Carlson would come around the score on the tough luck single to push the Hastings lead to 10-7 going into the final frame.

Herrera would be called upon by acting coach and General Manager Scott Galusha to close out the win. But, sometimes these tasks aren't easy even when facing the bottom of the line with a fresh pitcher with great stuff. Herrera gave up a single sandwiched by 2 Moo outs, harmlessly leaving a runner on 1st with only 1 out left to get. But, Herrera developed control issues and walked the next two batters to load the bases for Derian Morphew. After fouling off the first 2 full count offerings from Herrera, Morphew laced a single to center to easily score 2 runners with them moving on the pitch. But, center fielder Carson Cahoy bobbled the ball and Fremont looked to seize the opportunity by trying to score a runner all the way from 1st base. But, Cahoy to Mattson to McGuigan was in time to throw the runner out at the plate and put the lid on the exciting opening night of Sodbuster baseball.