High school baseball: Brant Koford’s 2 homers power Fremont past Davis in Region 1 showdown

After a heartbreaking 3-2 loss on the road against Davis (10-5, 4-1) on Tuesday, Fremont (11-4, 4-1) wasn’t just looking to bounce back, they were looking to make a statement in the Region 1 showdown.

And that’s exactly what the Silverwolves did.

Despite a 5-0 deficit after just two innings, Fremont didn’t panic and responded by scoring 12 unanswered runs en route to a 12-6 victory in Game 2 of the three-game series. With the win, the Silverwolves knotted up the series in thrilling fashion.

“It was really good to get this win after what happened on Tuesday,” said Fremont pitcher Brant “Bubba” Koford. “We felt like we should have won yesterday, so it was good for us to bounce back and to break the game open like we did.”

“Both teams made sure to bring their bats today,” Fremont head coach Garrett Clark said with a smile. “Davis is a great team, but it was great to see our guys bounce back and play at a high level. Yesterday we had 13 strikeouts which isn’t like us, so to see our guys step up, especially when getting down early, was great to see. Our kids are resilient, they are fighters, and they can play with anyone.”

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After not registering a single hit through the first two innings, Fremont’s offense finally came alive thanks to a flurry of hits that landed just over the outstretched arms of the infield.

“It just takes a little bit for our guys to get going, and once they start, they’re hard to stop,” said coach Clark.

With two guys on first and second, Jace Hadley stepped up and laid a beautiful bunt down the first base line, causing some confusion for Davis. The ball ended up getting overthrown allowing both Cole Sanders and Kurt Dahl to score and cut the deficit to 5-2. Owen Simkins then stepped up and hit a single up the middle to score another run. Two batters later, Koford stepped up and launched a two-run homer to tie the score at 5-5.

“Yesterday I went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts, so I came into today’s game with a different mindset and approach,” said Koford. “Coach Clark told me to remain confident, calm and to have fun and that’s what I did and I couldn’t be happier.”

Koford’s confidence grew as the next time he was up to bat, the right-handed hitter, once again, launched a two-run home run to give Fremont the lead and all the runs they would need.

When asked if he has ever had two home runs in one game before, Koford smiled and mentioned it happened before in Little League, but at the high school level, this was a first.

“Brant is a stud,” said coach Clark. “I can’t recall the last time I saw a pitcher hit two home runs in a game. But we needed our leaders to step up and that’s what they did. When you get punched in the mouth, you need to respond and our guys did.”

Davis, the defending Region 1 champions and preseason favorites, showed flashes of why they’re still a force. Starting pitcher Sam Sevy tossed four strong innings and recorded a game-high seven strikeouts. Owen Talbot and Carter Garrett each notched two hits and combined for four of the Darts’ five RBIs.

But don’t count out Fremont which has won two of the last three region titles.

Koford, who nearly had a complete game before getting pulled with two outs in the seventh after hitting his pitch count, threw 6.2 innings and had two strikeouts in the win. The senior also had a game-high 6 RBIs thanks to two home runs. Simkins and Kasen Pearson chipped in with two RBIs each as well.

With both teams tied atop the Region 1 standings at 4-1, Thursday’s contest will determine more than just bragging rights — it could be the defining moment in the region title race this year.