Preview: Omaha North Vikings vs. Bellevue West Thunderbirds
Omaha North is 0-8 against Bellevue West since May of 2015 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Thursday. The Omaha North Vikings will look to defend their home field against the Bellevue West Thunderbirds at 4:30 p.m. Both teams come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Omaha North earned a 9-6 win over Auburn. The victory was just what Omaha North needed coming off of a 20-3 defeat in their prior match.
Max Bolouvi was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (he also only allowed one walk). Bolouvi was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor O'Neill, who scored a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Bellevue West put another one in the bag on Tuesday to keep their perfect season alive. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 10-9 win over Bellevue East.
Colin Flores looked comfortable as he pitched an inning while giving up no earned runs off one hit (he also didn't allow any walks).
At the plate, Nick Riggs was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. Tanner Hosick was another key contributor, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.
Omaha North's victory ended a five-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 2-3. As for Bellevue West, their win bumped their record up to 4-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Omaha North has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bellevue West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9 per game. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Omaha North suffered a grim 10-0 defeat to Bellevue West in their previous meeting back in April of 2023. Thankfully for Omaha North, Logan Toman (who didn't allow a single earned run over 4.1 innings pitched) won't be suiting up this time. Will that be enough to change the final result? There's only one way to find out.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
