Central City/Centura is a perfect 5-0 against Fort Calhoun since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Kernels will take on the Pioneers at 2:30 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Central City/Centura sitting on five straight victories and Fort Calhoun on four.
Central City/Centura is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They put the hurt on Raymond Central with a sharp 16-5 win on Tuesday. Fans of the Kernels have seen this all before: every one of the games they've played this season has ended in a blowout of 6+ runs.
Hayden Murphy made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Murphy was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Conner Erickson
| 04/08/25 @ Raymond Central | 3 |
| 04/13/24 @ Wayne | 2 |
| 03/19/24 @ Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer | 2 |
| 04/07/25 vs St. Paul/Palmer | 1 |
| 05/15/24 vs Malcolm | 1 |
In other batting news, Central City/Centura got a massive performance out of Conner Erickson, who scored three runs and stole a base while going 4-for-5. Those three runs gave Erickson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Jakob Ruhl, who scored four runs while going 3-for-4.
Central City/Centura was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .487. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive contests.
While Fort Calhoun didn't have the best season last year (they finished 9-12), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Douglas County West on Monday, sneaking past 4-3.
Like Central City/Centura, Fort Calhoun also got a great game from a two-way player: Kenny Wellwood. He struck out six batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. Wellwood has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
Wellwood wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Chase Premer, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Central City/Centura's victory bumped their record up to 5-0. As for Fort Calhoun, their win bumped their record up to 7-1.
Fort Calhoun's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Central City/Centura hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .341. It's a different story for Fort Calhoun, though, as they've only averaged .255. Will they be able to contain Central City/Centura's hitters?
Central City/Centura came out on top in a nail-biter against Fort Calhoun when the teams last played back in April of 2024, sneaking past 6-5. Do the Kernels have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Pioneers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
