Papillion-LaVista is 9-1 against Omaha Central since April of 2018 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Saturday. The Monarchs will be taking part in a tournament against the Eagles at 12:30 p.m. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Papillion-LaVista's win against Gretna wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Monarchs' pitcher stepped up to hand the Dragons a 2-0 shutout on Friday. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Monarchs.
Brett Hoelscher
| 05/02/25 vs Gretna | 12 |
| 04/25/25 vs Millard West | 8 |
| 04/17/25 vs Omaha South | 11 |
| 04/07/25 @ Creighton Prep | 18 |
| 04/01/25 @ Millard North | 12 |
Gretna's batters probably weren't too happy with Brett Hoelscher, who pitched a no hitter and racked up 12 Ks (he gave up a single walk). Hoelscher has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than eight strikeouts in five consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Jaxson Povich and Easton Schneider did most of the damage at the plate: Povich went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and two RBI, while Schneider went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one double. That's the most RBI Povich has posted over his last 11 contests.
Meanwhile, Omaha Central hadn't done well against Bellevue West recently (they were 1-8 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Friday. The Eagles came out on top against the Thunderbirds by a score of 7-2. The game was the first time the Eagles have beaten the Thunderbirds on their field since April 11, 2017.
Joe Sullivan spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Oscar Yuhas-Vining, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and two doubles. He has become a key player for Omaha Central: the team is 6-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 6-12 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Marcus Kane, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Omaha Central has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 12-13 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.5 runs over those games. As for Papillion-LaVista, their win bumped their record up to 16-10.
Papillion-LaVista beat Omaha Central 3-0 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Monarchs since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
