Baseball Game Preview: Lincoln North Star Navigators vs. Omaha Central Eagles

The Lincoln North Star Navigators are taking a road trip to square off against the Omaha Central Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Lincoln North Star is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.

Lincoln North Star made up a huge gap compared to their last game against Kearney, but they still couldn't quite topple them. The Navigators fell just short of the Bearcats by a score of 3-1 on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Navigators have suffered since March 31st.

Lincoln North Star saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Preston Graff, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI.

Meanwhile, Omaha Central was not able to break out of their rough patch on Saturday as the team picked up their fifth straight defeat. They were two runs away from ending the streak, but they lost an 8-6 heartbreaker at the hands of Westview.

Joe Dougherty was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one double. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.

In other batting news, Mark Ripp was cooking despite his team's loss, going 1-for-3 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Omaha Central's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 2-1 (and 5-10 when he doesn't).

Lincoln North Star's record now sits at 8-6. As for Omaha Central, their record is now 7-11.

Lincoln North Star beat Omaha Central 7-4 in their previous meeting back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Navigators since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.