The Holdrege Dusters will venture away from home to take on the Adams Central Patriots at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Holdrege will roll into the matchup after a wild two-game stretch: they didn't score any runs on Friday, then bounced right back against Maxwell on Tuesday. The Dusters put the hurt on the Wildcats with a sharp 12-2 victory. The result was nothing new for the Dusters, who have now won three games by six runs or more so far this season.
Kegan Steinke
| 03/21/25 vs Aurora | 3 |
| 04/08/25 vs Maxwell | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Fairbury | 2 |
Kegan Steinke was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Steinke was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base. He has become a key player for Holdrege: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 0-4 otherwise.
In other batting news, Nick Weides was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing three bases while going 1-for-3. Holdrege is 2-1 when Weides posts two or more runs, but 1-3 otherwise. Hudson Otto also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Adams Central faced Platteview in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Monday. The Patriots came out on top against the Trojans by a score of 4-0. The win was nothing new for the Patriots as they're now sitting on five straight.
Like Holdrege, Adams Central also got a great game from a two-way player: Kowen Rader. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Rader has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Kaleb Wahlmeier, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Holdrege's record now sits at 3-4. As for Adams Central, their record is now 9-3.
Holdrege might still be hurting after the 6-0 loss they got from Adams Central when the teams last played last Tuesday. Can the Dusters avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
