Softball Preview: Papillion-LaVista Monarchs vs. Omaha Central Eagles
After four games on the road, Papillion-LaVista is heading back home. They will welcome the Omaha Central Eagles on Monday. Omaha Central took a loss in their last game and will be looking to turn the tables on Papillion-LaVista, who comes in off a win.
Papillion-LaVista is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Norfolk, who was ranked 13th in their home state at the time (Papillion-LaVista was ranked seventh). Papillion-LaVista won by a run and slipped past Norfolk 11-10. The pitching woes were uncharacteristic for the Monarchs, who until this match were averaging 3.81 runs allowed.
Reese Haberer was a standout: she fired off two home runs and five RBI while going 2-for-5. The dominant performance also gave her a new career-high in hits. Another player making a difference was Maizey Carpenter, who went 3-for-5 with a home run, three RBI, and three RBI.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Papillion-LaVista kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 20 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, after some red-hot attacks at the plate in their last four matchups, Omaha Central finally came back down to earth on Tuesday. They lost 8-0 to Bellevue East. The contest marked the first time this season in which the Eagles were not able to get on the board.
Omaha Central saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ada Jantzen, who went 1-for-2 with a triple.
Papillion-LaVista's win ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 19-8. As for Omaha Central, they dropped their record down to 13-11 with the defeat, which was their fourth straight on the road.
Monday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Papillion-LaVista hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Omaha Central struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Papillion-LaVista took their victory against Omaha Central in their previous meeting back in August of 2021 by a conclusive 10-0. Will Papillion-LaVista repeat their success, or does Omaha Central have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
