Millard North hasn't had much luck against Creighton Prep recently, but that could start to change on Saturday. The Mustangs will take on the Junior Jays in a tournament on Saturday. Millard North's pitching crew has only allowed 3.8 runs per game this season, so Creighton Prep's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Millard North is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Millard West, who was ranked third at the time (Millard North was ranked ninth). The Mustangs fell just short of the Wildcats by a score of 2-0 on Thursday. The match marked the first time this season in which the Mustangs were not able to get on the board.
Brandon Berge was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 7.1 innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits.
Millard South typically has all the answers at home, but on Friday Creighton Prep proved too difficult a challenge. They skirted past the Patriots 3-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Junior Jays have posted since April 23rd.
Creighton Prep also got a great performance from Braden Caito as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over 4.2 innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts Caito has posted over his last four contests.
At the plate, Logan Burchfiel was excellent, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That's the most stolen bases he has posted over his last 17 games. The team also got some help courtesy of Liam Smithberg, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one RBI.
Creighton Prep has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 16-12 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Millard North, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 15-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Millard North has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.4 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Creighton Prep struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Millard North came up short against Creighton Prep in their previous meeting on Tuesday, falling 8-3. Can the Mustangs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
