The Central City/Centura Kernels will face off against the Wayne Blue Devils at 11:00 a.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Wayne will take on a team with plenty of momentum: Central City/Centura extended their winning streak to 11 on Thursday. Everything went the Kernels' way against Lincoln Lutheran as they made off with a 10-4 victory.
Colter Lueders was excellent, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Quinn Jensen also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Wayne made easy work of Tekamah-Herman on Thursday and carried off an 11-1 win. The victory was familiar territory for the Blue Devils, who have now won five matchups in a row.
Jaxson Kneifl was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in seven consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Alex Rodriguez was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Drew Reinhardt was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and one RBI.
Wayne was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .480. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in three consecutive games.
Central City/Centura's win was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-0. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.4 runs on average over those games. As for Wayne, their win bumped their record up to 12-5.
Both Central City/Centura and Wayne just can't seem to miss. The Kernels have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 8.9 hits per game. However, it's not like Wayne struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.2 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Central City/Centura took their victory against Wayne when the teams last played back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 15-4 score. Do the Kernels have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Blue Devils turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
