Grand Island is 2-8 against Kearney since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Islanders will head out on the road to challenge the Bearcats at 2:00 p.m. The last five games Grand Island has played have been within two runs, so don't be surprised if it's a close one.
Grand Island took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Friday. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-0 victory over Omaha South.
Omaha South's batters probably weren't too happy with Brock Cushing, who pitched a no hitter and racked up nine Ks (he gave up two walks). Cushing has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Grand Island saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Sam Dinkelman, who went 1-for-2 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Kearney entered their tilt with Omaha North on Friday with five consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with six. They put the hurt on the Vikings with a sharp 10-1 win.
Owen Waha spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on five hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Griffin Novacek, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with four runs, two stolen bases, and three RBI. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. Gunner DeMilt was another key player, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one double.
Grand Island is on a roll lately: they've won ten of their last 13 contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 18-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Kearney, they pushed their record up to 21-9 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home.
Grand Island came up short against Kearney in their previous meeting back in April, falling 7-4. Can the Islanders avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
