Kearney is 1-8 against Lincoln East since March of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Saturday. The Bearcats are taking a road trip to face off against the Spartans at 12:30 p.m. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Kearney 4, Lincoln East 2.6) so any runs scored will be well earned.
On Friday, Kearney needed a bit of extra time to put away Waverly. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Vikings, sneaking past 3-2. Winning may never get old, but the Bearcats sure are getting used to it with their third in a row.
Griffin Novacek
| 04/25/25 vs Waverly | 4 |
| 04/21/25 vs Millard West | 3 |
| 04/19/25 vs North Platte | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Lincoln North Star | 2 |
| 04/09/25 @ Lincoln Northeast | 2 |
| + 4 more games |
Griffin Novacek was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted four strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March of 2024. He was even better at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Owen Waha tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off eight hits (and not a single walk). Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
The home team had won the previous five meetings between Lincoln East and Lincoln North Star, and Lincoln East kept the tradition alive. The Spartans walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Navigators on Friday. The Spartans haven't had any issues with the Navigators recently, as the game was their seventh consecutive win against them.
Lincoln East also got a great performance from Greyson Bjorkman as he pitched five innings while giving up just one earned run off one hit. Bjorkman has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Brodie McIntire was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
Lincoln East hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least four batters in five consecutive matches.
Lincoln East pushed their record up to 19-2 with the victory, which was their fifth straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Kearney, their record is now 14-8.
Kearney couldn't quite get it done against Lincoln East when the teams last played last Wednesday as they fell 9-5. Can the Bearcats avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
