The Skutt Catholic SkyHawks will take on the Hastings Tigers at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday. Skutt Catholic's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Hastings' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Skutt Catholic's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed last Friday. They were the clear victors by a 7-0 margin over Concordia/Brownell/Omaha Christian Academy. Considering the SkyHawks have won 14 contests by more than five runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Skutt Catholic let Dylan Van Dyke and Joe Kolega run wild. Van Dyke got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI, while Kolega went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. That's the most stolen bases Kolega has posted since back in April of 2024. Cooper Smith was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
Meanwhile, Hastings had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 12.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Saturday. They skirted past the Rams 12-10. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Tigers have posted since April 15th.
Hastings also got a great performance from Eli Schneider as he tossed 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. Schneider has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Chance Vertin was a standout: he went 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Hastings is 5-1 when Vertin posts two or more runs, but 8-10 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Isaiah Shaw, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Hastings kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are a perfect 5-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Skutt Catholic pushed their record up to 22-5 with the victory, which was their 15th straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Hastings, their victory bumped their record up to 13-11.
Skutt Catholic skirted past Hastings 5-3 in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the SkyHawks since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
