Millard South is a perfect 7-0 against Bryan since March of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Thursday. The Patriots will take on the Bears in a tournament on Thursday. Millard South is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Millard South is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Millard West, who was ranked 13th at the time (Millard South was ranked second). The Patriots came out on top against the Wildcats by a score of 8-4 on Tuesday. The victory was familiar territory for the Patriots, who have now won three matches in a row.
Noah Haakinson
| 04/15/25 @ Millard West | 6 |
| 04/11/25 vs Lincoln East | 4 |
| 04/07/25 vs Elkhorn North | 3 |
| 04/01/25 @ Westview | 7 |
Noah Haakinson looked comfortable as he struck out six batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). That's the most strikeouts he has posted over his last four contests.
On the hitting side, Millard South let Brady Perich and Blake McAndrews run wild. Perich scored two runs while going 4-for-5, while McAndrews went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run. Those two stolen bases gave McAndrews a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Braden Swaney, who went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Millard South kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their hit total in four consecutive games.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, Bryan made sure to put some runs up on the board against Buena Vista on Wednesday. The Bears blew past the Bison 14-8. The Bears might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five contests by six runs or more this season.
Turner Marlowe was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out six batters over 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Bryan is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 2-10 otherwise. Marlowe was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-4.
In other batting news, Bryce Urban was a standout: he scored two runs and stole a base while going 3-for-4. Bryan is 4-2 when Urban posts two or more runs, but 1-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Westin Williams, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.
Millard South's win was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 14-3. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Bryan, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-10.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Millard South hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .353. However, it's not like Bryan struggles in that department as they've averaged .329. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Millard South's way against Bryan when the teams last played back in March of 2019, as Millard South made off with a 32-4 victory. Do the Patriots have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Bears turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
