The Northwest Vikings will face off against the Gretna East Griffins at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Northwest is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Hastings, who was ranked ninth at the time (Northwest was ranked second). The Vikings were the clear victors by a 9-2 margin over the Tigers on Saturday. The Vikings are really starting to get used to good results now that the team has won 17 straight.
The team relied heavily on Abby Dinkelman, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one RBI. Another player making a difference was Alexis Glaze, who went 2-for-3 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Northwest was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .323 or higher in 17 consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Gretna East made easy work of Mercy on Saturday and carried off a 10-1 victory. That's two games straight that the Griffins have won by exactly nine runs.
Gretna East also got a great performance from Kendall Johnson as she struck out seven batters over five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits (and only one walk). Johnson has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Emerson Husen was a standout: she went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double. That's the most RBI she has posted over her last 11 contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Aubrey Horst, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and one double.
Gretna East's win bumped their record up to 17-11. As for Northwest, their victory bumped their record up to 19-2.
Both the two teams just can't seem to miss. Northwest has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.7 hits per game. However, it's not like Gretna East struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 5.3 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Northwest's way against Gretna East in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as Northwest made off with an 8-0 win. Do the Vikings have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Griffins turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
