The Adams Central Patriots will challenge the Holdrege Dusters at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Adams Central is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Adams Central is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Platteview, who was ranked 21st at the time (Adams Central was ranked 23rd). The Patriots never let the Trojans get on the board and left with a 4-0 victory on Monday.
Kowen Rader
| 04/07/25 vs Platteview | 9 |
| 04/01/25 @ Holdrege | 8 |
| 03/28/25 @ Burke | 6 |
| 04/09/24 vs Seward | 5 |
| 03/21/25 @ Wayne | 3 |
Kowen Rader made a splash no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out nine over seven innings pitched. Those nine strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Kaleb Wahlmeier was excellent, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2024.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Holdrege, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Friday. They put the hurt on Maxwell with a sharp 12-2 win on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Dusters, who have now won three contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Like Adams Central, Holdrege also got a great game from a two-way player: Kegan Steinke. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out 11 over five innings pitched. Steinke was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base. He is becoming a predictor of Holdrege's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 0-4 when he doesn't).
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Nick Weides, who scored three runs and stole three bases while going 1-for-3. Holdrege is 2-1 when Weides posts two or more runs, but 1-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Hudson Otto, who scored a run while getting on base in all three of his plate appearances.
Holdrege's victory bumped their record up to 3-4. As for Adams Central, their win bumped their record up to 9-3.
Holdrege's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Adams Central hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .323. It's a different story for Holdrege, though, as they've only averaged .254. Will they be able to contain Adams Central's hitters?
Adams Central took their victory against Holdrege when the teams last played last Tuesday by a conclusive 6-0 score. Will the Patriots repeat their success, or do the Dusters have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
