Kearney is 4-0 against Bellevue East since April of 2019, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Kearney Bearcats will head out on the road to take on the Bellevue East Chieftains at 4:30 p.m. Each of these teams will be battling to keep a three-game winning streak alive.
Kearney is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Fremont, who was ranked 16th in their home state at the time (Kearney was ranked 19th). Kearney had just enough and edged Fremont out 5-4.
Kegan Brand made a splash no matter where he played. On the mound, he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Brand was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with three RBI and a double.
In other pitching news, Derrick Nonhof looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just two earned runs off seven hits.
Back at the plate, Griffin Novacek was excellent, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. Garrison Burns was another key contributor, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Bellevue East scored the most runs they've had all season to find success on Saturday. Everything went their way against Buena Vista as Bellevue East made off with an 18-1 win. With that victory, Bellevue East brought their scoring average up to 6.3 runs per game.
Like Kearney, Bellevue East also got a great game from a two-way player: Mitchell Goldschmidt. He tossed an inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Goldschmidt has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in three consecutive pitching appearances. Goldschmidt was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Ethan Greenwell, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 3-for-3. Another player making a difference was AJ Lucas, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-1.
Kearney's record now sits at 13-10. As for Bellevue East, they now have a winning record of 13-12.
Kearney skirted past Bellevue East 4-2 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. The rematch might be a little tougher for Kearney since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps