The Elkhorn South Storm will head out on the road to square off against the Bellevue West Thunderbirds at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both teams are coming into the match red-hot, with Elkhorn South sitting on four straight victories and Bellevue West on seven.
On Wednesday, Elkhorn South faced Elkhorn in a battle between two of the state's top teams. Everything went Elkhorn South's way against Elkhorn as Elkhorn South made off with an 8-2 win. That six run margin sets a new team best for Elkhorn South this season.
Luke Hoskinson looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits (he also didn't allow any walks). Carson Opitz relieved him and did a solid job, tossing four innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits (he also didn't allow any walks).
On the hitting side, Brooks Berliner was excellent, scoring a run while going 2-for-3. Kobe Eikmeier was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Meanwhile, Bellevue West was able to grind out a solid victory over Millard South on Wednesday, taking the game 4-1.
Bellevue West's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Nick Glantz, who went 1-for-2 with an RBI.
Elkhorn South's victory was their ninth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-2. As for Bellevue West, their win bumped their record up to 7-0.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both teams have some strikeout artists on the roster. Elkhorn South has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bellevue West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 9. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Elkhorn South was able to grind out a solid victory over Bellevue West in their previous meeting back in May of 2023, winning 6-3. Does Elkhorn South have another victory up their sleeve, or will Bellevue West turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
