The University Bulldogs are taking a road trip to challenge The Academy Wildcats at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. University will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
University's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They walked away with a 5-0 win over Platte Valley.
Gage Viken
| 05/01/25 vs Platte Valley | 7 |
| 04/22/25 vs Sterling | 10 |
| 04/16/25 vs Brush | 8 |
| 04/05/25 vs The Classical Academy | 6 |
| 03/21/25 @ Delta | 6 |
| 03/11/25 vs Colorado Academy | 6 |
Platte Valley's batters probably weren't too happy with Gage Viken, who pitched a no hitter and racked up seven Ks (he gave up a single walk). Viken has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in six consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Joel Ramirez was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run. Medardo Abrego was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when The Academy challenged Jefferson Academy on Thursday. The Wildcats lost 9-2 to the Jaguars. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last five times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
The Academy saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Alexander Nicholson, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. That double marked the first that Nicholson has hit this season.
University pushed their record up to 16-3 with the victory, which was their seventh straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.9 runs on average over those games. As for The Academy, they have been struggling recently as they've lost six of their last seven matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-13 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. University has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.3 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like The Academy struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
University took their victory against The Academy when the teams last played back in April of 2019 by a conclusive 12-2 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Bulldogs since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
