The Bishop Neumann Cavaliers will play host again on Thursday to welcome the Central City Bison, where first pitch is scheduled at 4:00 p.m. Bishop Neumann is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 9.4 runs per game this season.
Bishop Neumann is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Seward, who was ranked 25th in their home state at the time (Bishop Neumann was ranked 13th). Bishop Neumann had just enough and edged Seward out 3-2.
Addison Sylliaasen spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on five hits and racked up ten Ks. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in five consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, Bishop Neumann saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Aubrey Fujan, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-2.
Meanwhile, Central City waltzed into their match on Monday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They put the hurt on the Chanticleers with a sharp 11-3 win. The result was nothing new for the Bison, who have now won eight games by six runs or more so far this season.
Payton Burbach was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she didn't allow a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. What's more, she also racked up two hits, the mostshe's had in her last 18 matchups. She was also big at the plate, scoring three runs and stealing five bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Central City got a massive performance out of Paige Grigsby, who scored two runs while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances. Another player making a difference was Emma Brandes, who scored three runs and stole two bases while getting on base in all three of her plate appearances.
Perhaps unsurprisingly given the score, Central City always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .607. That's a new trend for them: their average OBP was 35.2% earlier this season, but in their last five contests they've averaged 48.3%.
Bishop Neumann is on a roll lately: they've won 13 of their last 14 matches, which provided a nice bump to their 18-2 record this season. As for Central City, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 13-9.
Thursday's game will be a test for both team's pitchers. Bishop Neumann hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of 0. However, it's not like Central City struggles in that department as they've averaged 0. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bishop Neumann skirted past Central City 5-4 in their previous matchup back in October of 2023. Does Bishop Neumann have another victory up their sleeve, or will Central City turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
