The York Dukes will face off against the Holdrege Dusters at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. York is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.8 runs per game this season.
On Tuesday, York earned a 7-3 win over St. Paul/Palmer. The Dukes haven't had any issues with the Wildcats recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive victory against them.
Malekai Conrad got the start for York and what a start it was: he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Emmitt Dirks, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI. That's the most stolen bases he has posted since back in April of 2025.
Meanwhile, while Holdrege put up plenty of runs on Thursday, the same can't be said for Centennial. The Dusters were the clear victors by an 11-0 margin over the Broncos. The Dusters might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won six contests by six runs or more this season.
Grayson Popple made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Holdrege is 4-2 when he allows at most three earned runs, but 3-8 otherwise. Popple was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with four stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
In other batting news, Cam Waldo was incredible, going 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. He has become a key player for Holdrege: the team is 4-2 when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 3-8 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Chance Bailey, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
Holdrege always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .640. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
York's win bumped their record up to 12-6. As for Holdrege, they picked up their first home victory, bumping their record up to 7-10.
Everything went York's way against Holdrege in their previous matchup back in March, as York made off with a 9-1 win. Will the Dukes repeat their success, or do the Dusters have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
