The North Platte Bulldogs will face off against the Crete Cardinals at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday.
Saturday just wasn't the day for North Platte's offense. They came up short against Bellevue West on Saturday, falling 10-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Bulldogs have suffered since April 18th.
North Platte saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Thomas Hagert, who went 1-for-2 with one stolen base.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last matchup, Crete made sure to put some runs up on the board against Aurora on Friday. The Cardinals blew past the Huskies 14-4. Considering the Cardinals have won nine games by more than six runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Brooks Piening made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Crete: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 7-11 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Patton Svitak, who went 2-for-3 with three runs, four RBI, and one stolen base. Those three runs gave him a new career-high. Nick Wendt was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
Crete's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-11. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.3 runs over those games. As for North Platte, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost 11 of their last 14 contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 6-15 record this season.
