Baseball Game Preview: Elkhorn Antlers vs. Blair Bears

Antlers

Runs

03/28/25 vs Crete	11
03/28/25 vs Fremont	4
03/27/25 @ Skutt Catholic	2
03/25/25 @ Platte Valley	10
03/24/25 vs Gretna East	2
03/22/25 vs Bellevue East	11

Elkhorn has gone 9-1 against Blair recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Monday. Elkhorn will face off against Blair at 4:30 p.m. Elkhorn is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.7 runs per game this season.

Elkhorn had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 11-run drubbing they dealt Crete on Friday. Elkhorn's pitchers stepped up to hand Crete an 11-0 shutout. That 11 run margin sets a new team best for the Antlers this season.

Elkhorn let Paxton Stracke and Slade Waggoner run wild. Stracke went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, four RBI, and one double, while Waggoner went 2-for-3 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI Stracke has posted since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Caiden Severson, who scored two runs while going 1-for-1.

Elkhorn was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .391. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Crete only posted a batting average of .105.

Meanwhile, Blair was not able to break out of their rough patch on Thursday as the team picked up their fourth straight loss dating back to last season. They came up short against Platteview, falling 11-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Bears have suffered since April 23, 2024.

Blair saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Nelson Kosch, who scored a run while going 1-for-3.

Elkhorn has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 4-2 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. Blair's loss dropped their record down to 0-3.

Elkhorn came out on top in a nail-biter against Blair when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for Elkhorn since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.