The Omaha Central Eagles will venture away from home to take on the Papillion-LaVista South Titans at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Omaha Central has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with three straight losses, while Papillion-LaVista South will come in with seven straight wins.
Tuesday just wasn't the day for Omaha Central's offense. They came up short against Millard North on Tuesday, falling 11-0. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest defeat the Eagles have suffered since March 29th.
Meanwhile, Papillion-LaVista South faced Skutt Catholic in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Monday. The Titans walked away with a 5-1 victory over the SkyHawks. That's two games straight that the Titans have won by exactly four runs.
Danny Wallace and Michael Jellen made a splash no matter where they played. On the mound, Wallace tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Jellen didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over five innings pitched. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Wallace went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two runs, while Jellen went 1-for-4 with one home run. That's the most runs Wallace has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cordell Clinkingbeard, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season.
Papillion-LaVista South pushed their record up to 13-3 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Omaha Central, their loss dropped their record down to 7-9.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Omaha Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Papillion-LaVista South struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Omaha Central suffered a grim 15-5 defeat to Papillion-LaVista South in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Can the Eagles avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
