The Grand Island Islanders will take on the Papillion-LaVista South Titans at 2:00 p.m. on Friday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Grand Island barely beat Norfolk the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Islanders' pitchers stepped up to hand the Panthers a 9-0 shutout on Thursday. The victory was familiar territory for the Islanders, who have now won three matchups in a row.
Miles Nelson tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over five innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up a single earned run in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Sam Schroeder, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Broxton Barrientos, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3.
Meanwhile, Papillion-LaVista South entered their tilt with Buena Vista on Thursday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They were the clear victors by a 17-0 margin over the Bison. The Titans' hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Grayson Wallace looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
On the hitting side, Papillion-LaVista South got a massive performance out of Tye McDougal, who went 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and two RBI. Those two RBI gave McDougal a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Tyler Andringa, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with four RBI, one triple, and one run.
Papillion-LaVista South kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Buena Vista only managed one hit.
Papillion-LaVista South's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 10-3. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Grand Island, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.
Both Grand Island and Papillion-LaVista South just can't seem to miss. The Islanders have been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.5 hits per game. However, it's not like Papillion-LaVista South struggles in that department as they've been averaging only 4.8 hits. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Grand Island couldn't quite finish off Papillion-LaVista South in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 3-1. Will the Islanders have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
