The Holdrege Dusters will head out to take on the York Dukes at 1:00 p.m. on Saturday. Holdrege is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.9 runs per game this season.
Holdrege barely beat Centennial the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Dusters' pitcher stepped up to hand the Broncos an 11-0 shutout on Thursday. The result was nothing new for the Dusters, who have now won six contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Grayson Popple
| 04/30/26 vs Centennial | 6 |
| 03/26/26 @ Aurora | 3 |
| 04/02/26 @ Fairbury | 2 |
| 04/23/26 @ Decatur Community | 1 |
| 04/25/25 @ Crete | 1 |
Grayson Popple was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out six over five innings pitched. Those six strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He 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, the team relied heavily on Cam Waldo, who went 1-for-2 with three stolen bases, two runs, and one double. Holdrege is 4-2 when Waldo posts two or more 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 hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least three batters in three consecutive games.
Meanwhile, York was able to grind out a solid win over St. Paul/Palmer on Tuesday, taking the game 7-3. 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 tossed six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits.
On the hitting side, Emmitt Dirks was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, three runs, and two RBI.
York's record is now 12-6. As for Holdrege, they picked up their first home win, bumping their record up to 7-10.
York's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Holdrege has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .432. It's a different story for York, though, as they've only averaged .356. Will they be able to contain Holdrege's hitters?
Holdrege suffered a grim 9-1 defeat to York in their previous meeting back in March. Can the Dusters avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
