Platte Valley will venture away from home to take on the Ralston Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
While Platte Valley's win against Nebraska City wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Platte Valley had just enough and edged out Nebraska City 3-2 on Friday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory Platte Valley has posted against Nebraska City since March 25, 2023.
| 04/18/25 vs Nebraska City | 2 |
| 04/15/25 @ Beatrice | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Platteview | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Douglas County West | 1 |
| 03/24/25 vs Malcolm | 1 |
Jack Johnson and Hunter Williams did most of the damage at the plate: Johnson went 2-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI, while Williams went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run. Those two hits gave Williams a new career-high.
Meanwhile, Ralston got themselves on the board against Platteview on Thursday, but Platteview never followed suit. They walked away with a 4-0 win over the Trojans.
Not much got past Dallas Whetzal, who gave up just four hits to keep Platteview off the board. Whetzal has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Brayden Vandervort was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one triple, and one run. That triple was his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Cade Stix, who went 1-for-2 with two runs and one stolen base.
Ralston has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won six of their last seven contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 11-4 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.4 runs on average over those games. As for Platte Valley, with the win, they broke their three-game losing streak and moved their record to 5-10.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Platte Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Ralston struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 4.5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Platte Valley couldn't quite finish off Ralston in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 and fell 6-4. Can Platte Valley avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
