For the first time this season, Hastings will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will venture away from home to take on the Norris Titans at 3:00 p.m. on Friday. Norris took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Hastings, who comes in off a win.
Hastings was handed a eight-run loss in their previous outing, but that didn't affect their clutch gene on Tuesday. They won by a run and slipped past Elkhorn North 5-4.
Tucker Synek looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Hastings saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Isaiah Shaw, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Carlos Jimenez also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Meanwhile, Thursday just wasn't the day for Norris' offense. They fell just short of Waverly by a score of 2-0 on Thursday. The Titans' defeat signaled the end of their seven-game winning streak.
Anden Papik was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out nine batters over 6.1 innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits (and only one walk).
Hastings has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six games. That's provided a massive bump to their 8-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.3 runs over those games. As for Norris, their loss dropped their record down to 13-3.
Hastings came up short against Norris when the teams last played back in March of 2024, falling 5-1. Can the Tigers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
