vs
| 03/28/25 - Home | 1-3 L |
| 04/23/24 - Away | 0-6 L |
| 04/25/23 - Home | 8-5 W |
| 03/24/23 - Away | 5-2 W |
| 04/26/22 - Away | 14-4 W |
| + 5 more games |
Pius X and Waverly are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Thunderbolts will be playing in front of their home fans against the Vikings at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Pius X will be strutting in after a win while Waverly will be coming in after a loss.
Pius X will roll into the contest after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Saturday, then bounced right back against Hastings on Monday. The Thunderbolts came out on top against the Tigers by a score of 12-8.
Hayden Huggins looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Jake Bugbee, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one RBI. Kai Vanis was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs and one stolen base.
Pius X always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .524. The last time their OBP was this high was back in March.
Meanwhile, Waverly faced Grand Island in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Saturday. The Vikings fell just short of the Islanders by a score of 2-0. The game marked the first time this year in which the Vikings were not able to get on the board.
Codey Nienhueser was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he pitched 5.2 innings while giving up just two earned runs off three hits. That's the fewest earned runs he has allowed over his last three matches.
Waverly's defeat ended a four-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 17-7. As for Pius X, their victory bumped their record up to 8-11.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Pius X has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.8 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Waverly struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Pius X couldn't quite finish off Waverly in their previous matchup back in March and fell 3-1. Can the Thunderbolts avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
