The Gretna East Griffins will take on the Bennington Badgers at 3:30 p.m. on Friday. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Gretna East sitting on four straight wins and Bennington on three.
Gretna East is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Wednesday. They beat Skutt Catholic by the very same score they won with in their prior game: 3-2.
Chase Neneman was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over four innings pitched. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-5 with one run and one RBI.
Colton Kuhl
| 05/21/25 vs Skutt Catholic | 3 |
| 04/11/25 vs Burke | 2 |
| 05/21/25 vs Skutt Catholic | 1 |
| 05/09/25 @ Waverly | 1 |
Neneman wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Colton Kuhl, who went 3-for-6 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those three hits gave Kuhl a new career-high. Another was Tanner Erdkamp, who went 1-for-4 with three stolen bases.
Meanwhile, Bennington faced Gross Catholic in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Wednesday. The Badgers put the hurt on the Cougars with a sharp 11-1 victory. Considering the Badgers have won 15 matchups by more than five runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Connor Smith spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on one hit and racked up eight Ks.
At the plate, Hunter Spencer was incredible, going 3-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. Aidan Smith was another key player, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Bennington's win bumped their record up to 29-4. As for Gretna East, their victory bumped their record up to 21-10.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Gretna East has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Bennington struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.8 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more baseball content.
