The Millard South Patriots will challenge the Omaha Westside Warriors at 10:00 a.m. on Thursday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Millard South 2.5, Omaha Westside 3) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Millard South is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They were the clear victors by a 17-4 margin over Millard West on Tuesday. The win was familiar territory for the Patriots, who have now won three matchups in a row.
Jaxson Appuhn was incredible, scoring four runs and stealing a base while going 3-for-3. That's the most runs he has posted since back in March of 2024. Braden Swaney was another key player, scoring three runs and stealing a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Millard South always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Omaha Westside didn't have quite enough to beat Creighton Prep on Tuesday and fell 4-3. The Warriors haven't had much luck with the Junior Jays recently, as the team has come up short the last eight times they've met.
Markus Chandler put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he struck out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off one hit. He is becoming a predictor of Omaha Westside's success: when he allows at most one earned run the team is 2-1 (and 1-5 when he doesn't). Chandler was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Tre Savoie was cooking despite his team's loss, scoring a run while going 1-for-2.
Millard South pushed their record up to 10-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. As for Omaha Westside, their loss dropped their record down to 3-6.
Omaha Westside's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Millard South has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .473. It's a different story for Omaha Westside, though, as they've only averaged .351. Will they be able to contain Millard South's hitters?
Millard South couldn't quite get it done against Omaha Westside in their previous meeting back in March of 2024 as they fell 7-3. Can the Patriots avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
