The Kearney Bearcats will square off against the Hastings Tigers at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Kearney's pitching crew has only allowed four runs per game this season, so Hastings' hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Kearney gave up the first runs on Wednesday, but they didn't let that get them down. They walked away with a 5-1 victory over Standing Bear. The win made it back-to-back victories for the Bearcats.
Derrick Nonhof
| 03/22/25 vs Fremont | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Grand Island | 2 |
| 04/23/25 vs Lincoln Southeast | 2 |
| 03/26/25 @ Lee's Summit West | 3 |
| 04/05/25 vs Papillion-LaVista | 3 |
Derrick Nonhof spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on two hits and racked up six Ks. Those six strikeouts set a new season-high mark for him.
At the plate, Kearney got a big performance out of Kole Throckmorton, who went 2-for-4 with three RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most RBI Throckmorton has posted over his last 14 contests. The team also got some help courtesy of Bryce Andersen, who got on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run and one double.
Meanwhile, Hastings had to endure a four-game losing streak, but that streak is no more. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Holdrege a 6-0 shutout on Tuesday.
The result came thanks to Ben Wibbels's shutout, as he gave up just a hit and racked up 12 Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Hastings is 3-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 7-9 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Tucker Synek was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. Clayten Arlt was another key player, getting on base in all three of his plate appearances with one run and one double.
Kearney's win bumped their record up to 17-9. As for Hastings, the victory got them back to even at 10-10.
Kearney took their win against Hastings in their previous matchup back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 12-0 score. Will the Bearcats repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
