The Bellevue West Thunderbirds will head out on the road to square off against the Kearney Bearcats at 2:00 p.m. on Thursday. Kearney took a loss in their last contest and will be looking to turn the tables on Bellevue West, who comes in off a win.
Bellevue West will bounce into Thursday's game after beating Grand Island, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Thunderbirds skirted past the Islanders 9-8. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Thunderbirds have posted since September 16th.
Grace Veik was a major factor no matter where she played. On the mound, she struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up five earned (and three unearned) runs off ten hits. Veik was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with three RBI and one double.
In other batting news, Aubrey Busch was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, two doubles, and two RBI. That's the most doubles she has posted since back in August. Jaycee Woodard was another key player, going 2-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.
Bellevue West always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Kearney fell victim to Bellevue East and their airtight pitching crew on Wednesday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Chieftains. Having soared to a lofty 11 runs in the game before, the Bearcats' shutout was a dramatic turnaround.
Bellevue West's record is now 10-21. As for Kearney, their defeat ended a four-game streak of away wins and brought them to 25-12.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Thursday. Bellevue West hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.5 home runs per game. However, it's not like Kearney struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.4 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Bellevue West couldn't quite get it done against Kearney in their previous meeting on Wednesday as they fell 11-8. Can the Thunderbirds avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
