The Fort Calhoun Pioneers will venture away from home to challenge the Central City Bison at 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Central City took a loss in their last matchup and will be looking to turn the tables on Fort Calhoun, who comes in off a win.
Fort Calhoun took an eight-run loss the last time they faced off against Yutan-Mead, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Pioneers sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 win over the Patriots on Monday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Pioneers have posted since August 23rd.
The team relied heavily on Emily Warfield, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since September 4th.
Fort Calhoun hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in nine consecutive games.
Meanwhile, Central City might've scored the first runs on Saturday, but it was NEN who claimed the real prize. The Bison fell just short of NEN by a score of 3-2. Having soared to a lofty 15 runs in the game before, the Bison couldn't push the score so high this time.
Payton Burbach was huge while hitting and pitching even without the win. She looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off two hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than two walks in ten consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three stolen bases, one run, and one double.
Burbach wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Deja Fothergill, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with one run.
Fort Calhoun's win was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 12-5. Those road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.7 runs on average over those games. As for Central City, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-5.
Tuesday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Fort Calhoun hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .336. However, it's not like Central City struggles in that department as they've averaged .378. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Everything went Fort Calhoun's way against Central City in their previous meeting back in October of 2024, as Fort Calhoun made off with a 10-2 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pioneers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
