The Norfolk Panthers will face off against the Omaha Central Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the match bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Norfolk needed a bit of extra time to put away Lincoln Northeast. They came out on top against the Rockets by a score of 6-3.
Ethan Synovec
| 04/22/25 @ Lincoln Northeast | 7 |
| 04/03/25 vs Lincoln Southwest | 6 |
| 04/15/25 vs Fremont | 5 |
| 03/27/25 @ Lincoln North Star | 4 |
| 03/20/25 vs Columbus | 4 |
Ethan Synovec was a major factor while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned run off three hits. Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and one run.
Synovec wasn't the only one making solid contact as two players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Maddox Magnussen, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one RBI.
Meanwhile, while Omaha Central put up some runs on Tuesday, the same can't be said for Omaha Northwest. The Eagles blew past the Huskies 10-0. Considering the Eagles have won six contests by more than nine runs this season, Tuesday's blowout was nothing new.
Grant Hamill tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out six over five innings pitched. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Omaha Central is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 7-10 otherwise.
On the hitting side, Luke Neujahr was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one double. Theo Puls was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one run.
Omaha Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .417. The team's really been improving in that area: they've now improved their batting average total in four consecutive games.
Omaha Central's win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 9-11. As for Norfolk, their victory ended a five-game drought on the road and puts them at 5-12.
Norfolk beat Omaha Central 6-1 when the teams last played back in March of 2023. Do the Panthers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Eagles turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
