The Elkhorn South Storm will face off against the Millard South Patriots at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Tuesday, Elkhorn South needed a bit of extra time to put away Papillion-LaVista. They walked away with a 9-4 win over the Monarchs. The game was the first time the Storm have beaten the Monarchs on their field since April 8, 2019.
Mason Ek
| 04/29/25 @ Papillion-LaVista | 3 |
| 04/10/25 @ Millard North | 2 |
| 04/25/25 vs Omaha Westside | 1 |
| 04/19/25 vs Papillion-LaVista South | 1 |
Mason Ek looked comfortable as he pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in strikeouts (three).
At the plate, Elkhorn South let Tyler Lofdahl and Johnny Cotten run wild. Lofdahl went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases and one RBI, while Cotten got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Those two runs gave Cotten a new career-high. Markus Gorup was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Millard South waltzed into their matchup on Tuesday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They were the clear victors by an 11-1 margin over the Panthers. The result was nothing new for the Patriots, who have now won 12 games by ten runs or more so far this season.
Jacob Altstadt looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Blake McAndrews was excellent, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Another player making a difference was Will Thomas, who went 2-for-3 with two runs and two RBI.
Millard South was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .450. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .450 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Elkhorn South is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-8 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Millard South, their record now sits at 19-7.
Elkhorn South skirted past Millard South 1-0 when the teams last played two weeks ago. Do the Storm have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Patriots turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
