Pius X faced Seward in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Monday. The Thunderbolts came out on top against the Bluejays by a score of 7-3. For the Thunderbolts, this counts as revenge for the 11-5 victory the Bluejays walked away with the last time they faced one another back in April of 2025.
Kai Vanis
| 04/13/26 @ Seward | 2 |
| 03/30/26 vs Norris | 1 |
| 03/27/26 vs Standing Bear | 1 |
| 04/29/25 vs Waverly | 2 |
Kai Vanis made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2025. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other pitching news, Caleb Davis looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has become a key player for Pius X: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-4 otherwise.
Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Anthony Iburg, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those four hits gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Samuel Aschwege, who went a perfect 1-for-1 with two RBI and one run.
Pius X kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Seward only managed six.
Pius X pushed their record up to 5-5 with the win, which was their sixth straight on the road dating back to last season. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Seward, with the defeat, they broke their three-game winning streak and moved their record to 9-4.
We've got plenty of inter-district action coming up soon. Pius X is set to challenge their familiar foe Concordia/Brownell/Omaha Christian Academy at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Meanwhile, Seward will face off against rival Adams Central at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday.
