Platte Valley will face off against the Wayne Blue Devils at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Platte Valley has four straight victories, Wayne has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Platte Valley's pitching crew heads into the game hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Thursday. They walked away with a 5-0 win over Plattsmouth.
The result came thanks to Carson Hollst's shutout, as he gave up just four hits and racked up eight Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
| 04/30/26 vs Plattsmouth | 2 |
| 04/28/26 vs Arlington | 1 |
| 04/27/26 @ Palmyra | 3 |
| 04/25/26 vs Mount Michael Benedictine | 1 |
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Hunter Hatzenbuelher, who went 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last four games he's played. Another player making a difference was Wave Cerny, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one stolen base and one run.
Platte Valley hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. The team has now struck out at least five batters in five consecutive matchups.
Meanwhile, Wayne didn't have quite enough to beat Lincoln Lutheran on Friday and fell 7-6.
Jaxson Kneifl made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with two runs, one stolen base, and one RBI. Wayne is 6-1 when Kneifl posts two or more runs, but 7-11 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Adrian Contreras, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.
Wayne's loss dropped their record down to 13-12. As for Platte Valley, their victory bumped their record up to 19-2.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Saturday as neither team is afraid to steal. Platte Valley has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wayne struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.4 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
