Fort Calhoun hasn't had much luck against Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Pioneers will head out on the road to square off against Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer at 4:30 p.m.
Fort Calhoun is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Nebraska's top teams: Gross Catholic, who was ranked 17th at the time (Fort Calhoun was ranked 22nd). The Pioneers fell 8-4 to the Cougars on Saturday. The Pioneers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Kenny Wellwood made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-4 with one triple, one run, and one RBI. That triple marked the first that he hit this season.
Meanwhile, it may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer ultimately got the result they hoped for on Thursday. They walked away with a 16-13 victory over Douglas County West. Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer's hitters stepped up their game for this one, as that was the most runs they've scored all season.
Isaac Guenther was a major factor no matter where he played. He struck out ten batters over five innings while giving up three earned (and three unearned) runs off seven hits. Guenther was also big at the plate, scoring two runs and stealing a base while getting on base in four of his six plate appearances. He has become a key player for Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer: the team is 3-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 1-5 otherwise.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Cody Hass, who scored four runs and stole a base while going 3-for-5. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Toelle, who scored two runs and stole a base while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.
Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .571. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Douglas County West only posted an OBP of .378.
Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer's win ended a four-game drought on the road dating back to last season and puts them at 4-6. As for Fort Calhoun, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Monday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Fort Calhoun has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.7 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 7.7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Fort Calhoun couldn't quite get it done against Guardian Angels Central Catholic/West Point Beemer in their previous matchup back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Can the Pioneers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
