The Kohler Blue Bombers will head out on the road to square off against the Howards Grove Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Kohler is coming into the matchup on a three-game losing streak.
Things were looking good for Kohler after they put the first runs on the board on Monday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of New Berlin Eisenhower by a score of 5-4.
Nolan Kading was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over five innings pitched. Furthermore, he didn't allow a single earned run, the first time he has blanked an opponent since back in April of 2024.
At the plate, Kohler saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kaden Harrington, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Collin Thorne also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Howards Grove). Everything went their way against Manitowoc Lutheran on Monday as they made off with a 10-4 victory. The Tigers haven't had any issues with the Lancers recently, as the game was their fourth consecutive win against them.
Howards Grove got a massive performance out of Braven Wilson, who scored two runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-3. Those two runs gave Wilson a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Mason Scharl, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-3.
Howards Grove's victory bumped their record up to 2-5. As for Kohler, their loss dropped their record down to 1-3.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Kohler has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Howards Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.3 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Kohler skirted past Howards Grove 5-4 in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Blue Bombers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
