The Niles Vikings will head out on the road to square off against the Paw Paw Red Wolves at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Niles' pitching crew has only allowed 2.7 runs per game this season, so Paw Paw's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Niles is headed into the contest having just posted their closest victory since April 19th on Saturday. They skirted past Portage Central 7-5.
Meanwhile, Paw Paw entered their tilt with Coloma on Thursday with two consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with three. They put the hurt on the Comets with a sharp 14-7 win. 14 seems to be a good number for the Red Wolves as the team scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Caden Bowen made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching two innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those two stolen bases gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Paw Paw got a massive performance out of Andrew Lehto, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with six RBI, two runs, and one triple. Those four hits gave Lehto a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ryan Holmes, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, one stolen base, and one RBI.
Paw Paw kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 16 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Paw Paw pushed their record up to 20-6 with the win, which was their 16th straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Niles, their record now sits at 18-4.
Niles was able to grind out a solid win over Paw Paw in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, winning 7-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
