Baseball Game Preview: Grafton Black Hawks vs. West Bend East Suns

Grafton and West Bend East are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Black Hawks will be playing at home against the Suns at 4:45 p.m. on Monday. The timing is sure in Grafton's favor as the team sits on nine straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while West Bend East has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road also dating back to last season.

While Grafton didn't have the best season last year (they finished 13-16), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They walked away with a 6-3 win over Superior on Friday.

Luke Michalak looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched.

Zachary Plier

Hits

04/11/25 vs Superior	3
04/09/25 vs Ozaukee	2
04/08/25 vs Catholic Memorial	2
04/03/25 vs Living Word Lutheran	2
05/23/24 vs Port Washington	1
+ 7 more games

On the hitting side, Zachary Plier was incredible, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. That's the most hits he has posted since back in May of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Will Heinz, who scored two runs while going 1-for-3.

Meanwhile, after only one run in their last match, West Bend East made sure to put some runs up on the board against Oshkosh West on Saturday. The Suns were the clear victors by a 17-7 margin over the Wildcats. The high-scoring performance was a welcome turnaround for the Suns' hitters, who had struggled in the games prior.

Grafton's victory bumped their record up to 4-0. As for West Bend East, their win (their first of the season) made their record 1-2.

Grafton came up short against West Bend East when the teams last played back in April of 2024, falling 5-2. Can the Black Hawks avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.