Baseball Game Preview: Van Buren Black Knights vs. Lakota Raiders

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Previous 4 Games

04/22/25 - Away	12-2 W
04/13/24 - Home	6-5 W
04/15/23 - Away	12-2 W
04/16/22 - Home	11-2 W

Van Buren is a perfect 4-0 against Lakota since April of 2022 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Black Knights will face off against the Raiders at 2:00 p.m. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with Van Buren sitting on eight straight victories and Lakota on four.

Van Buren had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the ten-run drubbing they dealt Lima Senior last Monday. The Black Knights put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 11-1 win. The Black Knights might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 15 matchups by seven runs or more this season.

Meanwhile, Lakota won against Carey on Friday with six runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. The Raiders' pitcher stepped up to hand St. Joseph Central Catholic a 6-0 shutout.

The result came thanks to Jack Widman's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one walk in eight consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Lakota's victory was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Grant Bomer, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI. Hunter Sweeney was another, earning three RBI.

Lakota hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as St. Joseph Central Catholic struck out 11 times.

Lakota pushed their record up to 14-10 with the win, which was their fifth straight at home. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.4 runs over those games. As for Van Buren, their win bumped their record up to 24-2.

Van Buren took their victory against Lakota in their previous meeting back in April by a conclusive 12-2 score. Do the Black Knights have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.