Baseball Recap: Bureau Valley Takes a Loss

Bureau Valley extended their losing streak to four on Thursday, dropping their season record down to 18-8 in the process. They came up short against the Alleman Pioneers, falling 11-1. The Storm were not able to make up for their defeat to the Pioneers from their previous meeting back in May of 2024.

As for Alleman, the win (which was their third in a row) raised their record to 21-8. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for they considering their two-run performance the matchup before.

For Alleman's part, Cael Kuster made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing five innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. The dominant performance also gave Kuster a new career-high in strikeouts (five). He was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Will Bowers, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, three runs, and one stolen base. That home run marked the first that he has launched this season. Another player making a difference was Gavin Wilburn, who went 2-for-3 with two RBI and one run.

Looking ahead, Bureau Valley will head out to face off against Morrison at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The Storm's pitchers better be ready for this one: the Mustangs have averaged an impressive 8 runs per game this season. As for Alleman, they will host Fulton at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The timing is sure in the Pioneers' favor as the team sits on four straight wins at home while the Steamers have been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.