The Alleman Pioneers will venture away from home to square off against the Sterling Golden Warriors at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday. Alleman is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.
Alleman barely beat Mercer County the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Pioneers blew past the Golden Eagles 15-8 on Tuesday. The win was familiar territory for the Pioneers, who have now won three contests in a row.
Kelly Honert looked comfortable as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. What's more, he posted two strikeouts, the most he's had since back in March.

Will Bowers
04/29/25 @ Mercer County | 3 |
04/12/25 vs St. Bede | 1 |
04/09/25 @ East Moline United | 1 |
03/24/25 vs Stillman Valley | 1 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Will Bowers, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, three doubles, and three RBI. Those three doubles gave him a new career-high. Adam VanMeighem was another key player, going 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, three runs, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, after soaring to 12 runs the game before, Sterling was a bit more limited in their matchup on Monday. They fell 4-1 to Alleman. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Sterling saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Lincoln Davis, who went 2-for-3 with one triple. That triple marked the first that Davis has hit this season.
Alleman pushed their record up to 17-7 with the victory, which was their third straight on the road. Those road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Sterling, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-15 record this season.
Alleman was able to grind out a solid victory over Sterling in their previous meeting on Monday, winning 4-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pioneers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.