Baseball Game Preview: Watertown-Mayer Royals vs. Central Raiders

The Watertown-Mayer Royals are taking a road trip to square off against the Central Raiders at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Watertown-Mayer has given up an average of 7.5 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Howard Lake-Waverly-Winsted hit Watertown-Mayer with a nine-run first inning on Wednesday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Royals fell 14-10 to the Lakers. The Royals' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.

Isaiah Mead was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He struck out six batters over 5.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and four unearned) runs off five hits. What's more, he gave up only six walks, the fewest he's had since back in April. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-4 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season.

In other batting news, Jaren Vogt was cooking despite his team's loss, going 3-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Noah Leuthner was another key player, going 2-for-5 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.

Meanwhile, Central was not able to break out of their rough patch on Monday as the team picked up their third straight defeat. They took a 9-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of Glencoe-Silver Lake. Raiders fans who chose to attend the game sure picked the wrong one: it was the first time the team's lost against the Panthers since on Monday.

Watertown-Mayer's loss dropped their record down to 7-7. As for Central, they now have a losing record of 6-7.

Watertown-Mayer couldn't quite get it done against Central when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 8-4. Can the Royals avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.