Baseball Recap: Niles West Takes a Loss

If Niles West was feeling good fresh off their 11-1 takedown of Payton College Prep on Saturday, their most recent game may have dampened their spirits a bit. The Wolves fell 5-1 to the Highland Park Giants on Monday. The Wolves were given a dose of their own medicine in this game as the Giants apparently hadn't forgotten their defeat the last time these teams played back in May of 2024.

Yacoub Rayan

Base on Balls Against

05/12/25 @ Highland Park	1
05/05/25 @ Maine East	2
04/28/25 vs Vernon Hills	1
04/21/25 vs Niles North	1
04/14/25 vs Maine West	2
+ 2 more games

Yacoub Rayan was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out nine batters over six innings while giving up five earned runs off six hits (and only one walk). He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.

Niles West now has a losing record of 14-15. As for Highland Park, their victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-5-1.

While Niles West had to take the loss, they won't have to wait long to give it another shot: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday.