Baseball Game Preview: Lakota Raiders vs. Elmwood Royals

The Lakota Raiders will head out on the road to square off against the Elmwood Royals at 5:00 p.m. on Tuesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Lakota has three straight victories, Elmwood has three straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

On Monday, Lakota beat St. Mary Central Catholic 6-3.

Brady Kern

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/12/25 @ St. Mary Central Catholic	5
04/30/25 vs Hopewell-Loudon	2
05/06/24 vs New Riegel	2
04/30/24 vs Elmwood	2
04/19/24 vs St. Joseph Central Catholic	2

Lakota's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Brady Kern, who went 2-for-3 with five RBI and one double. Those five RBI gave Kern a new career-high. Another was AJ Gosche, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one RBI.

Meanwhile, Elmwood has relied on a stalwart pitchers averaging 3.55 runs allowed per game, but that average took a hit on Friday. They came up short against Ottawa Hills, falling 11-1. For those keeping track at home, that's the biggest loss the Royals have suffered since April 21st.

Elmwood's defeat dropped their record down to 14-6. As for Lakota, their victory bumped their record up to 10-8.

The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Tuesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Lakota has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 2.9 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Elmwood struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.

Lakota couldn't quite get it done against Elmwood when the teams last played back in April of 2024 as they fell 11-7. Can the Raiders avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.