The Kiel Raiders will head out on the road to challenge the Howards Grove Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Kiel has ten straight victories, Howards Grove has eight straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
On Thursday, Kiel beat New Holstein 5-1.
Colton Schaefer was a major factor while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, keeping things locked down with no earned runs or hits while striking out 12 over 5.2 innings pitched. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in five consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aaron Stephany, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. Ryan Holz also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Kiel was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .407. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .310 or higher in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Howards Grove came up short against Roncalli on Tuesday, falling 13-2.
Howards Grove saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Chase Priebe, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one double and one RBI.
Kiel's record now sits at 9-0. As for Howards Grove, their loss dropped their record down to 2-9.
Howards Grove's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Kiel has been making plenty of contact this season, having averaged 10.3 hits per game. It's a different story for Howards Grove, though, as they've been averaging 8.9 hits. Given Kiel's sizable advantage in that area, the Tigers will need to find a way to close that gap.
Kiel got the 'W' in their previous matchup back in April of 2025 against Howards Grove by a conclusive 10-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
