
Rockets
04/15/25 vs Oostburg | 12 |
04/12/25 @ Whitefish Bay | 2 |
04/10/25 vs Kohler | 2 |
04/05/25 @ Kewaskum | 7 |
04/01/25 vs Ozaukee | 10 |
Cedar Grove-Belgium and Howards Grove are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Rockets will take on the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Cedar Grove-Belgium is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.6 runs per game this season.
Cedar Grove-Belgium will roll into the match after a wild two-game stretch: they only put up two runs on Saturday, then bounced right back against Oostburg on Tuesday. The Rockets were the clear victors by a 14-2 margin over the Flying Dutchmen. The victory continues a trend for the Rockets in their matchups with the Flying Dutchmen: they've now won three in a row.
Carter Schmitz and Ira Hilbelink made a big impact no matter where they played. On the mound, Schmitz struck out nine batters over four innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Meanwhile, Hilbelink pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Schmitz has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances. At bat, Schmitz scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-4, while Hilbelink scored a run and stole a base while going 3-for-5. That's the most hits Hilbelink has posted since back in April of 2024.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Connor Waters, who scored three runs and stole a base while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances. What's more, he posted two hits, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. The team also got some help courtesy of Griffin Knight, who went 1-for-4 with four stolen bases and one RBI.
Cedar Grove-Belgium always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Oostburg only posted an OBP of .222.
Meanwhile, after soaring to ten runs the game before, Howards Grove was a bit more limited in their contest on Tuesday. They came up short against Kohler, falling 11-2. The Tigers haven't had much luck with the Blue Bombers recently, as the team has come up short the last four times they've met.
Howards Grove saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Kaiser, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-2.
Cedar Grove-Belgium's win was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 4-1. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Howards Grove, their loss dropped their record down to 2-6.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Thursday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Cedar Grove-Belgium has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 10.8 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Howards Grove struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 8.5 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Cedar Grove-Belgium was able to grind out a solid win over Howards Grove when the teams last played back in May of 2024, winning 5-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Rockets since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.