vs
| 05/02/24 - Away | 2-5 L |
| 04/29/24 - Home | 2-14 L |
| 04/13/23 - Away | 12-10 W |
| 04/29/22 - Away | 9-0 W |
| 05/11/21 - Away | 11-2 W |
| 04/15/19 - Home | 6-9 L |
Howards Grove and Cedar Grove-Belgium are an even 3-3 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Tigers will be playing at home against the Rockets at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Howards Grove has given up an average of 8.6 runs per game this season, but Thursday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.
Howards Grove is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to ten runs on Monday, they were much more limited against Kohler on Tuesday. They lost 11-2 to the Blue Bombers. 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.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Cedar Grove-Belgium, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Saturday. They put the hurt on Oostburg with a sharp 14-2 victory on Tuesday. With that win, the Rockets brought their scoring average up to 6.6 runs per game.
Carter Schmitz and Ira Hilbelink made a big impact no matter where they played. Throwing, 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. Those nine strikeouts gave Schmitz a new career-high. 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 stolen base was Hilbelink's first of the season.
In other batting news, Connor Waters was incredible, scoring three runs and stealing 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. Another player making a difference was Jonah Banton, who scored a run while getting on base in all four of his plate appearances.
Cedar Grove-Belgium always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .615. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Cedar Grove-Belgium pushed their record up to 4-1 with the victory, which was their third straight at home. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Howards Grove, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-6.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. Howards Grove has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.4 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cedar Grove-Belgium struggles in that department as they've been averaging 3.6 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Howards Grove couldn't quite get it done against Cedar Grove-Belgium in their previous meeting back in May of 2024 as they fell 5-2. Will the Tigers have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.
