The East Grand Rapids Pioneers are taking a road trip to take on the Forest Hills Northern Huskies at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. Both teams are coming into the game red-hot, with East Grand Rapids sitting on nine straight wins and Forest Hills Northern on seven.
On Saturday, East Grand Rapids needed a bit of extra time to put away Kenowa Hills. They had just enough and edged out the Knights 5-4. Five seems to be a good number for the Pioneers as the squad scooped up a victory with the same number of runs in their previous game.
Carter Vriesenga
| 05/03/25 vs Kenowa Hills | 0 |
| 05/03/25 vs Kenowa Hills | 2 |
| 04/21/25 vs Ottawa Hills | 1 |
Carter Vriesenga looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two hits in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Josh McCune was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three runs, one triple, and one double. Another player making a difference was Luke VanGessel, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Forest Hills Northern came out on top against Traverse City Central on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run first inning. The Huskies had just enough and edged out the Trojans 7-6.
The team relied heavily on Justin St. Antoine, who went 3-for-4 with one home run, two runs, and one stolen base. That's the most hits he has posted over his last 11 matches. Mateo Rodriguez was another key player, earning one run and three stolen bases.
East Grand Rapids pushed their record up to 14-1-1 with the win, which was their sixth straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.3 runs over those games. As for Forest Hills Northern, they now have a winning record of 9-8.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. East Grand Rapids has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 6.1 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Forest Hills Northern struggles in that department as they've been averaging 4.3 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
East Grand Rapids took their win against Forest Hills Northern in their previous matchup back in May of 2023 by a conclusive 6-0 score. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pioneers since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
