The Cedar Grove-Belgium Rockets will venture away from home to face off against the Oostburg Flying Dutchmen at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Cedar Grove-Belgium is coming into the match hot, having won their last four games.
On Tuesday, Cedar Grove-Belgium narrowly escaped with a victory as the squad sidled past Algoma 7-6. That's two games straight that the Rockets have won by just one run.
Seth Race
| 04/22/25 vs Algoma | 3 |
| 04/21/25 @ Kohler | 2 |
| 04/17/25 @ Howards Grove | 2 |
| 04/01/25 vs Ozaukee | 2 |
| 04/10/25 vs Kohler | 1 |
Seth Race made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, pitching 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Race was also big at the plate, going 3-for-4 with one run and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high.
In other batting news, Ira Hilbelink was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and one double. Brayden Oelhafen was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base and two RBI.
Oostburg came out on top against Hilbert on Tuesday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run seventh inning. The Flying Dutchmen walked away with a 6-1 win over the Wolves. The victory was familiar territory for the Flying Dutchmen, who have now won three games in a row.
Caden Helmer spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on five hits and racked up nine Ks.
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Caeden Steuerwald, who went 2-for-4 with three stolen bases, one run, and one double. Oostburg is 4-1 when Steuerwald posts two or more stolen bases, but 1-3 otherwise. Grady Kaesermann also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Cedar Grove-Belgium's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 7-1. Those home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.0 runs on average over those games. As for Oostburg, they now have a winning record of 5-4.
Oostburg's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Cedar Grove-Belgium hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .318. It's a different story for Oostburg, though, as they've only averaged .222. Will they be able to contain Cedar Grove-Belgium's hitters?
Cedar Grove-Belgium took their win against Oostburg in their previous matchup last Tuesday by a conclusive 14-2 score. 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.
