Alleman hasn't had much luck against Rock Island recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Pioneers will challenge the Rocks at 6:00 p.m. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Alleman has three straight victories, Rock Island has five straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Alleman had to skate by with only a two-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the six-run drubbing they dealt East Dubuque on Thursday. The Pioneers put the hurt on the Warriors with a sharp 10-4 win.
Cael Kuster made a big impact no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and three unearned) runs off three hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other pitching news, Kelly Honert looked comfortable as he tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off four hits. He has been consistent for a while: he hasn't given up more than two walks in 13 consecutive appearances.
Will Bowers
| 05/15/25 vs East Dubuque | 4 |
| 04/10/25 vs Limestone | 3 |
| 04/21/25 @ Galesburg | 2 |
| 04/05/25 vs Annawan-Wethersfield | 2 |
| 03/28/25 vs Pearl City | 2 |
Back at the plate, Will Bowers was incredible, getting on base in two of his four plate appearances with four stolen bases and three runs. Those four stolen bases gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Gavin Wilburn, who went 1-for-4 with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run.
Meanwhile, Rock Island came up short against Galesburg on Wednesday, falling 11-5.
Alleman's victory was their eighth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 25-9. The home wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Rock Island, their defeat dropped their record down to 9-15.
Alleman came out on top in a nail-biter against Rock Island when the teams last played last Wednesday, sneaking past 2-1. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Pioneers since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
