The Kiel Raiders will face off against the Howards Grove Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Kiel has six straight victories, Howards Grove has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Kiel is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Everything went their way against Sheboygan Falls on Thursday as they made off with a 24-1 win. The Raiders might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won five games by eight runs or more this season.
Colton Schaefer
| 04/24/25 @ Sheboygan Falls | 3 |
| 04/22/25 vs Sheboygan Falls | 1 |
| 04/08/25 vs Roncalli | 0 |
| 04/16/24 @ Sheboygan Falls | 6 |
Cade Voelker and Colton Schaefer made a splash while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Voelker tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Meanwhile, Schaefer tossed 1.2 innings while giving up just one earned run but no hits. What's more, he posted three strikeouts, the most he's had since back in April of 2024. At the plate, Voelker went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Schaefer went 2-for-5 with three runs, two RBI, and one double.
In other batting news, Owen Schmit was excellent, going 1-for-3 with three RBI, one run, and one double. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high.
Kiel always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .540. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Sheboygan Falls only posted an OBP of .273.
Meanwhile, Howards Grove came up short against Kohler on Thursday and fell 9-4.
Like Kiel, Howards Grove also got a great game from a two-way player: Ben Kaiser. He didn't allow a single earned run while striking out seven over 4.1 innings pitched. What's more, Kaiser gave up only three hits, the fewest he's had over his last five matches. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one run.
Kaiser wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mason Scharl, who went 1-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Kiel pushed their record up to 7-1 with the victory, which was their 12th straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Howards Grove, their loss dropped their record down to 2-9.
Howards Grove's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Kiel hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .317. It's a different story for Howards Grove, though, as they've only averaged .217. Will they be able to contain Kiel's hitters?
Kiel skirted past Howards Grove 2-0 in their previous matchup back in April of 2023. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
