Baseball Game Preview: Wauconda Bulldogs vs. Round Lake Panthers

For the second straight game, Wauconda will face off against Round Lake. The Bulldogs will challenge the Panthers at 4:45 p.m. on Friday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Wauconda has three straight victories, Round Lake has four straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

While Wauconda's win against Round Lake wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Bulldogs won by a run and slipped past the Panthers 4-3.

Wauconda got a great performance from Brayden Kirchwehm as he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out seven over six innings pitched. Those seven strikeouts gave Kirchwehm a new career-high.

Luke Sickmeir

Stolen Base

05/07/25 vs Round Lake	1
05/06/25 @ Round Lake	1
05/01/25 vs Grant Community	2

At the plate, Luke Sickmeir was excellent, going 1-for-3 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played. Lucas Swanson was another key player, going 1-for-3 with one triple and one RBI.

Wauconda hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Round Lake struck out eight times.

Wauconda's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 15-11. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.7 runs over those games. As for Round Lake, their loss dropped their record down to 3-17.

Round Lake's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Wauconda hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. It's a different story for Round Lake, though, as they've only averaged .228. Will they be able to contain Wauconda's hitters? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.