West Bend East extended their losing streak to four on Friday, dropping their season record down to 2-8 in the process. They were a single run away from ending the streak, but they lost a 5-4 heartbreaker at the hands of the Nicolet Knights. The result was an unpleasant reminder to the Suns of the 3-2 loss they experienced in the pair's previous head-to-head fixture back in May of 2024.
Colton Multerer
| 04/25/25 @ Nicolet | 3 |
| 04/17/25 vs Homestead | 2 |
| 04/12/25 vs Oshkosh West | 2 |
| 04/04/25 vs Kettle Moraine Lutheran | 1 |
Colton Multerer was huge no matter where he played even without the win. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up three earned (and two unearned) runs off six hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with three stolen bases and three runs. He has become a key player for West Bend East: the team is 2-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 0-7 otherwise.
Multerer wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Mason Sommer, who went 2-for-3 with three RBI, one triple, and one double.
As for Nicolet, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 3-8. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games.
Like West Bend East, Nicolet also got a great game from a two-way player: Nick Bongard. He pitched 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Bongard was also solid in the batter's box, earning two runs and one stolen base.
In other pitching news, Nicolet got a great performance from Will Vander Mel as he pitched 4.1 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off four hits. The dominant performance also gave Vander Mel a new career-high in strikeouts (five).
West Bend East and Nicolet could both be facing uphill battles in their next games considering their disadvantage in the MaxPreps Wisconsin Rankings. The Suns (ranked 207th) will meet West Bend West (ranked 70th) at 4:45 p.m. on Monday. Meanwhile, Nicolet will challenge Slinger at 4:45 p.m. on Monday with a big rank disadvantage (250 vs. 12).
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
