Don't count Stuttgart out just yet.

The Panthers, the former Division I juggernaut that failed to reach the European championship game at the end of last season and lost a doubleheader to Wiesbaden to open this one, got back to its familiar winning ways on Saturday with a pair of victories over visiting Division I rival Kaiserslautern, 7-4 and 18-4.

The Raiders opened first-inning leads in both games, but they couldn't hold off a persistent Panther offense or find the necessary runs to keep up on their turns at bat. Stuttgart scored five runs over the last two innings to claim the opener, then piled on five runs in the second inning and eight runs in the third to blow open the nightcap.

Panther pitchers Kohl Kraus and Christopher Cheadle tossed matching five-inning gems to secure the pitching wins. Kraus struck out six in game one, while Cheadle fanned seven in game two.

Eli Lashley led a balanced Stuttgart batting order with a combined four RBI. Shawn Fuentes drove in three on the doubleheader.

Ja'Markus Myles notched three hits and three RBI in a strong second-game showing for the Raiders.

Both teams enter spring break with 2-2 overall records.

Wiesbaden 5/10, Ansbach 4/5: At Wiesbaden, the Warriors scratched out a pair of wins over a very game small-school challenger.

Alex Newton slapped a sixth-inning single to score Adam Johnson and deliver the opening-game victory. The crucial hit was part of a 3-for-3 performance at the plate for Newton, a newly-arrived senior transfer.

Freshman Gunner Yingling won the pitching duel with Ansbach's Nick Duplessie. The Wiesbaden hurler struck out seven and yielding five hits, while Duplessie scattered four hits along with five strikeouts.

Another close game swung the Warriors' way in the fifth inning of the second game. Wiesbaden scored four runs in the inning on RBIs by Morgan Hershfeldt and R Wilton. Newton picked up the pitching win in the second game, while Dominic Eddings scored twice to pace the offense.

Vilseck 17/6, Hohenfels 2/3: At Vilseck, the Falcons earned their first two wins of the spring with a sweep of the Division II Tigers.

Brad Patterson starred throughout the doubleheader both on the mound and at the plate.

In game one, he pitched a five-inning one-hit gem while sending down 14 Hohenfels hitters on strikes. Offensively, Patterson went 3-for-4 with a pair of doubles, two stolen bases, three runs scored and an RBI.

In the late game, Patterson threw a perfect seventh inning to close out the win for teammate Joel Ramirez, who worked six innings on the mound while yielding just three hits and three unearned runs while striking out eight. Patterson also starred again with the stick, going 3-for-4 with three doubles, swiping two more bags, scoring twice and driving in a run.

The win moves Vilseck, coming off a championship game loss to Ramstein last spring, back to even after the Falcons lost their opening doubleheader to those same Royals. They'll run a Division I gauntlet after the break with games against Wiesbaden, Naples and Vicenza.

SoftballVilseck 15/22, Hohenfels 5/7: Saturday at Vilseck, the Falcons completed the diamond sweep of their Bavarian rival.

Crystal Morris was one of a number of Vilseck offensive standouts with four hits, six runs scored and four RBI over the two games. Avery Hicks produced three hits, two RBI and two runs while earning the pitching win in the opener.

Mikaela McCarson paced the Tigers offensively with three hits and two runs scored on the doubleheader.

Lakenheath rolls through Germany: The Division I Lancers stomped through western Germany over the weekend, trouncing Baumholder 27-9 on Friday and Bitburg 20-5 and 15-9 on Saturday along the way.

The wins get Lakenheath off to an undefeated start on the spring season. But the road gets tougher for the Lancers after spring break, as they'll host Kaiserslautern and Ramstein, respectively, in the first two weekends back from intermission.

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