Wiesbaden's Jack Lehr pitches on Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Kaiserslautern baseball coach Justin Bates is hoping that the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championship game Friday is a slugfest.
Because it almost has to be for the Raiders to come away with a victory against their crosstown rivals from Ramstein.
The Raiders earned a spot in the final game Thursday in dramatic fashion, rallying to defeat Wiesbaden in the bottom of the seventh inning, 13-12.
In doing so, they used up the pitching eligibility of their ace, Logan Bell. Two other top pitchers, Reuben Todman and Bryant Lokey, each only have a bit more than 40 pitches before they reach their limits under a system designed to safeguard pitchers’ arms.
Bates, shortly after celebrating the win over the Warriors, said his team will just have to battle through.
“We feel we can hit Ramstein’s pitching,” he said.
Depending on which minute you were watching, the Raiders’ advancing to the championship game was far from certain.
Wiesbaden took a 6-1 lead after two innings and seemingly everything was going against the Warriors. Todman started the game, but Bell came in to try to keep the Raiders in the game with his team trailing 4-0 in the second. He managed to do that, though there were more than a few bumps along the way.
“It was pretty back-and-forth,” Bates said, smiling.
Kaiserslautern came back to take a 9-8 lead in the fourth inning, with the main blow being a three-run home run from Todman. The advantage changed four more times before the Raiders came up to bat in the bottom of the seventh trailing by a run.
John Leonard walked to open the inning and Nicolas Sullivan’s ground ball was misplayed. Jakob Bell was hit by a pitch to load the bases and bring Logan Bell to the plate.
The senior then smashed a pitch that took a “Ramstein hop” into left field. Two runners scored and the game was over.
Ramstein's Christian Roy delivers a pitch Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck's Americo Conteras sends the ball into play Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's William Schmiedel slides into second as Vilseck's Jacob Boyle tries to handle the throw from home Thursday, May 22, 2025, in a semifinal game at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck's Jacob Boyle throws to first Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Vilseck's Parker Wayland is safe at third before Ramstein's Caden Nims can apply the tag Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern's Logan Bell pitches Thursday, May 22, 2025, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championshps on Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
The ball gets away Thursday, May 22, 2025, as Wiesbaden's Jonah Harvey gets back into first on a pickoff attempt while Kaiserslautern's Bryant Lokey tries to make the tag. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein’s 14-8 victory over Vilseck was less dramatic, but perhaps closer than it seemed as the Falcons refused to concede until the final out.
“They come at you with all they’ve got,” Royals coach Alfredo Rios said of Vilseck. “I was glad we were able to hold them off.”
The Royals showed off an impressive array of power in building a lead, stroking five doubles – hitting the right field, center field and left field fences, respectively, while doing so.
Junior William Schmiedel had two of those among his three hits.
“I feel I really started to see the ball better at the end of the season,” he said.
Schmiedel had the last of three straight doubles in the sixth and the Royals scored four times to give themselves some breathing room. Vilseck’s Adriel Carlos Aleman had hit a high-bouncing single to drive in two runs and trim the Royals’ lead to 10-6 in the top of the inning.
Rios said all of his pitchers are available under the pitch limit to take the mound in the final game. That includes Schmiedel, who took over for starter Christian Roy before being replaced himself.
A day earlier against Stuttgart, Schmiedel had worked out of a bases-loaded jam in one inning by striking out the side. Then got two more strikeouts in the next inning after loading the bases. Thursday against the Falcons, he got out of another jam by strikeout with a runner on third.
“I don’t know what it is,” he said with a smile. “Maybe once I’m more under pressure I just refocus more.”
The Division II/III tournament held its semifinals Friday morning with Naples playing Rota and Vicenza facing off against Sigonella. The two winners of those games are set to play for the title Friday afternoon after the Royals and Raiders decide the D-I victor.
Vicenza's Austin Perry delivers to home in the Cougars' game against Spangdahlem on the second day of the DODEA-Europe Division II/III baseball championships Thursday, May 22, 2025, at Kaiserslautern, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
