Stuttgart junior Jake Landauer slides into home for a score as Wiesbaden catcher Aramis Williams leaps for a catch at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, Apr. 11, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
WIESBADEN, Germany — After two weekends not playing any baseball due to spring break, Wiesbaden resumed play with a preview of what it’ll be like at the season-ending championships.
A day after defeating Vilseck twice in a doubleheader, the Warriors were back at it again Saturday and ended up splitting a pair of contests with perennial power Stuttgart. Wiesbaden won the first 9-6 before the Panthers captured the nightcap, 8-1.
Warrior ace pitcher Canyon Hunter’s struggle to find his rhythm early on, coupled with a handful of fielding miscues, allowed Stuttgart to load the bases and cash in four early runs to open the game.
“That is a predicament that he put us into, but he was able to get out of it,” first-year Wiesbaden head coach Marcus Hernandez said of his veteran pitcher. “As he got the game going, he got a lot stronger and then was able to just buckle in.”
And Wiesbaden came back with seven runs of its own in the bottom of the inning. Stuttgart freshman Xander Ayala, pitching his first high school game, had trouble finding the strike and the Warriors walked around the bases.
The scoring dropped off after that, though, as the teams exchanged two runs apiece before the game ended in the fourth due to the time limit.
That trend looked like it would continue early in the second game as the Panthers’ Logan Taylor and Warriors’ Gunner Blackmon started off strongly on the mound.
Stuttgart was able to strike first in the bottom of the second, though, with four runs, and the Panthers never looked back.
Stuttgart assistant coach Heath Hawkes said the team bounced back in a strong way.
“They came out on fire in game two and were ready to go,” he said of a team that picked up its first divisional win of the season and third overall. “We’ve got a bright future ahead.”
Wiesbaden pitcher Canyon Hunter throws against Stuttgart during the first game of a doubleheader at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, Apr. 11, 2026. Wiesbaden won the game 9-6. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart freshman Xander Ayala pitched his first game in Wiesbaden, Germany, Apr. 11, 2026. Ayala netted two strikeouts in the one inning he pitched. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart freshman Xander Ayala heads toward home plate for the first run of an away game against Wiesbaden on Apr. 11, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart senior Tasean Coston slides as he steals second base during game two of a doubleheader at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, Apr. 11, 2026. The Panthers beat the Warriors 8-1. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Stuttgart pitcher Logan Taylor stares down Wiesbaden's Nathan Deich as he leads off first base during a game at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, Apr. 11, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Gunner Blackmon winds up for a pitch against Stuttgart at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, Apr. 11, 2026. The Warriors played four games in 24 hours and won three of them. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Nathan Deich sends a ball to the outfield against Stuttgart at Clay Kaserne in Wiesbaden, Germany, Apr. 11, 2026. (Bradley Latham/Stars and Stripes)
Pitch counts and bullpen management are among the biggest challenges for teams at the season-ending tournament May 20-22 in the Kaiserslautern Military Community, so the Warriors’ ability to not have a pitcher throw twice over the four games encouraged Hernandez.
“The new guys get to go out there, and we see how long we can push them,” Hernandez said. “They were up for it, and I think they responded pretty well.”
He said he’s seen encouraging signs about how the season might go.
“I think we’re a good team,” Hernandez said. “I think we can hit. I think we can pitch. I think it’s just small things right now.”
