Lakenheath sophomore Jaykob Kreider went the distance on the mound Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe Divison I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
RAMSTEIN AIR BASE, Germany — Lakenheath capped a long return to relevancy in DODEA-Europe baseball Thursday by knocking off Kaiserslautern in the Division I semifinals.
Friday, the Lancers — fielding their best team in years — might face an even tougher task if they want to reach the next level: getting by powerhouse Ramstein in the finals.
At the beginning of the season, “I knew we had some good players,” Lakenheath coach Gabe Feletar said after watching his team defeat the Raiders. “I didn’t know whether it was going to come together like this.”
Ramstein's Michael Schmiedel tries to play umpire Thursday, May 21, 2026, after his teammate Jaxon Lundell scored before Wiesbaden's Canyon Hunter could apply the tag at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Liam Hernandez might have lost his hat, but he didn't lose the ball Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden's Hayden Blackmon slides into second before Ramstein's Cooper Yost has a chance to gather the ball and make the tag Thursday,May 21, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Wiesbaden first baseman Cooper Rauckhorst makes an unassisted putout Thursday, May 21, 2026, while teammate Hayden Blackmon races over to help at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein's Michael Schmiedel pitches against Wiesbaden on Thursday, May 21, 2026, at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Lakenheath 9, Kaiserslautern 5: Down 5-3 entering the sixth inning, the Lancers took advantage of two hits, two walks, a hit batter and three Kaiserslautern errors to retake the lead for good.
The Raiders, seeking to return to the finals for a chance at revenge against the Royals, did not do themselves any favors on defense for most of the game.
“We were not solid in the field,” Kaiserslautern coach Justin Bates said. “Once we made a couple of errors, we seemed to get into our own heads and just couldn’t get out.”
The two teams traded the lead through the first four innings.
Three errors and Hunter Weekly’s run-scoring double put Lakenheath up 2-0 in the first. It was tied at 3-3 before Kaiserslautern went ahead on back-to-back doubles from Jonathan Brown and James Leonard, a groundout and an error in the fourth.
Lakenheath ace Jaykob Kreider wasn’t exactly dominant, but kept the Raiders off the scoreboard after that in going the distance.
He said he was personally motivated after losing to the Raiders during the regular season. And he credited his team’s desire to win for being the difference in the game.
“I think the difference was our energy level at the start,” the lanky 6-foot sophomore said. “And we kept it up throughout the game.”
Kreider, who won’t be able to pitch Friday due to the tournament’s individual pitch count limits, still showed confidence in his team.
“Ramstein better be ready,” he said with a big smile.
Lakenheath first baseman Oskar Feletar beats his sliding counterpart - Kaiserlautern first baseman Nick Sullivan - to the position Thursday, May 21, 2026, during the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern right fielder Jayden Matos De-Jesus makes the catch Thursday, May 21, 206, despite colliding with teammate Greyson James at the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Kaiserslautern starting pitcher James Leonard winds toward home Thursday, May 21, 2026, during the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Lakeneath catcher Kyle Vogt, center, and the rest of the team celebrate advancing to the title game of the DODEA-Europe Division I baseball championships Thursday, May 21, 2026, at Ramstein Air Base, Germany. (Kent Harris/Stars and Stripes)
Ramstein 7, Wiesbaden 3: The Royals — who had outscored their two opponents Thursday 45-0 — were indeed ready in their semifinal with the Warriors.
Ramstein put up four runs in its first at-bat. Michael Schmiedel’s run-scoring single, Will Schmiedel’s run-scoring double, Ben Shutt’s infield hit and an error did the damage.
Wiesbaden, which started five freshmen, got two runs back on Ethan Malaga’s two-run single in the second.
But it wouldn’t get any closer. Michael Schmiedel would clear the fence with a home run to center in the fourth inning and limited the Warriors to a single run the rest of the way on the mound.
Royals first baseman Jacob Vinson, who has been on the team for its last two titles after a freshman year at Spangdahlem, said Ramstein is confident, but not overly so.
“We’re a humble group,” he said. “We know who we are and what we can do when we play to our capabilities.”
Wiesbaden coach Marcus Hernandez said he expects his team – which featured nine freshmen this season – to be playing again on the final day next season:
“They’ll be sophomores. They’ll be seasoned. And we’ll be ready.”
At the Division II/III tournament in Kaiserslautern on Thursday, four teams advanced to Friday morning semifinals after a second day of pool play.
Aviano, which had the division’s best record during the regular season, won twice Thursday and advanced as the top seed with a 3-0 record. The Saints downed Sigonella 6-3 and topped Rota 6-4. They’re set to play Hohenfels, which had split two games Wednesday before defeating Spangdahlem 18-11 on Thursday.
Naples defeated Spangdahlem 8-1 before losing to Vicenza. The Wildcats still get the top seed from the second pool due to a victory over Hohenfels on Wednesday. They’ll play the Jaguars in the second semifinal Friday.
The third-place and championship games follow.
