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Kaiserslautern baseball was in a familiar place at the end of the baseball season — playing for a championship. The Raiders have played in two of the past three finals but met a familiar fate again when Lakenheath edged them in extra innings.
Kaiserslautern was tied with the Lancers at 5-5 after five innings but saw a few balls bounce just before or just beyond the foul line, each time going against their efforts to win a baseball title for the school. Lots of talent will return for the 2018-19 school year and head coach Justin Bates said it might be in the cards for another deep Europeans tournament run.
“Looking back on the season, losing the championship game still stinks,” Bates said after seeing his team wind up with a 17-7 record. “We are proud of what we accomplished and are happy for Lakenheath, but that was definitely a tough loss. Our boys came a long way.”
The Lancers had posted a 6-4 win over Kaiserslautern on the opening day of Euros but the Raiders rebounded with victories over Vicenza, Stuttgart, plus a stressful 8-7 win over Wiesbaden, to make it to the finals.
Kaiserslautern was also in the finals two seasons ago and facing Ramstein, when a rainstorm caused an extended delay and ultimately led to a cancellation of the finish of the finals game, with the Royals in the lead. This season, the Raiders left the bases loaded in the bottom of the fifth as the score remained tied, then saw Lakenheath break things open with four runs in the sixth frame.
“We also got baserunners again in the bottom of the sixth and our kids just never quit on us,” Bates said. “The fans and the school can be extremely proud of the efforts of this Raider team. Lakenheath was a great opponent and the fans for both teams created a great atmosphere as the Europeans tournament went along. Congratulations to them on their title.”
Ronin Sherman had three hits and two runs batted in for KHS in the championship game. Mattias Perrin, Taylor Moore and Kaden Senkbeil each had two hits while George Stephan drew two walks and scored two runs. On the pitching mound, the Raiders used Senkbeil, Justice Harper and Ronin Sherman at different parts of the contest.
Kaiserslautern graduates Euros all-star selection Nolan Sherman, who batted .450 with eight doubles and three triples for the season. Sherman had 28 runs batted in and scored 30 runs himself but he was just as consistent on the mound, with 66 strikeouts in 44 innings of work. Sherman walked just nine batters all year and was among the leaders from all DODEA schools with his 2.68 earned run average.
Kenyon Jiles also departs after batting .333 and fellow 2018 senior reserve Alexander Wells was in his first year on the roster but nonetheless contributed with leadership for an extremely young Raider squad.
“Many of our players lacked experience at the start of season and I’m not sure if they fully understood what it took, mentally, to be successful in baseball,” said Bates. “By the end of the season they had a better respect and appreciation for the game and had a more mature point of view. This will be a tremendous building block as we approach next season with so many returning contributors.”
Sherman’s younger brother Ronin was also an all-European selection, batting .475 as a freshman with a 5-2 mound record and 42 strikeouts. Ronin Sherman and fellow freshman Moore combined to produce nearly 30 RBI and score over 50 Raider runs.
Perrin (.434) and Jace Robinson (.340) were influential sophomores who notched 45 RBI between them while junior pitcher/infielder Harper batted .340 with 16 runs batted in. Minus the seniors, nearly the entire 2018 roster is expected to be back for next spring’s diamond season.
Bates said that while he and assistant coaches Zac Robinson and Alexis Sherman were proud of the players, they were just as happy for the KHS fans. “They stuck with us through a couple of rough defeats and close ones … they gave us a reason to keep our heads up and keep moving on to that next game,” Bates said. “They never stopped believing in us and I think it helped the players build all the confidence that carried us to the finals.”
