Kaiserslautern senior pitches, hits his team to a doubleheader sweep of Stuttgart on Saturday for his first victories ever over the team from Bavaria.

First, they were steamrolled, then the Red Devils fought back, only to fall 5-3 to Paderborn in a roller coaster ride of a game Saturday afternoon.

The DODEA-Europe season kicks off Friday with a large meet in Kaiserslautern, where all the top performers will converge in May for the season-ending championships.

Ramstein girls win 1-0 nail-biter, while boys top Kaiserslautern 3-0 in the first matchups of a spring sports season that’s now uncertain due to funding issues.

A tough away match awaits 1.FC Kaiserslautern on Saturday when they play Paderborn.

Royals and Wildcats have been the teams to beat in their respective divisions in recent seasons and still look strong this year.

Ramstein and Stuttgart have dominated D-I play for years and Naples has had a stranglehold over the small-schools division.

Last year’s champions — Ramstein, Naples and AFNORTH — lost a lot. But they’re still among the favorites in their respective divisions in girls soccer.

Other than a seeming Italian-flavored lock on the D-II championship race, large turnovers have many teams feeling that this might be their season to shine.