Baseball Game Preview: Willamina Bulldogs vs. Taft Tigers

Willamina is 0-10 against Taft since April of 2016 but things could change on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are taking a road trip to face off against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. Willamina has given up an average of 14.2 runs per game this season, but Tuesday's game will give them a chance to turn things around.

Willamina is headed into Tuesday's contest looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game on Friday. They came up short against Taft, falling 20-0.

For Taft's part, Trenton Battle and Zack Hankins were a major factor no matter where they played. Throwing, Battle pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Hankins struck out six batters over two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits (and not a single walk). He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Taft is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 1-2 otherwise. At bat, Battle scored two runs and stole a base while going 2-for-5, while Hankins scored two runs while going 2-for-4. Battle is crushing it when it comes to stolen bases: he's snagged at least one every time he's taken the field this season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Justice Kelso, who scored a run while going 3-for-4. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-high in doubles (two). Another player making a difference was Kai Bayer, who scored two runs while getting on base in four of his five plate appearances.

Taft always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .630. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

The victory (which was Taft's fourth in a row) raised their record to 7-2. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.5 runs on average over those games. As for Willamina, their loss dropped their record down to 0-4.