Baseball Recap: Taft Comes Up Short

Wildcats

Team Score (Highest)

03/11/25 vs Independence	4
03/04/25 vs Ridgeview	3
02/22/25 @ St. Bonaventure	2
03/07/25 @ Washington Union	1

Taft fought the good fight in their extra-innings matchup against Independence on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Independence Falcons by a score of 5-4. One positive for the Wildcats, at least, is that this was the most points they've scored all season.

Cash Clark put in work no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out seven batters over six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off eight hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while getting on base in three of his five plate appearances. Those runs were his first of the season.

Clark wasn't the only one making solid contact as four players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was William Espinoza, who went 2-for-5 with three RBI and one double. That's the most RBI Espinoza has posted since back in March of 2024.

Taft's loss was their fourth straight at home dating back to last season, which dropped their record down to 0-5. As for Independence, the win keeps them at an undefeated 6-0.

Coming up, Taft is taking a road trip to square off against Highland at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. Highland's pitching crew has only allowed 1.8 runs per game this season, so Taft's hitters will have their work cut out for them. As for Independence, they will be playing in front of their home fans against Arvin at 4:00 p.m. on March 19th.