Baseball Game Preview: Kennedy Thunderbirds vs. Shafter Generals

For the second straight game, Kennedy will face off against Shafter. The Thunderbirds will look to defend their home field on Thursday against the Generals at 4:00 p.m. Kennedy is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.4 runs per game this season.

Kennedy fought the good fight in their extra-innings contest against Shafter on Tuesday but wound up with a less-than-desirable result. They fell just short of the Generals by a score of 8-7. The Thunderbirds haven't had much luck with the Generals recently, as the team has come up short the last five times they've met.

Jorge Vega put in work no matter where he played. On the mound, he tossed seven innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off eight hits. Vega was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.

Jordan Palomo

Runs

03/30/26 vs El Cajon Valley	3
03/09/26 @ Foothill	3
04/14/26 @ Shafter	2
04/07/26 @ McFarland	2
03/24/26 vs Wasco	2
+ 4 more games

In other batting news, Jordan Palomo made the most of his time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. He has become a key player for Kennedy: the team is 5-1 when he posts at least two runs, but 5-6 otherwise. Joshua Gonzales was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one run.

The win (which was Shafter's sixth in a row) raised their record to 9-5. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.7 runs over those games. As for Kennedy, their loss dropped their record down to 10-7.

Kennedy's speedy runners might be the difference in Thursday's game. The Thunderbirds have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 4 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Shafter, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Kennedy continue to outrun the ball? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other baseball content.