Softball Game Preview: Kennedy Thunderbirds vs. Taft Wildcats

Kennedy hasn't had much luck against Taft recently, but that could start to change on Tuesday. The Kennedy Thunderbirds will look to defend their home field against the Taft Wildcats at 4:00 p.m. The game will give Kennedy their first taste of in-conferenceaction this season.

Kennedy is headed into Tuesday's match looking for a big change in momentum after dropping their fourth straight game last Friday. They fell 3-0 to West.

Meanwhile, Taft won against Sanger West last Saturday with 11 runs and they decided to stick to that run total again on Tuesday. Taft came out on top against Washington Union by a score of 11-6. The victory continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Panthers: they've now won three in a row.

Rilynne Stenderup made a splash while hitting and pitching. She struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Stenderup was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs and stealing a base while going 2-for-2.

In other batting news, Rylee Owens was incredible, going a perfect 5-for-5 with one home run, three stolen bases, and three RBI. Those five hits gave her a new career-high. Cierrah Franks was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-4.

Taft was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .432. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Washington Union only posted a batting average of .300.

Taft's win was their eighth straight on the road dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-1. A key ingredient in that success has been their performance when it comes to strikeouts: they averaged an imposing 6.63 strikeouts in those games compared to only 3.25 in the others. As for Kennedy, their defeat dropped their record down to 3-5.

Kennedy might still be hurting after the 17-0 loss they got from Taft in their previous matchup back in March of 2024. Will Kennedy have more luck at home instead of on the road? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.