Softball Recap: Johnson Snags Tenth Victory in Last 11 Games

Johnson had already proven themselves in the regular season and they didn't miss a beat now that it's playoff time. They walked away with a 7-4 win over the Taft Raiders on Saturday. That's the second time they've managed to beat them this season, as they also won 2-1 on Friday.

Brianna Kirkup tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run over six innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances.

Kinlee McGuire

Runs Batted In (Career)

05/10/25 @ Taft	3
04/26/25 vs Laredo LBJ	2
04/25/25 vs Laredo LBJ	2
04/08/25 vs East Central	1
03/28/25 vs Canyon	1

At the plate, Kinlee McGuire and Mia Ruiz did most of the damage at the plate: McGuire went a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run, while Ruiz went 1-for-3 with one home run, one stolen base, and two RBI. Those three RBI gave McGuire a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Emree Massaad, who went 1-for-3 with two stolen bases and two runs.

Johnson has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won ten of their last 11 matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 28-5-1 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.5 runs on average over those games. As for Taft, their defeat ended a six-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 22-9.

Coming up, Johnson will face off against East Central on Saturday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (the Jaguars 3.7, the Hornets 3.9) so any runs scored will be well earned. Taft does not have any more games scheduled as of now.