Baseball Game Preview: Minarets Mustangs vs. Taft Wildcats

The Minarets Mustangs will face off against the Taft Wildcats at 9:30 a.m. on Tuesday.

Minarets came into their game on Monday off a hard-fought close win, but unfortunately suffered a serious change of fortune. They came up short against Central Valley Christian, falling 12-2. The Mustangs have struggled against the Cavaliers recently, as the game was their third consecutive lost meeting.

Taft never got on the board in their matchup on Saturday, but that sure wasn't the case in their game against McLane on Monday. They put the hurt on the Highlanders with a sharp 10-3 win.

Cash Clark made a big impact no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off eight hits (and only one walk). He also tossed a walk, which is notable because Taft is 2-1 when he allows at most one walk, but 4-10 otherwise. Clark was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run while going 1-for-3.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Matthew Morse, who scored a run while going 2-for-2. Those two hits gave him a new career-high.

Taft kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post 11 or more hits.

Minarets' defeat dropped their record down to 7-11. As for Taft, their victory bumped their record up to 6-11.

Minarets suffered a grim 7-1 defeat to Taft when the teams last played back in April of 2019. Can the Mustangs avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.