Softball Game Preview: Harlan Hawks vs. Taft Raiders

The Harlan Hawks will face off against the Taft Raiders at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.

Taft will be up against a hot Harlan squad: the team just extended their winning streak to three. The Hawks blew past Stevens 15-5 on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Taft had already won four in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.5 runs) and they went ahead and made it five on Thursday. They put the hurt on the WILDCATS with a sharp 8-1 victory.

Alyssa Rangel made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she struck out 11 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits (and only one walk). She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple and one run.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Sophia Quiroz, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with five RBI, one triple, and one run. She is on a roll when it comes to hits, as she's now got three or more in each of the last three games she's played. Hannah Flores was another key player, scoring two runs while going 1-for-3.

Harlan's win was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 16-4. The road victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.0 runs on average over those games. As for Taft, their win bumped their record up to 16-5.

Harlan took their victory against Taft when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 11-0 score. Do the Hawks have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Raiders turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.