Baseball Recap: Taft Comes Up Short

Taft came into this matchup off a tough ten-run defeat on Friday. This time they kept things ultra-competitive, but unfortunately the final result was the same. They fell just short of the Elk Grove Grenadiers by a score of 9-7 on Saturday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest loss the Eagles have suffered since April 3rd.

Taft got a good showing from Tom Gentile, who tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs off three hits. That's the fewest earned runs Gentile has allowed over his last four matchups.

Israel Rodriguez

Runs

04/11/25 vs Lincoln Park	3
04/19/25 @ Elk Grove	2
04/03/25 @ Niles Notre Dame	2
04/01/25 @ Maine East	2
03/24/25 vs Varsity Opponent	2
+ 9 more games

At the plate, Israel Rodriguez made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and got on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Taft's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-2 (and 4-8 when he doesn't). Elias Nanos was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one double.

Taft now has a losing record of 9-10. As for Elk Grove, their win bumped their record up to 3-10.

Both teams are looking forward to the support of their home crowds in their upcoming games. Taft will host Lane Tech at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The Champions will roll in looking for their ninth straight victory, something the Eagles surely won't give up without a fight. As for Elk Grove, they will look to defend their home field on Monday against Hersey at 4:45 p.m. The Huskies' pitching crew has only allowed 2.9 runs per game this season, so the Grenadiers' hitters will have their work cut out for them.