The Taft Raiders will square off against the Harlan Hawks at 5:00 p.m. on Friday. Taft's pitching crew has only allowed 3.6 runs per game this season, so Harlan's hitters will have their work cut out for them.
Taft is probably headed into the contest with a chip on their shoulder considering Sotomayor just ended the team's four-game winning streak on Tuesday. They fell just short of the WILDCATS by a score of 7-6.
Madison White made the most of her time in the batter's box despite the final result and went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and one run. The team also got some help courtesy of Lorena Ramos, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.
Meanwhile, Harlan had already won two in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8 runs) and they went ahead and made it three on Tuesday. They blew past the Falcons 17-1. That 16-run margin sets a new team best for the Hawks this season.
Nicole Castro was a major factor no matter where she played. She kept things locked down with no earned runs or hits over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with three RBI, two runs, and one stolen base.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Brooke Taulbert, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with two triples, two stolen bases, and five RBI. Those two triples gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Lily Lugo, who went 1-for-2 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Harlan kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. They are a perfect 7-0 when they post 11 or more hits.
Taft's loss dropped their record down to 18-7. As for Harlan, their win bumped their record up to 14-10.
Harlan's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Taft has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Harlan, though, as they've been averaging only 3.1 strikeouts. Will Taft keep running through batters, or will the Hawks buck the trend?
Taft got the 'W' when the teams last played back in March against Harlan by a conclusive 6-0 score. Do the Raiders have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Hawks turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
