Taft is 8-1-1 against Shafter since March of 2017, and they'll have a chance to extend that success on Tuesday. The Taft Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the Shafter Generals at 6:30 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Taft took a loss when they played away from home on Tuesday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Thursday. They walked away with a 9-6 victory over Wasco.
Carson Rodart made a splash no matter where he played. He struck out seven batters over 4.1 innings while giving up just one earned (and two unearned) runs off five hits. Rodart has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive pitching appearances. Rodart was also solid in the batter's box, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, Ethan Ward was incredible, going 1-for-2 with a home run, two runs, and two RBI. Dylan Clark was another key contributor, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Shafter can now show off eight landslide victories after their most recent game on Thursday. Everything went their way against Kennedy as Shafter made off with a 9-3 win. The victory was familiar territory for Shafter who now have five in a row.
Jesus Paez spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered three runs (all of which were unearned) on four hits and racked up 11 Ks.
At the plate, Christopher Espinoza was excellent, scoring a run and stealing a base while going 2-for-2. The team also got some help courtesy of Jacob Gonzalez, who scored a run and stole a base while going 1-for-5.
Taft has been performing well recently as they've won eight of their last ten matchups, which provided a nice bump to their 12-9 record this season. As for Shafter, their win bumped their record up to 12-5.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Tuesday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Taft has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 6.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Shafter struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7.3. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Taft was able to grind out a solid victory over Shafter in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, winning 8-4. Does Taft have another victory up their sleeve, or will Shafter turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
