The Glenbard East Rams will face off against the Taft Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Glenbard East 3.3, Taft 2.7) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Glenbard East will bounce into Friday's matchup after beating South Elgin, who they had gone 2-7 against in their nine prior meetings. The Rams walked away with a 5-1 victory over the Storm on Thursday.
Claire Bolda
| 04/23/26 vs South Elgin | 8 |
| 04/21/26 vs St. Charles North | 5 |
| 04/20/26 vs Fenton | 10 |
| 04/16/26 @ West Chicago | 8 |
| 04/14/26 vs Ridgewood | 7 |
| + 6 more games |
Claire Bolda spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered a run (which was unearned) on two hits and racked up eight Ks. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in 11 consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Reese Kuhlman was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Taft waltzed into their contest on Wednesday with seven straight wins... but they left with eight. They blew past the Spartans 13-2. The result was nothing new for the Eagles, who have now won eight games by nine runs or more so far this season.
Michaela Power made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, she pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. Power was even better at the plate, firing off two home runs and six RBI while going 4-for-4. Those six RBI gave her a new career-high.
In other batting news, Taft let Bianca Fernandez and Gabriela Gonzalez run wild. Fernandez went 1-for-4 with one home run and two RBI, while Gonzalez went 1-for-2 with two RBI, one run, and one double. The team also got some help courtesy of Avelese Cruz, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one double.
Taft kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits in six consecutive matchups.
Glenbard East's win bumped their record up to 10-2. As for Taft, their victory bumped their record up to 13-1.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Glenbard East has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 9.9 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've been averaging 8.4 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the action for a full breakdown of the game and more softball content.
