The Taft Eagles will venture away from home to face off against the Lane Tech Champions at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Taft's pitching crew heads into the contest hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They put the hurt on Lincoln Park with a sharp 14-0 win. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Eagles.
Claire Dennewitz
| 05/06/25 vs Lincoln Park | 12 |
| 05/02/25 vs ITW David Speer Academy | 7 |
| 04/26/25 @ Oak Creek | 2 |
| 04/23/25 @ Antioch | 8 |
| 04/17/25 vs Lane Tech | 5 |
| + 6 more games |
Claire Dennewitz tossed a big game, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out 12 over five innings pitched. That's the most strikeouts she has posted since back in March.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mia Perez, who earned two RBI, two runs, and two stolen bases. That's the most RBI she has posted over her last 11 matches. Michaela Power was another key player, going a perfect 2-for-2 with two runs and two RBI.
Taft always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .576. They are a perfect 9-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Meanwhile, Lane Tech entered their tilt with Northside on Tuesday with three consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with four. They blew past the Mustangs 11-0.
Clarissa Hoesley looked comfortable as she didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit over four innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Grace Brobson was a standout: she went a perfect 3-for-3 with three runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Another player making a difference was Olivia Segura, who went 2-for-3 with one home run, two RBI, and one double.
Lane Tech's victory was their sixth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 18-10. Those home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.2 runs over those games. As for Taft, their record is now 17-10.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Saturday. Taft hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 0.8 home runs per game. However, it's not like Lane Tech struggles in that department as they've been averaging 0.5 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down.
Taft couldn't quite finish off Lane Tech when the teams last played on Saturday and fell 5-3. Can the Eagles avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
