The Lane Tech Champions are taking a road trip to face off against the Taft Eagles at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. Both squads will be entering this one on the heels of a big victory.
Taft will be up against a hot Lane Tech squad: the team just extended their winning streak to five. The Champions blew past Northside 9-2 on Wednesday.
Gianna Greco spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned runs on four hits and racked up seven Ks.
On the hitting side, Lane Tech let Grace Brobson and Chayse Radcliff run wild. Brobson got on base in all four of her plate appearances with one home run and two runs, while Radcliff went 1-for-2 with one home run and three RBI. That's the most RBI Radcliff has posted since back in March. Another player making a difference was Olivia Segura, who went 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
They weren't the only ones working in the home run department: Lane Tech lost a few balls and finished the game with three home runs. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Northside didn't launched any home runs.
Meanwhile, after only one run in their last matchup, Taft made sure to put some runs up on the board against Payton College Prep on Wednesday. The Eagles' pitcher stepped up to hand the Grizzlies a 15-0 shutout. The win continues a trend for the Eagles in their matchups with the Grizzlies: they've now won nine in a row.
Taft got a massive performance out of Mia Perez, who went 1-for-3 with five RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Perez also put up a double, which was her first of the season. Michaela Power was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one home run and three RBI.
Taft pushed their record up to 9-5 with the victory, which was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.5 runs over those games. As for Lane Tech, their record is now 8-5.
Thursday's game will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Lane Tech hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .330. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've averaged .361. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Lane Tech suffered a grim 15-5 defeat to Taft in their previous matchup back in May of 2024. Can the Champions avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
