For the second straight game, Santiam Christian will face off against Taft. The Eagles will be playing at home against the Tigers at 4:30 p.m. on Monday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average (Santiam Christian 3.2, Taft 2) so any runs scored will be well earned.
Santiam Christian is probably headed into the match with a chip on their shoulder considering Taft just ended the team's 17-game winning streak on Friday. They lost 6-0 to the Tigers. The contest marked the first time this season in which the Eagles were not able to get on the board.
For Taft's part, Zack Hankins made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out 18 over seven innings pitched. Hankins has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than two hits in 11 consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Trenton Battle, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Taft was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Santiam Christian only posted a batting average of .048.
Taft is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 13 games. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-4 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.3 runs on average over those games. As for Santiam Christian, their loss was their first in the league, dropping their league record down to 12-1 and their overall record down to 19-4.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Monday as neither team is afraid to steal. Santiam Christian has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.5 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Taft struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 5 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
