The Lemoore Tigers will be taking part in a tournament against the Taft Wildcats at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. Both come into the game bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Lemoore is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Tulare Union a 12-0 shutout on Friday. Perhaps unsurprisingly given the team's high-flying offense, the game also marked the team's biggest win of the season.
Tobin Juarez was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Juarez was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with three runs, one double, and one RBI. Those runs marked the first that he has scored this season.
In other pitching news, Austin Anacleto looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Dallas Neal
| 03/20/26 @ Tulare Union | 2 |
| 02/27/26 vs Selma | 1 |
| 05/02/25 @ Mission Oak | 1 |
| 04/23/25 @ Hanford | 1 |
Back at the plate, Dallas Neal was a standout: he went 2-for-3 with two runs, two doubles, and one stolen base. Those two doubles gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Esteban Gonzalez, who went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one double.
Lemoore always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .514. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Taft sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 5-3 victory over Kennedy on Thursday. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Wildcats have posted against the Thunderbirds since March 22, 2022.
Carter Moore spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Ben Nuncio, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. He is becoming a predictor of Taft's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is 5-2 (and 0-4 when he doesn't).
Lemoore's victory was their third straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 7-3. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.7 runs over those games. As for Taft, their victory bumped their record up to 5-6.
Everything went Lemoore's way against Taft in their previous meeting back in April of 2025, as Lemoore made off with an 8-0 win. Do the Tigers have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Wildcats turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
