The Taft Eagles will be taking part in a tournament against the Glenbard East Rams at 4:30 p.m. on Friday. Taft will be looking to extend their current eight-game winning streak.
Taft's hitters will try to repeat the strong performance they gave on Wednesday, when they got past Glenbrook North's usually-dominant pitching crew. The Eagles were the clear victors by a 13-2 margin over the Spartans. The Eagles might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won eight contests by nine runs or more this season.
Michaela Power
| 04/22/26 @ Glenbrook North | 6 |
| 04/17/26 @ Downers Grove North | 5 |
| 05/02/25 vs ITW David Speer Academy | 5 |
| 04/12/25 vs Northside | 5 |
| 04/20/26 vs Payton College Prep | 4 |
Michaela Power made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She pitched five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off four hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in six consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, 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. Avelese Cruz was another key player, going 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 games.
Meanwhile, Glenbard East hadn't done well against South Elgin recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Thursday. The Rams came out on top against the Storm by a score of 5-1.
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.
At the plate, Reese Kuhlman was excellent, going 1-for-2 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI.
Taft's record is now 13-1. As for Glenbard East, their record now sits at 10-2.
Fans could be in store for some top-tier slugging on Friday. Taft hasn't had any problems when it comes to power this season, having averaged 1.3 home runs per game. However, it's not like Glenbard East struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 0.8 home runs. With so much power on both teams, it'll be down to the pitchers to keep the mound locked down. Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
