Mustangs
| 04/23/25 vs Lemoore | 7 |
| 04/14/25 vs Shafter | 5 |
| 04/14/25 vs Templeton | 2 |
| 04/12/25 vs Taft | 4 |
| 04/12/25 vs Porterville | 10 |
| + 14 more games |
Tulare Western and Tulare Union are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2019, but likely not for long. The Mustangs will look to defend their home field on Friday against the Tribe at 4:30 p.m. Tulare Western is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.7 runs per game this season.
Tulare Western took a loss when they played away from home last Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. They came out on top against Lemoore by a score of 7-2.
Ky Taylor spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered two runs (both of which were unearned) on five hits. She has been consistent for a while: she hasn't given up more than two walks in nine consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Tulare Western got a big performance out of Alivea Salcedo, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI, one run, and one double. Janmarie Topalian was another key player, going 1-for-3 with three runs and one stolen base.
Meanwhile, Tulare Union had already won three in a row (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.7 runs) and they went ahead and made it four on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Emperors a 1-0 shutout. That's two games straight that the Tribe have won by just one run.
Not much got past Jiannah Freitas, who gave up just a hit and racked up six Ks to keep Dinuba off the board.
Tulare Western is on a roll lately: they've won 11 of their last 14 matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 13-5-1 record this season. The victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 8.6 runs over those games. As for Tulare Union, their win bumped their record up to 12-10.
Tulare Union's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Tulare Western has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .459. It's a different story for Tulare Union, though, as they've only averaged .335. Will they be able to contain Tulare Western's hitters?
Tulare Western skirted past Tulare Union 5-4 in their previous meeting back in May of 2024. Will the Mustangs repeat their success, or do the Tribe have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
