vs
| 03/19/24 - Home | 1-7 L |
| 05/27/23 - Away | 1-5 L |
| 04/21/23 - Home | 1-0 W |
| 03/22/22 - Home | 3-13 L |
| 05/22/21 - Home | 1-0 W |
| + 5 more games |
Niles West and Taft are an even 5-5 against one another since May of 2017, but likely not for long. The Wolves will be playing in front of their home fans against the Eagles at 4:45 p.m. on Tuesday. Niles West has a tough task ahead: they'll enter the contest with five straight losses, while Taft will come in with four straight wins.
For whatever reason, it's the away team that's had the advantage when Niles West and Lane Tech meet (three straight games heading into this one) and that held true again on Monday. The Wolves came up short against the Champions, falling 15-4.
Niles West saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ava Hortega, who scored a run while going 1-for-2. Amaya Joyce also deserves some recognition as she brought in her first RBI of the season.
Meanwhile, Taft sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 3-2 victory over Whitney Young on Monday.
Michaela Power made a splash no matter where she played. She tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two RBI.
In other pitching news, Taft got a great performance from Claire Dennewitz as she struck out seven batters over six innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits. Dennewitz has been consistent recently: she hasn't tossed less than seven strikeouts in three consecutive appearances.
Back at the plate, Mia Perez was excellent, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Taft's win was their seventh straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 8-4. Those home victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.1 runs over those games. As for Niles West, their defeat dropped their record down to 2-7.
Niles West might still be hurting after the 7-1 loss they got from Taft when the teams last played back in March of 2024. Can the Wolves avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
