For the second straight game, Taft will face off against Clark. The Raiders will square off against the Cougars at 12:00 p.m. on Friday. Taft is coming into the game on a five-game losing streak.
Taft heads in on the heels of a playoff matchup on Thursday. They lost 15-5 to Clark. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last six times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
For Clark's part, Natalie Bautista spent all six innings played on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered just two earned (and three unearned) runs on nine hits. Bautista has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Madyson Martinez was a standout: she got on base in all five of her plate appearances with one home run, three stolen bases, and four runs. That's the most runs she has posted since back in March of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of Rylee Luna, who went 4-for-5 with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.
Clark was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .567. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Clark is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 19-11 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.6 runs over those games. As for Taft, their defeat dropped their record down to 18-11.
Clark's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Friday. Taft has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.5 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Clark, though, as they've been averaging only 3.3 strikeouts. Will Taft keep running through batters, or will the Cougars buck the trend? 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
