Delano is 0-7 against Taft since February of 2016 but things could change on Tuesday. The Tigers will head out to challenge the Wildcats at 6:00 p.m.
Delano fell victim to Shafter and their airtight pitching crew on Thursday. They came up short against the Generals, falling 7-0. The Tigers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Taft took on McFarland on Thursday. The Wildcats blew past the Cougars 18-1. With that victory, the Wildcats brought their scoring average up to 6.5 runs per game.
William Espinoza and Cash Clark were major factors while hitting and pitching. Throwing, Espinoza pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. Meanwhile, Clark pitched three innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Espinoza has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in five consecutive appearances. At the plate, Espinoza went a perfect 4-for-4 with four runs, one triple, and two RBI, while Clark went a perfect 4-for-4 with three runs, four RBI, and one triple. Taft is 4-1 when Espinoza posts two or more runs, but 5-12 otherwise.
In other batting news, Dylan Clark was incredible, going 1-for-3 with two stolen bases, three runs, and one double. He has been hot recently, having posted at least one stolen base the last three times he's played. KJ Downey also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
Taft kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 14 hits. That's the most hits they've posted since back in March of 2024.
The win made it two in a row for Taft and bumps their season record up to 9-13. The victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered a grand total of 8 runs in those games. As for Delano, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-15.
Delano suffered a grim 10-3 defeat to Taft when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Tigers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
