The Taft Wildcats will be taking part in a tournament against the Lemoore Tigers at 12:20 p.m. on Saturday. Both teams took a loss in their last game, so they'll have plenty of motivation to get the 'W'.
Things were looking good for Taft after they put the first runs on the board on Thursday, but unfortunately for them things went downhill from there. They fell just short of Wasco by a score of 6-5.
Taft saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was William Espinoza, who scored two runs and stole a base while going 1-for-3.
Meanwhile, Lemoore fell victim to Tulare Western and their airtight pitching crew on Friday. They took a 3-0 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Mustangs. The game marked the first time this season in which the Tigers were not able to get on the board.
Ian Snell was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he struck out six batters over six innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits.
Taft dropped their record down to 5-10 with the loss, which was their third straight on the road. As for Lemoore, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-7 record this season.
The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Saturday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Taft has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.1 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Lemoore struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 9.1 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one.
Taft came out on top in a nail-biter against Lemoore when the teams last played back in March of 2024, sneaking past 2-1. Do the Wildcats have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Tigers turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
