The Taft Wildcats will face off against the Wasco Tigers at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Taft is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 10 runs per game this season.
Last Thursday, Taft earned a 9-5 victory over Chavez. The win continues a trend for the Wildcats in their matchups with the Titans: they've now won four in a row.
Rilynne Stenderup
| 04/03/25 vs Chavez | 12 |
| 03/20/25 vs Kennedy | 6 |
| 03/11/25 @ Washington Union | 6 |
| 03/18/25 @ Kennedy | 5 |
| 04/01/25 @ Chavez | 4 |
Rilynne Stenderup was a major factor while hitting and pitching. She struck out 12 batters over seven innings while giving up five earned runs off eight hits (and only one walk). Those 12 strikeouts gave her a new career-high. She was also stellar in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jaycee Edgar, who went a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, five RBI, and two runs. Those four hits gave her a new career-high. Rylee Owens was another key player, scoring a run while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Wasco). They never let Delano get on the board and left with a 21-0 victory on Thursday. The result was nothing new for Wasco, who have now won six games by seven runs or more so far this season.
Like Taft, Wasco also got a great game from a two-way player: Cedes Saldana. She looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out nine over 4.2 innings pitched. Saldana has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one walk in 12 consecutive appearances. She was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with four RBI, one run, and one double. That run was her first of the season.
In other batting news, Aliya Leal and Jazzy Juarez did most of the damage at the plate: Leal scored four runs while going 4-for-4, while Juarez went 3-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and one triple. Leal also put up two doubles, which were her first of the season. Another player making a difference was Kilynn McCurdy, who went 3-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run.
Taft pushed their record up to 8-4 with the win, which was their 11th straight at home dating back to last season. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.5 runs on average over those games. As for Wasco, they are on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four matchups. That's provided a massive bump to their 6-7-1 record this season.
Taft came out on top in a nail-biter against Wasco in their previous meeting back in April of 2024, sneaking past 8-6. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Tigers have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
