The Taylor Ducks varsity baseball team earned its first district win of the season with a 9-1 victory over Jarrell on Friday, March 27 at Taylor High School, snapping an 11-game losing streak.
Sophomore pitcher Tayden Talley turned in one of his strongest performances of the year, tossing five innings while allowing just one run on three hits and striking out seven.
Talley also helped his own cause at the plate, driving in the game’s first run with an RBI single in the bottom of the first inning to give Taylor a 1-0 lead.
The Ducks built momentum in the second, scoring three runs on an RBI double by junior Brody Wygant and a groundout to extend the lead to 4-0.
Taylor continued to add on in the third inning with a sacrifice fly to make it 5-0.
The Ducks widened the gap in the fourth, capitalizing on a groundout and a dropped third strike that allowed a runner to score, pushing the lead to 7-0.
Jarrell avoided the shutout with its lone run coming on a fielder’s choice in the fifth inning, but Taylor quickly answered.
The Ducks added two insurance runs in the sixth, taking advantage of another dropped third strike and a basesloaded walk to secure the 9-1 win.
Junior Mario Newman provided strong relief out of the bullpen, throwing two scoreless innings without allowing a hit. He walked one and struck out four to close out the game.
At the plate, junior Gory Gleich led the Ducks with a 2-for-3 performance, while freshman Julian Gomez drove in a team-high two RBIs.
Taylor’s balanced offensive effort and solid pitching proved to be the difference in snapping the skid.
With the win, the Ducks improved to 3-13 overall and 1-3 in district play. Taylor faced Burnet on Tuesday and will wrap up the series at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 2, at Burnet High School.
