Softball Game Preview: Tuscaloosa County Wildcats vs. Austin Black Bears

The Tuscaloosa County Wildcats will face off against the Austin Black Bears at 8:45 a.m. on Tuesday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.

Tuscaloosa County is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They came out on top in a nail-biter against Hoover, sneaking past 4-3. The game was the first time the Wildcats have beaten the Buccaneers on their field since May 2, 2023.

Karlie Beth Beasley spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned (and two unearned) runs on seven hits. She has been consistent recently: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances.

On the hitting side, Jaslene Belden was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Jana Nichols also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.

Meanwhile, it was close, but on Wednesday Austin sidestepped Huntsville for a 3-2 win.

Tuscaloosa County's victory was their eighth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 39-13-1. Those road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.6 runs on average over those games. As for Austin, they are on a roll lately: they've won five of their last six matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 40-18-1 record this season.

Tuscaloosa County was able to grind out a solid victory over Austin in their previous matchup back in February of 2024, winning 5-0. Will the Wildcats repeat their success, or do the Black Bears have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.