Estill County hasn't had much luck against Madison Central recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Engineers will look to defend their home field against the Indians at 6:00 p.m. Estill County is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.5 runs per game this season.
While Estill County's win against George Rogers Clark wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Engineers had just enough and edged out the Cardinals 6-4. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Engineers have posted since March 29th.
Bella Rice
| 04/30/25 @ George Rogers Clark | 5 |
| 04/29/25 @ Powell County | 8 |
| 04/23/25 @ Western Hills | 10 |
| 04/18/25 vs Southwestern | 7 |
| 04/17/25 vs Lee County | 9 |
| + 3 more games |
Bella Rice spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on nine hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't tossed less than five strikeouts in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Marlo Puckett was excellent, going 2-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double. That's the most hits she has posted since back in March. Madi Rose was another key player, going 1-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI.
They weren't the only ones making solid contact: Estill County kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 11 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least 11 hits in three consecutive contests.
Meanwhile, Madison Central came tearing into Monday's game with four straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 3.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. Their pitcher stepped up to hand the Rockets a 9-0 shutout.
The result came thanks to Sydney Smith's shutout, as she gave up just two hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Mollie Neeley, who went 3-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Devan Stewart, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
Estill County is on a roll lately: they've won six of their last eight matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 14-7 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.1 runs on average over those games. As for Madison Central, their victory bumped their record up to 14-3.
Estill County might still be hurting after the 15-1 defeat they got from Madison Central when the teams last played back in May of 2024. Can the Engineers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
