The Austin Black Bears will face off against the Bob Jones Patriots at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Austin has six straight victories, Bob Jones has seven straight defeats), but none of that matters once you're on the field.
Austin's pitching crew heads into the matchup hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Tuesday. They blew past James Clemens 12-0. The result was nothing new for the Black Bears, who have now won 14 contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Grace Lamb made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits over five innings pitched. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run and two RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted over her last 13 games.
In other batting news, Austin got a massive performance out of Arden Breedlove, who went 2-for-3 with four RBI, two runs, and one double. That's the most RBI Breedlove has posted over her last 13 matches. Another player making a difference was Amiya Garth, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 2-for-2.
Austin was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .522. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .321 or higher in eight consecutive contests.
Bob Jones had taken Florence down for four straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. The Patriots lost 19-5 to the Falcons. That's two games in a row now that the Patriots have lost by exactly 14 runs.
Maddie Gordon made the most of her time at bat despite the final result and went 2-for-3 with two runs, one triple, and two RBI.
Bob Jones' loss dropped their record down to 8-25. As for Austin, their win bumped their record up to 30-12-1.
Bob Jones' pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Austin hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .331. It's a different story for Bob Jones, though, as they've only averaged .254. Will they be able to contain Austin's hitters?
Austin took their victory against Bob Jones when the teams last played back in March by a conclusive 16-6 score. Will the Black Bears repeat their success, or do the Patriots have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
