vs
| 04/20/24 - Home | 9-2 W |
| 04/20/24 - Home | 2-1 W |
| 04/18/24 - Away | 3-2 W |
| 04/22/22 - Home | 3-8 L |
| 04/22/22 - Home | 13-3 W |
| + 5 more games |
Austin and Florence are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Black Bears will host the Falcons at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between Austin and East Limestone, and East Limestone kept the tradition alive. The Black Bears fell just short of the Indians by a score of 11-10 on Monday.
Tyler Parker was huge no matter where he played even without the win. He looked comfortable on the mound, tossing 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been consistent : he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Bryant Jones stepped up to lead a balanced group of hitters: he scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. Another player making a difference was Jaxon Potter, who got on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run and two runs.
Meanwhile, Florence can bid farewell to their nine-game losing streak thanks to their game on Monday. They came out on top against Ardmore by a score of 14-11.
Avery Thead looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over three innings while giving up just one earned run off two hits (and only one walk). Those seven strikeouts gave him a new career-high.
On the hitting side, Noah Yeager and Henry Thomas Blanke did most of the damage at the plate: Yeager scored three runs while getting on base in all five of his plate appearances, while Blanke went 2-for-4 with four runs, one triple, and one RBI. Florence is 3-1 when Blanke posts two or more runs, but 13-19 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Neel Patel, who went 2-for-4 with four RBI, one run, and one double.
Austin has been struggling recently as they've lost 16 of their last 18 games. That's put a noticeable dent in their 9-24 record this season. As for Florence, their victory bumped their record up to 16-20.
Everything went Austin's way against Florence when the teams last played back in April of 2024, as Austin made off with a 9-2 win. Do the Black Bears have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Falcons turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
