Bunker Hill and West Lincoln are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2017, but likely not for long. The Bears will be playing at home against the Rebels at 7:00 p.m. on Friday. Each of these teams will be fighting to keep a win streak alive as Bunker Hill comes in on six and West Lincoln on seven.
The scorekeeper got an easy start on Wednesday as neither Bunker Hill nor West Caldwell made it on the board until the fifth inning. The Bears' pitcher stepped up to hand the Warriors a 3-0 shutout.
Serena Thurman
| 04/30/25 @ West Caldwell | 14 |
| 04/30/25 vs East Burke | 11 |
| 04/23/25 @ Foard | 9 |
| 04/22/25 vs St. Stephens | 11 |
| 04/22/25 vs Elyria | 9 |
| + 2 more games |
The result came thanks to Serena Thurman's shutout, as she gave up just two hits and racked up 14 Ks. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in seven consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Bunker Hill's win was truly a team effort as four different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Gracie Setzer, who went 2-for-3 with one run and one double. Another was Kylie Killian, who went 2-for-3 with two doubles.
Meanwhile, West Lincoln hadn't done well against Bandys recently (they were 2-7 in their previous nine matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Rebels came out on top against the Trojans by a score of 11-6. The game was the first time the Rebels have beaten the Trojans on their field since May 3, 2023.
Gabrielle Wright was a major factor no matter where she played. She struck out nine batters over seven innings while giving up four earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits (and only one walk). Wright was also solid in the batter's box, getting three hits from her four at bats.
In other batting news, Kaylin Pardo was incredible, going a perfect 4-for-4 with one home run, three runs, and four RBI. Those three runs gave her a new career-high. Kaitlyn Carpenter was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one RBI.
West Lincoln was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .424. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in four consecutive matchups.
West Lincoln pushed their record up to 17-8 with the victory, which was their seventh straight on the road. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 11.3 runs over those games. As for Bunker Hill, their victory bumped their record up to 20-5.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Bunker Hill hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .348. However, it's not like West Lincoln struggles in that department as they've averaged .384. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Bunker Hill skirted past West Lincoln 6-5 in their previous matchup back in April. Will the Bears repeat their success, or do the Rebels have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.
