Florence and Austin are an even 5-5 against one another since April of 2019, but likely not for long. The Falcons will square off against the Black Bears at 5:00 p.m. on Thursday. Florence will be strutting in after a victory while Austin will be coming in after a loss.
Having struggled with nine defeats in a row, Florence turned things around against Ardmore on Monday. They walked away with a 14-11 win over the Tigers. The high-scoring effort was just what the Falcons needed considering they were shut out in their previous game.
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.
Noah Yeager
| 04/14/25 @ Ardmore | 3 |
| 03/24/25 @ Faith Academy | 3 |
| 03/11/25 @ Lawrence County | 3 |
| 03/25/25 @ Saraland | 2 |
| 04/11/25 vs Bob Jones | 1 |
| + 4 more games |
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. Yeager also got three hits, which is notable because Florence is 2-1 when he posts at least three hits, but 14-19 otherwise. Neel Patel also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.
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 put in work while hitting and pitching. He pitched 3.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. He has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than two walks in six consecutive appearances. He was also big at the plate, scoring a run and stealing two bases while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.
In other batting news, Austin got a massive performance out of Bryant Jones, who scored two runs and stole two bases while going 3-for-5. Jaxon Potter was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with one home run and two runs.
Florence's record now sits at 16-20. As for Austin, their loss was their tenth straight on the road, which dropped their record down to 9-24.
Florence might still be hurting after the 9-2 defeat they got from Austin in their previous matchup back in April of 2024. Can the Falcons avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
