West Limestone and East Limestone are an even 5-5 against one another since March of 2018, but likely not for long. The West Limestone Wildcats will be playing in front of their home fans against the East Limestone Indians at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The timing is sure in West Limestone's favor as the team sits on 14 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while East Limestone has been banged up by three consecutive losses on the road.
West Limestone's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Monday. Everything went their way against Lauderdale County as West Limestone made off with a 7-0 victory. The Wildcats might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 11 games by seven runs or more this season.
JuliAnn Kyle
| 03/10/25 @ Lauderdale County | 14 |
| 03/07/25 vs Ardmore | 12 |
| 05/07/24 vs West Morgan | 11 |
| 04/18/24 @ East Limestone | 11 |
| 04/12/24 vs Russellville | 11 |
The result came thanks to JuliAnn Kyle's shutout, as she gave up just a hit and racked up 14 Ks. Those 14 strikeouts gave her a new career-high.
At the plate, Aubrey Bethune and Lilly Bethune did most of the damage at the plate: Aubrey went 2-for-4 with one home run, three RBI, and two runs, while Lilly went 3-for-4 with one home run and two runs. Another player making a difference was Ella Yarbrough, who scored a run while going 3-for-4.
West Limestone hit smart and finished the game with only one strikeout. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now struck out at most five strikeouts in 15 consecutive contests.
While East Limestone didn't have the best season last year (they finished 10-20), it's starting to look like those struggles are a thing of the past. They sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 2-1 win over Priceville on Tuesday. The victory was a breath of fresh air for the Indians as it put an end to their three-game losing streak.
Abby Thompson spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered only one earned run on five hits and racked up six Ks. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't given up more than one earned run in three consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, East Limestone saw two different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Kailey Matthews, who went 1-for-3 with one double.
East Limestone's win bumped their record up to 10-4. As for West Limestone, their victory bumped their record up to 17-2.
Thursday's matchup will be a test for both teams' pitchers. West Limestone hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .459. However, it's not like East Limestone struggles in that department as they've averaged .396. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
West Limestone took their win against East Limestone in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 by a conclusive 20-5. Does West Limestone have another victory up their sleeve, or will East Limestone turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
