Lions and Tigers are no problem for the Wildcats of West Limestone’s varsity baseball team.

Last Monday, the team played a double header against Lindsay Lane and Mars Hill Bible, beating the Lions but losing to the Panthers. Then, on Saturday, the Wildcats swept a county team and yet another feline foe in a double header game.

The Ardmore Tigers kept the West Limestone team on their toes, but ultimately the Wildcats would take both wins. Game one ended 3-2 with Colin Patterson pitching for West.

“It was a pitcher’s duel but a really good game, and we ended up getting a walk off hit in the seventh. Cooper Phillips had a walk off base hit,” Head Coach Ryan Griffin said.

That would be the end of game one; game two followed quickly and would end similarly with another walk off, 7-6 win for the Wildcats.

“Keegan Laxson got a big hit to win the game,” Griffin said.

On Monday, Feb. 28, the Wildcats played the Mars Hill Panthers first and lost that game 16-12. But, after a slow start to the game, according to Coach Griffin they got going in the 7th inning against the Lindsay Lane Lions and won that challenge 9-8.

“Ended up kind of scratching back to get the win,” he said. “Against Mars Hill, we swung the bat really well, but we just struggled on defense ended up giving them a lot of free bases … it was tied going into the seventh, and they ended up taking the lead.”

It wasn’t an easy lead to take though. According to Coach Griffin they went into extra innings, and he says they played nine.

He said now that the season is getting going he feels like they have been pitching well and said the consistency on the mound has been key.

“Obviously our number one, Colin Patterson, he’s going to UAB. He’s throwing really well. He’s only walked one guy all season,” Griffin said. “This year he’s throwing strikes, and he’s looked really good.”

He said seniors Andrew Abernathy and Landon Navas are also throwing well, along with junior Weston Owens.

As for the work they need to do – he said they can do more at the plate.

“I know we’ve got some guys who can swing the bat. We’ve been kind of hit or miss at the plate, but the pitching has kept us in every game,” he said. “Our defense has been a little rusty, but we’ve got some guys coming out of basketball that are kind of getting into the swing of it.”

He says five of the team’s starters played basketball, and West’s boys basketball team did make it to the first round of playoffs so they were still playing in mid-February. That’s not unusual Coach Griffin said.

“A lot of times we do start off slow because we do have a lot of guys that are coming out of basketball, but we’re 6-3 right now,” he said. “I told our guys the other day we’re getting wins. We’re just making it a little tougher on ourselves by not getting routine plays.”

The team is experienced though, he said seven of the starters are seniors.

“I think that’s why we’ve been able to scratch out some of these close games, because we’ve got a little bit of experience and we don’t lose our composure too much,” he said.

West Limestone baseball took on Elkmont last night – the game was ongoing as of press time and The News Courier will provide an update on the game.

West Limestone defeated Elkmont 12-2 Monday night.