The Knott County Central Patriots will venture away from home to challenge the Prestonsburg Blackcats at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Knott County Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 8.3 runs per game this season.
Knott County Central lost a heartbreaker the last time they played Perry County Central, but it's fair to say they got their revenge given the result of Saturday's match. The Patriots put the hurt on the Commodores with a sharp 7-1 win on Saturday. Give some credit to the fans of both teams: the last four times they've met, the home team has come away the winner.
Connor Napier
| 05/03/25 vs Perry County Central | 7 |
| 04/28/25 vs Letcher County Central | 7 |
| 04/18/25 vs Harlan | 6 |
| 04/08/25 vs Wolfe County | 8 |
Connor Napier made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out seven batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned run off five hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't tossed less than six strikeouts in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double.
Napier wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Michael Parks, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base. Another was Brayden Hall, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two runs.
Meanwhile, Prestonsburg didn't have quite enough to beat Hazard on Saturday and fell 2-1.
Knott County Central has been performing well recently as they've won five of their last six contests. That's provided a nice bump to their 15-8 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 1.8 runs on average over those games. As for Prestonsburg, they dropped their record down to 7-17 with the defeat, which was their third straight on the road.
Prestonsburg's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Knott County Central has hit smart this season, having averaged an OBP of .459. It's a different story for Prestonsburg, though, as they've only averaged .330. Will they be able to contain Knott County Central's hitters?
Knott County Central came out on top in a nail-biter against Prestonsburg in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 3-2. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Patriots since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
