Knox Central has gone 9-1 against Bell County recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Friday. The Panthers will look to defend their home field against the Bobcats at 5:00 p.m. Knox Central is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 6.3 runs per game this season.
Knox Central's pitching crew heads into the match hoping to repeat the dominance they displayed on Wednesday. They blew past Barbourville 13-0. The high-flying hitting performance was a huge turnaround for the Panthers considering their one-run performance the contest before.
Grant Miller
| 04/23/25 @ Barbourville | 1 |
| 04/17/25 @ Pulaski County | 2 |
| 04/12/25 @ Boyd-Buchanan | 1 |
| 04/09/25 @ Pineville | 1 |
| 04/03/25 vs Batavia | 1 |
| + 2 more games |
Not much got past Grant Miller, who gave up just two hits and racked up ten Ks to keep Barbourville off the board. Miller has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in seven consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Knox Central got a massive performance out of Brady Engle, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI. That's the most stolen bases Engle has posted since back in May of 2024. John Hobbs was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Knox Central kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 13 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
Meanwhile, Bell County entered their tilt with Harlan County on Tuesday with four consecutive wins, and they'll enter their next game with five. They didn't even let the Black Bears on the board, marking their second-straight 4-0 shutout.
Joseph Brigmon made a splash while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only one hit while striking out seven over seven innings pitched. Brigmon was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and one RBI. Those stolen bases were his first of the season.
Brigmon wasn't the only one making solid contact as three players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Cooper Brock, who went 1-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple was Brock's first of the season.
Bell County's win was their fourth straight at home, which pushed their record up to 9-7. The home victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.0 runs on average over those games. As for Knox Central, their win ended a three-game drought on the road and puts them at 4-11.
Knox Central couldn't quite finish off Bell County in their previous meeting back in March and fell 5-3. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
