Baseball Recap: Knox Central Drops Highest Score of Season Against Middlesboro

Panthers

Team Score (Highest)

05/15/25 @ Middlesboro	20
04/09/25 @ Pineville	16
04/15/25 vs Lynn Camp	15
04/23/25 @ Barbourville	13
04/17/25 @ Pulaski County	11

Winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Knox Central). They were the clear victors by a 20-1 margin over the Middlesboro Yellowjackets on Thursday. Winning may never get old, but the Panthers sure are getting used to it with their sixth in a row.

Hayden Melton made a splash while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he tossed one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits. He has become a key player for Knox Central: the team is 3-1 when he allows at most one hit, but 6-10 otherwise. Melton was also stellar in the batter's box, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with three runs, three RBI, and one stolen base.

In other batting news, Jathan Collins was a standout: he got on base in three of his five plate appearances with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. Those three RBI gave him a new career-high. John Hobbs was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with three runs and one RBI.

Knox Central always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .667. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.

Knox Central's win was their fourth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 9-11. The road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 12.3 runs over those games. As for Middlesboro, this is the second loss in a row for them and nudges their season record down to 1-16.

Coming up, Knox Central will be playing at home against South Laurel at 6:00 p.m. on Friday. The Cardinals will roll in looking for their eighth straight win, something the Panthers surely won't give up without a fight. Middlesboro does not have any more games scheduled as of now.