The Pikeville Panthers are taking a road trip to square off against the Johnson Central Golden Eagles at 6:00 p.m. on Thursday. Keep an eye on the score for this one: the two teams posted some lofty run totals in their previous games.
On Tuesday, Pikeville got the win against East Ridge by a conclusive 11-2.
Meanwhile, winning is always nice, but doing so behind a season-high score is even better (just ask Johnson Central). They never let Martin County get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory on Wednesday. The result was nothing new for the Golden Eagles, who have now won nine matches by six runs or more so far this season.
Bella Bowen made a big impact while hitting and pitching. She tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. She has been nothing but reliable on the mound: she hasn't given up more than two walks in 15 consecutive appearances. She was also solid in the batter's box, going a perfect 1-for-1 with four RBI. That's the most RBI she has posted since back in April.
In other batting news, Mia Estep and Shelby Arnett did most of the damage at the plate: Estep went a perfect 2-for-2 with five RBI, one triple, and one run, while Arnett got on base in all three of her plate appearances with one home run, three runs, and three RBI. Those three RBI gave Arnett a new career-high. Ella Beth Blair also deserves some recognition as she snagged her first stolen base of the season.
Johnson Central was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .706. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Johnson Central has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 17-10 record this season. Those wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 9.8 runs over those games. As for Pikeville, their record now sits at 11-16.
Pikeville suffered a grim 15-4 defeat to Johnson Central when the teams last played back in April of 2023. Can the Panthers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
