Knox Central hasn't had much luck against Clay County recently, but that could start to change on Thursday. The Panthers will head out on the road to square off against the Tigers at 6:00 p.m. Knox Central will be strutting in after a win while Clay County will be coming in after a loss.
Knox Central had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the 16-run drubbing they dealt Barbourville on Monday. The Panthers never let the Tigers get on the board and left with a 16-0 victory. The Panthers not only won on Monday, but they posted their biggest win since March 27th (when they won 20-2).
Blakely Castle made a splash no matter where she played. She didn't allow a single earned run over five innings pitched. What's more, she posted five strikeouts, the most she's had since back in March. She was also stellar in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with one home run and one double.
Hannah Melton
| 04/28/25 @ Barbourville | 3 |
| 04/22/25 vs Pineville | 2 |
| 04/18/25 vs Cumberland Gap | 2 |
| 04/14/25 @ Leslie County | 2 |
| 04/03/25 vs Lewis County | 2 |
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Hannah Melton, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run, four runs, and two stolen bases. Those three hits gave her a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Jayme Swafford, who went 2-for-4 with three runs, three RBI, and two doubles.
Meanwhile, Monday just wasn't the day for Clay County's offense. They fell 5-0 to North Laurel on Monday. The Tigers have struggled against the Jaguars recently, as the game was their eighth consecutive lost meeting.
Knox Central has been performing incredibly well recently as they've won four of their last five matches. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-6-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.4 runs on average over those games. As for Clay County, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-10.
Knox Central couldn't quite finish off Clay County in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 8-6. 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
