Knightstown is 0-4 against New Castle since April of 2015 but things could change on Thursday. The Panthers will venture away from home to face off against the Trojans at 5:30 p.m. Knightstown will come into the contest with an undefeated record on the line.
Knightstown is headed in fresh off scoring the most runs they have all season. They blew past Winchester Community 13-3 on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won three matches by seven runs or more so far this season.
Carter Gossett looked comfortable as he struck out seven batters over four innings while giving up just two earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Kelton Weaver, who scored two runs while going 2-for-3. Travis Louks also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.
Knightstown always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .641. The last time their OBP was this high was back in April of 2024.
The home team had won the previous four meetings between New Castle and Rushville, and New Castle kept the tradition alive. The Trojans came out on top against the Lions by a score of 6-2 on Wednesday. The victory continues a trend for the Trojans in their matchups with the Lions: they've now won nine in a row.
New Castle's win was truly a team effort as six different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Caiden Regan, who scored a run while going 3-for-3. Jayden Sticco was another, scoring two runs while going 2-for-3.
Knightstown's victory was their fifth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 4-0. As for New Castle, their record now sits at 2-6.
New Castle's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Knightstown hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .358. It's a different story for New Castle, though, as they've only averaged .188. Will they be able to contain Knightstown's hitters?
Knightstown might still be hurting after the 10-2 loss they got from New Castle in their previous matchup back in April of 2018. Can the Panthers avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
