Baseball Game Preview: Knox Central Panthers vs. Pulaski County Maroons

The Knox Central Panthers will take on the Pulaski County Maroons at 6:00 p.m. on Monday. Knox Central will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

Knox Central not only won on Friday, but they posted their biggest win since March 21st (when they won 12-0). Everything went their way against Harlan as they made off with an 8-2 victory.

Russell Mills looked comfortable as he pitched four innings while giving up just one earned run off four hits. He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than two walks in four consecutive appearances.

Hayden Melton

Runs

03/26/26 @ Bell County	3
04/10/26 vs Harlan	2
04/07/26 vs North Laurel	2
04/06/26 vs Clay County	2
03/19/26 @ Harlan	2
+ 3 more games

At the plate, Knox Central let Trevor Smith and Hayden Melton run wild. Smith went 1-for-3 with two RBI, one run, and one double, while Melton went 1-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. Melton is becoming a predictor of Knox Central's success: when he posts at least two runs the team is undefeated (and 2-5 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Brady Engle, who went 1-for-3 with two runs and one stolen base.

Meanwhile, Pulaski County came up short against Greenup County on Thursday and fell 6-2. The Maroons have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Pulaski County saw five different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ben Gaskin, who went 2-for-4 with two RBI.

Knox Central's win bumped their record up to 7-5. As for Pulaski County, their loss dropped their record down to 7-7.

Pulaski County's hitters will have their work cut out for them on Monday. Knox Central has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 7.2 strikeouts per game. It's a different story for Pulaski County, though, as they've been averaging only 4 strikeouts. Will Knox Central keep running through batters, or will the Maroons buck the trend? Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.