BARBOURVILLE — Hayden Melton put together a big night at the plate, and Knox Central followed his lead in a 15-4 win over Harlan County on Friday.
Melton drove in five runs and finished with two hits, including a home run, as the Panthers ran their win streak to eight games while improving to 15-6 on the season.
Knox Central broke things open early with four runs in the second inning and added another in the third before Harlan County made a push late.
The Black Bears scored three runs in the fourth and added another in the fifth, trimming the deficit.
But any momentum was short-lived.
The Panthers answered in a big way, scoring seven runs in the fifth inning to pull away, putting the game out of reach.
Brady Engle added a pair of RBI, while Matthew Powenski and Nate Miller also drove in runs as Knox Central capitalized on opportunities throughout the night.
On the mound, Bentley Cobb earned the win, going 4.1 innings and allowing four runs (three earned) on five hits while striking out five. Trevor Smith came on in relief to close things out.
