PINEVILLE — Knox Central delivered one of its biggest wins of the season Tuesday.
The Lady Panthers held off Pineville for a 5-4 victory, clinching the No. 1 seed in the 51st District Tournament while knocking off one of the region’s top teams in the process.
Knox Central (7-14) jumped out early with a run in the first inning before adding two more in the third and two in the fourth to build a 5-1 lead.
Pineville battled back late, scoring once in the fifth and twice in the sixth to cut the deficit to a single run, but the Lady Panthers held on to secure the statement win.
Sydney Grubb sparked the offense with two hits and two runs scored while Blakely Castle helped herself at the plate with two hits. Kendall Williamson also collected two hits, and Shelbi Smith drove in a run.
Knox Central finished with nine hits in the win.
Castle earned the complete-game victory in the circle, allowing four runs, three earned, on eight hits while battling through seven innings.
Pineville’s Rayanna Maidon had two hits and an RBI in the loss while Monica Whitehead added a pair of hits. Shawna Elliott and Malley Smith each drove in a run for the Lady Mountain Lions.
Rachel Howard tossed a complete game for Pineville, allowing nine hits, and only one earned run while striking out 11 batters.
