After a slightly rocky start early in the year, Middlesboro has found their stride at the midway point of the season winning their fifth straight game on Friday. The win didn’t just come against anybody, it came in the form of a 3-2 victory over North Laurel — the team that eliminated the Jackets from the 13th Region tournament a year ago.

The game was a defensive battle with both teams finishing with four hits a piece. Tyler McCullough put together an impressive performance on the mound. Throwing a complete game, he finished allowing only four hits and two runs while striking out 10 batters and walking only two.

Chris Callihan paced the team at the plate going 2-for-4 with a run and an RBI. Jeremiah Wilder scored as a courtesy runner for Jacob Mike. Brandon Helton scored after reaching on a walk. Braden Ausmus finished the game with one hit and one RBI.

Jack Capobionco was the driving force behind North Laurel. He scored both of the Jaguars runs while finishing the night with two doubles. Brian Gray picked up an RBI on the day. Caden Harbin and Landon Schott also tallied hits on the day.

Hunter Nantz was credited with the loss on the mound for North Laurel. Through five innings, he allowed three runs and four hits while striking out four batters and walking six.

The Jaguars got on the board first when a sacrifice bunt scored Capobionco to give North Laurel a 1-0 lead. Middlesboro responded in the second inning when Ausmus hit an RBI double to tie the game at 1-1.

The game went silent until Middlesboro took the lead in the fifth inning. After reaching on a walk, Helton scored on a wild pitch to give the Jackets a 2-1 lead. With two outs on the board, Callihan hit an RBI single that scored Wilder and increased the lead to 3-1.

Capobionco narrowed the deficit to a single run in the sixth. After reaching on a double, he scored on a fielding error. Neither team was able to find home plate in the final inning as the Jackets walked away with the victory.

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Middlesboro (10-6) was slated to square off against Bell County (10-3) in a doubleheader on Monday.

North Laurel (7-8) was slated to host Jackson County (6-6) on Monday.

Reach Anthony Cloud at 606-302-9090 or on Twitter @AnthonyCloudMDN