The Middlesboro Yellow Jackets were on the winning side of a 4-1 decision against the South Laurel Cardinals on Monday after taking the lead late in the game.

“Chris Callihan pitched a great game for us,” said Middlesboro coach John Smith. “He pitched 5 2/3 innings for us and only allowed two hits. Stephen Justice made a spectacular diving catch in the field to save us a couple of runs. We struggled on the bats until late in the game, but we came through when we needed to and are happy to get the win against a good team.”

Both teams struggled to find any offense until Middlesboro got things going in the sixth inning.

The Yellow Jackets added two runs in the top of the sixth on walks.

South Laurel added one run in the bottom of the sixth inning, bringing the score to 2-1 in favor of the Yellow Jackets.

In the top of the seventh, Middlesboro added two runs on a two-RBI single from Chris Callihan, permanently extending the Yellow Jacket lead to three runs.

Both teams struggled in batting as both Middlesboro and South Laurel only accumulated three hits apiece.

Callihan was credited with the win for the Yellow Jackets. He pitched for 5 2/3 innings, allowing two hits and one run while striking out five. Tyler Harris pitched for 1 1/3 innings in relief out of the bullpen. Harris earned the save for Middlesboro, as he recorded the final four outs.

Ramey took the loss for the Cardinals. He pitched for 5 1/3 innings, allowing two runs on two hits while striking out 10. Salva pitched 1 2/3 innings in relief out of the bullpen. He allowed two runs on one hit while striking out two.

With the win, the Yellow Jackets improve to 11-9 on the season and extend their current winning streak to four games. Through their four-game winning streak, Middlesboro has averaged 9.75 runs per game and allowed an average of two runs per game.

The Yellow Jackets squared off against Lynn Camp on the road on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. The Cardinals were back in action against Clay County at home on Tuesday.