Berwick is 1-9 against Hazleton Area since April of 2019 but they'll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Friday. The Bulldogs will head out to face off against the Cougars at 4:30 p.m. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Berwick took a loss when they played away from home on Monday, but their home fans gave them all the motivation they needed on Wednesday. Their pitcher stepped up to hand Greater Nanticoke Area a 5-0 shutout. The win was some much needed relief for the Bulldogs as it spelled an end to their five-game losing streak.
Not much got past Cole Phillips, who gave up just three hits and racked up six Ks to keep Greater Nanticoke Area off the board.
At the plate, Berwick saw six different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Luke Sult, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base and one run. That's the most hits Sult has posted since back in April. Derek Pinterich also deserves some recognition as he scored his first run of the season.
Meanwhile, after only two runs in their last game, Hazleton Area made sure to put some runs up on the board against Wyoming Valley West on Wednesday. The Cougars put the hurt on the Spartans with a sharp 13-3 victory. The result was nothing new for the Cougars, who have now won seven contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Dominic Marino made a splash while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run while striking out ten over five innings pitched. Marino was also big at the plate, earning one run and three stolen bases.
In other batting news, Hazleton Area got a massive performance out of Shea Higgins, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, two runs, and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Logan Hearity, who went 3-for-4 with two stolen bases, two runs, and one RBI.
Hazleton Area is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 12-5 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 2.8 runs on average over those games. As for Berwick, their record now sits at 3-15.
Berwick suffered a grim 12-0 defeat to Hazleton Area when the teams last played back in April. Can the Bulldogs avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
