Baseball Game Preview: Escalon Cougars vs. Hilmar Yellowjackets

The Escalon Cougars will face off against the Hilmar Yellowjackets at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. The two teams have allowed few runs on average, (Escalon 4.1, Hilmar 1.8) so any runs scored will be well earned.

While Escalon's victory against Hilmar wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. Escalon never let Hilmar get on the board and left with a 2-0 win on Wednesday. The Cougars haven't had any issues with the Yellowjackets recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive victory against them.

Josh Fiori

Earned Runs

03/03/25 - Away	4
02/18/25 - Home	3

The result came thanks to Josh Fiori's shutout, as he gave up just three hits and racked up 11 Ks. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Escalon is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5 otherwise.

At the plate, Escalon's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Logan Huebner, who went 2-for-3 with one RBI. Dylan Ball also deserves some recognition as he hit his first double of the season.

The defeat snapped Hilmar's winning streak at nine games and leaves them with a 9-1 record. They've dominated over that stretch too, winning by an average of 8.3 runs. As for Escalon, their victory bumped their record up to 8-5.

The batters for both teams will have to hit smart on Friday as both have some strikeout artists on the roster. Escalon has been retiring batters left and right this season, having averaged 8.6 strikeouts per game. However, it's not like Hilmar struggles in that department as they've been averaging 7 strikeouts. Considering how easily both teams rack up Ks, the hitters on both teams better bring their A-game into this one. Check MaxPreps after the match for a full breakdown of the game, commentary, and other baseball content.