Softball Preview: Hazleton Area Cougars vs. Pittston Patriots
The Hazleton Area Cougars will look to defend their home field on Monday against the Pittston Patriots at 4:15 p.m. Both teams come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
On Friday, Hazleton Area earned a 7-4 victory over Crestwood. The win made it back-to-back victories for Hazleton Area.
Isabella Almeida spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: she surrendered three earned (and one unearned) runs on ten hits. She has been nothing but reliable: she hasn't pitched less than six innings in three consecutive pitching appearances.
At the plate, the team relied heavily on Olivia Williams, who went 3-for-4 with a home run, three RBI, and a triple. The team also got some help courtesy of Nanci Major, who scored a run and stole a base while going 2-for-4.
Meanwhile, Pittston put another one in the bag on Friday to keep their perfect season alive. Their pitchers stepped up to hand Wilkes-Barre a 9-0 shutout. Considering Pittston has won eight matches by more than seven runs this season, Friday's blowout was nothing new.
Hazleton Area's win ended a five-game drought at home and bumped them up to 7-8. As for Pittston, their victory was their eighth straight at home dating back to last season, which pushed their record up to 11-0.
Hazleton Area couldn't quite finish off Pittston in their previous meeting back in May of 2023 and fell 2-0. Will Hazleton Area have more luck at home instead of on the road? Come back here after the game to get an analysis of the match and other softball content.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
