Baseball Recap: Hazleton Area Falls Short of North Penn in the Playoffs

Hazleton Area and North Penn squared off in some playoff action on Thursday, but Hazleton Area had to settle for second. They took a 9-6 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Knights. The Cougars haven't had much luck with the Knights recently, as the team has come up short the last seven times they've met.

Jack Esposito was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out six over 5.2 innings pitched. That's the fewest hits he has allowed since back in April.

On the hitting side, Chris Knelly and Darian Haraschak stepped up to the plate in a big way. Knelly went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one double, while Haraschak went 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. James Festa was another key player, going 2-for-3 with one run and one RBI.

Hazleton Area's loss dropped their record down to 18-6. As for North Penn, the victory was the seventh in a row for them, bringing their record up to 22-5.

Hazleton Area does not have any more games scheduled as of now. As for North Penn, they will take on Neshaminy on Monday. The Skins' pitching crew has only allowed 2.2 runs per game this season, so the Knights' hitters will have their work cut out for them.