Baseball Game Preview: Norton Panthers vs. Hubbard Eagles

The Norton Panthers will face off against the Hubbard Eagles at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Norton's pitching crew has only allowed 2.6 runs per game this season, so Hubbard's hitters will have their work cut out for them.

Norton is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They blew past West Geauga 12-2. The result was nothing new for the Panthers, who have now won 11 matchups by six runs or more so far this season.

Meanwhile, Hubbard came tearing into Tuesday's contest with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 8.7 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 1-0 W against the Cardinals. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Eagles have posted since May 10th.

Hubbard's victory was their third straight at home, which pushed their record up to 22-6. The home wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.3 runs over those games. As for Norton, the victory made it two in a row for them and bumps their season record up to 22-3-1.