Baseball Game Preview: Hazleton Area Cougars vs. Emmaus Hornets

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Previous 5 Games

04/13/24 - Home	9-5 W
03/30/23 - Away	10-1 W
06/09/22 - Neutral	12-0 W
04/24/22 - Away	9-0 W
04/14/21 - Away	2-1 W

Hazleton Area has gone a perfect 5-0 against Emmaus recently and they'll look to pad the win column further on Saturday. The Cougars will challenge the Hornets at 12:00 p.m. Hazleton Area will be looking to extend their current four-game winning streak.

Hazleton Area barely beat Dallas the last time the pair played, but that sure wasn't the case this time around. The Cougars blew past the Mountaineers 13-7 on Tuesday. The result was nothing new for the Cougars, who have now won three games by six runs or more so far this season.

Marcos Gil Pena was incredible, scoring a run while going 3-for-3. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. James Festa was another key player, scoring two runs while going 2-for-4.

Gil Pena wasn't the only one making solid contact: Hazleton Area kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Dallas only managed seven hits.

Meanwhile, Tuesday just wasn't the day for Emmaus' offense. They fell just short of Parkland by a score of 1-0 on Tuesday. The contest marked the first time this year in which the Hornets were not able to get on the board.

Jaden Betz was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he didn't allow a single earned run while striking out six over six innings pitched.

Emmaus' loss was their third straight at home, which dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Hazleton Area, their win bumped their record up to 6-2.

Hazleton Area's speedy runners might be the difference in Saturday's matchup. The Cougars have been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.5 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Emmaus, though, as they've been averaging only 1.1 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Hazleton Area continue to outrun the ball?

Hazleton Area beat Emmaus 9-5 in their previous meeting back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.