Cougars
| 05/05/25 @ Pittston | 2 |
| 05/01/25 @ Wilkes-Barre | 10 |
| 04/29/25 vs Crestwood | 7 |
| 04/26/25 vs Parkland | 4 |
| 04/25/25 @ Dallas | 3 |
| + 11 more games |
Hazleton Area is a perfect 10-0 against Wyoming Valley West since May of 2019 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Wednesday. The Cougars will take on the Spartans at 4:30 p.m. Hazleton Area is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Hazleton Area is coming in off a wild two-game stretch: after soaring to ten runs on Thursday, they were much more limited against Pittston on Monday. They fell 6-2 to the Patriots. The Cougars' loss signaled the end of their three-game winning streak.
Ryan Racho made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with two stolen bases and one run. He is on a roll when it comes to stolen bases, as he's now snagged at least one in each of the last three games he's played.
Meanwhile, there's no place like home for Wyoming Valley West, who bounced back after a loss on the road on Tuesday. They skirted past Crestwood 6-5. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Spartans have posted since March 27th.
Ray Chimock and Dioneivy Taveras dominated on the mound. Chimock tossed three innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits, while Taveras pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs or hits. The dominant performance also gave Taveras a new career-high in strikeouts (three).
On the hitting side, Damien Eastman was a standout: he got on base in all four of his plate appearances with two runs. That's the most runs he has posted since back in April. D'Vonte Rivers also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Wyoming Valley West always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .515. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post an OBP of .513 or better.
Hazleton Area's defeat dropped their record down to 11-5. As for Wyoming Valley West, the win snapped their losing streak at seven games and leaves them with a 7-10 record.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Wednesday as neither team is afraid to steal. Hazleton Area has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 5.2 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Wyoming Valley West struggles in that department as they've been averaging 2.8 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
Hazleton Area came out on top in a nail-biter against Wyoming Valley West in their previous matchup back in April, sneaking past 5-3. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
