The Parkland Trojans will venture away from home to take on the Hazleton Area Cougars at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. Parkland is coming into the game hot, having won their last five games.
Parkland had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt East Stroudsburg South on Thursday. The Trojans were the clear victors by a 9-1 margin over the Cavaliers. The result was nothing new for the Trojans, who have now won five contests by six runs or more so far this season.
Parkland let Ben Weninger and Julian Santiago run wild. Weninger went 2-for-4 with one triple, two RBI, and one run, while Santiago scored two runs and stole two bases while going 1-for-2. That's the most runs Santiago has posted since back in April of 2024. Will Dobil also deserves some recognition as he hit his first triple of the season.
Parkland was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .393. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as East Stroudsburg South only posted a batting average of .130.
Meanwhile, Hazleton Area waltzed into their match on Friday with two straight wins... but they left with three. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured a 3-2 W against the Comets. The three-run effort marked the Cougars' lowest-scoring game of the season, but in the end it didn't matter.
Aj Collevechio looked comfortable as he tossed 2.2 innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits.
At the plate, Hazleton Area saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Ryan Racho, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 1-for-3. Another was Shea Higgins, who went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Hazleton Area pushed their record up to 5-2 with the win, which was their ninth straight on the road dating back to last season. Those road victories came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 13.2 runs over those games. As for Parkland, their record is now 6-1.
Hazleton Area's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Parkland hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .335. It's a different story for Hazleton Area, though, as they've only averaged .251. Will they be able to contain Parkland's hitters?
Parkland skirted past Hazleton Area 7-6 when the teams last played back in April of 2024. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Trojans since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
