The Hazleton Area Cougars will face off against the Emmaus Hornets at 12:00 p.m. on Saturday. The timing is sure in Hazleton Area's favor as the squad sits on 14 straight wins at home (dating back to last season) while Emmaus has been banged up by four consecutive losses on the road.
Hazleton Area is coming in fresh off a high-stakes matchup with another one of Pennsylvania's top teams: Wilkes-Barre, who was ranked 24th at the time (Hazleton Area was ranked eighth). The Cougars put the hurt on the Wolfpack with a sharp 7-1 victory on Thursday. Considering the Cougars have won five games by more than five runs this season, Thursday's blowout was nothing new.
Dom Marino was incredible, firing off two home runs and three RBI while going 2-for-4. Those home runs were his first of the season. The team also got some help courtesy of Chris Knelly, who went 3-for-4 with one triple, one stolen base, and one run.
Hazleton Area was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .423. That's the best batting average they've posted all season.
Meanwhile, Emmaus started off well but failed to capitalize on an early lead against Bethlehem Catholic. They fell just short of the Golden Hawks by a score of 3-2 on Thursday.
Emmaus' defeat dropped their record down to 6-6. As for Hazleton Area, their win bumped their record up to 8-1.
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 4.1 stolen bases per game. It's a different story for Emmaus, though, as they've been averaging only 0.8 stolen bases. Will they be able to secure the bases, or will Hazleton Area continue to outrun the ball? Check back here after the action for a full breakdown and analysis of the contest.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
