Hazleton Area is 0-7 against North Penn since June of 2021 but things could change on Saturday. The Cougars will venture away from home to challenge the Knights at 11:00 a.m. Expect the scorekeeper to be kept busy: if their previous games are any indication, these teams will really light up the scoreboard.
Hazleton Area is headed out to face North Penn after opening their season at home and giving their fans just what they were looking for. The Cougars put the hurt on Liberty with a sharp 10-4 win on Saturday. The victory continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Hurricanes: they've now won four in a row.
Jack Esposito looked comfortable as he tossed three innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Chris Knelly
| 03/21/26 vs Liberty | 3 |
| 06/05/25 vs North Penn | 2 |
| 06/02/25 vs Hempfield | 2 |
| 05/01/25 @ Wilkes-Barre | 2 |
| 04/23/25 vs Greater Nanticoke Area | 2 |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Chris Knelly, who went 3-for-4 with two runs, one triple, and one stolen base. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Logan Hearity, who went 2-for-3 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI.
Hazleton Area was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .400. They easily outclassed their opponents in that department as Liberty only posted a batting average of .091.
Meanwhile, North Penn sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with an 11-10 win over Wilson on Thursday.
Isaac Whaley looked comfortable as he pitched three innings while giving up just two earned runs off four hits.
At the plate, Bud Murphy was incredible, getting on base in four of his five plate appearances with one home run and three RBI. Grayson Fontaine was another key player, getting on base in three of his five plate appearances with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Hazleton Area came up short against North Penn in their previous meeting back in June of 2025, falling 9-6. Can the Cougars avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
