The Hart Hawks will head out to square off against the Ventura Cougars at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
While Hart's victory against Castaic wasn't quite the blowout it was the last time the pair played, they still came out on top. The Hawks had just enough and edged out the Coyotes 9-8. The Hawks haven't had any issues with the Coyotes recently, as the game was their fifth consecutive win against them.
Mason Cummings looked comfortable as he tossed four innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off three hits. He has been consistent: he hasn't given up more than two walks in eight consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Ryder Frithsmith was incredible, going 2-for-5 with two runs, one stolen base, and two RBI. The team also got some help courtesy of Anthony Cavarretta, who went 4-for-5 with two runs, one double, and one RBI.
Meanwhile, Ventura hadn't done well against Royal recently (they were 0-3 in their previous three matchups), but they didn't let the past get in their way on Wednesday. The Cougars skirted past the Highlanders 4-3. Winning may never get old, but the Cougars sure are getting used to it with their fourth in a row.
Wylan Nelson made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out eight batters over seven innings while giving up three earned runs off five hits. Nelson was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-3 with one home run and two runs.
Nelson wasn't the only one making solid contact as five players wound up with at least one hit. One of them was Elijah Burt, who went 2-for-3 with one double and one RBI. That's the most hits Burt has posted since back in March of 2024.
Ventura's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 15-6-1. The road wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 6.7 runs over those games. As for Hart, their record is now 11-7.
Hart couldn't quite finish off Ventura in their previous meeting back in February of 2024 and fell 3-1. Can the Hawks avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
