Norco hasn't had much luck against Corona recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Cougars will take on the Panthers at 3:15 p.m. Both teams are coming into the contest red-hot, with Norco sitting on 11 straight victories and Corona on eight.
Norco is on a roll after a high-stakes playoff matchup on Tuesday. They had just enough and edged out Laguna Beach 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Cougars have posted since April 8th.
Landon Hovermale spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered just two earned runs on five hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.
On the hitting side, Dylan Seward was incredible, going 3-for-4 with one home run and four RBI. That's the most RBI he has posted since back in April.
Meanwhile, Corona faced Los Osos in a battle between two of the state's top teams on Tuesday. The Panthers blew past the Grizzlies 11-2. The Panthers might be getting used to big wins seeing as the team has won 14 games by six runs or more this season.
Seth Hernandez was a major factor no matter where he played. He didn't allow a single earned run and allowed only two hits while striking out eight over six innings pitched. Hernandez was also big at the plate, firing off two home runs and six RBI while going 2-for-3.
In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Jesiah Andrade, who went a perfect 3-for-3 with one home run and two runs. Anthony Murphy was another key player, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base and one RBI.
Corona was getting hits left and right and finished the game having posted a batting average of .448. That was just more of the same: they've now posted a batting average of .333 or higher in four consecutive matches.
Norco's victory was their sixth straight on the road, which pushed their record up to 22-8. The road wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 0.7 runs on average over those games. As for Corona, their victory bumped their record up to 27-2.
Friday's contest will be a test for both teams' pitchers. Norco hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .327. However, it's not like Corona struggles in that department as they've averaged .355. With both teams so capable at the plate, fans should be ready for an impressive hitting performance.
Norco came up short against Corona in their previous matchup back in March, falling 5-0. Can the Cougars avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
