Baseball Recap: Cranford Victorious

After losing to Watchung Hills Regional the last time they met, Cranford decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. The Cougars skirted past the Warriors 5-3. That's two games straight that the Cougars have won by exactly two runs.

Gabe Arato

Batters Struck Out (Career)

05/17/25 @ Watchung Hills Regional	8
04/17/25 @ Roselle Park	6
05/12/25 vs Summit	5
05/01/25 @ Scotch Plains-Fanwood	3
04/15/24 vs Kennedy Memorial	3

Cranford got a great performance from Gabe Arato as he struck out eight batters over six innings while giving up just two earned (and one unearned) runs off six hits (and only one walk). Those eight strikeouts gave Arato a new career-high.

At the plate, Michael Tripodi was incredible, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with one home run and two stolen bases. He has become a key player for Cranford: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 5-9 otherwise.

The win made it two in a row for Cranford and bumps their season record up to 12-9. They've had to fight for that success though, as they only beat their opponents by an average of two runs across that stretch. As for Watchung Hills Regional, their defeat ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 12-9.

Looking ahead, Cranford will challenge Bayonne at 6:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Watchung Hills Regional does not have any more games scheduled as of now.