Baseball Recap: Manalapan Triumphs

It may have taken nine innings to finish the job, but Manalapan ultimately got the result they hoped for on Wednesday. They skirted past Ranney 5-3. That's the third time they've managed to beat them this season, with their most recent win being a 4-3 victory on Wednesday.

Manalapan got a great performance from Leo Vitale as he struck out seven batters over eight innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits. Vitale has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one earned run any time he's pitched this season.

On the hitting side, Dennis Healy was excellent, going 3-for-4 with one stolen base, one run, and one RBI. Those three hits gave him a new career-high. Andrew Ghibesi also deserves some recognition as he brought in his first RBI of the season.

The victory got Manalapan back to even at 7-7. As for Ranney, their defeat ended a five-game streak of away wins and brought them to 9-5.

Looking ahead, Manalapan will square off against Jackson Memorial at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday. As for Ranney, they are taking a road trip to face off against Christian Brothers Academy on Saturday.