Baseball Game Preview: Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders vs. Cranford Cougars

The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders will square off against the Cranford Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Given that the two teams suffered a loss in their last games, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this game.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood is headed into the matchup having just suffered their closest loss since May 7, 2024 on Tuesday. They fell just short of Summit by a score of 7-5.

Alex Tabares was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed 6.2 innings while giving up just two earned (and two unearned) runs off seven hits. He has been nothing but reliable: he hasn't given up more than one walk in five consecutive appearances.

At the plate, Leo Nardi made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went 1-for-2 with one home run and two RBI.

Cranford had taken Union Catholic down for two straight games at home, but that winning streak came to an end on Tuesday. The Cougars took a 7-4 hit to the loss column at the hands of the Vikings. The Cougars have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Brayden Fry was cooking despite his team's loss, going 2-for-4 with one home run and two RBI. Another player making a difference was Patrick Bendert, who went 1-for-3 with one run and one double.

Scotch Plains-Fanwood has traveled a rocky road recently, having lost five of their last six contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 8-6 record this season. As for Cranford, their defeat dropped their record down to 7-5.

Everything went Scotch Plains-Fanwood's way against Cranford in their previous meeting on April 8th, as Scotch Plains-Fanwood made off with an 11-4 win. Will the Raiders repeat their success, or do the Cougars have a new game plan this time around? We'll find out soon enough.