Baseball Game Preview: Cranford Cougars vs. Union Catholic Vikings

For the first time this season, Cranford will have a chance to prove themselves in a conference matchup. They will take on the Union Catholic Vikings at 4:00 p.m. on Friday. Both come into the matchup bolstered by wins in their previous matches.

On Thursday, Cranford beat Dayton 5-2. The win continues a trend for the Cougars in their matchups with the Bulldogs: they've now won seven in a row.

Jesse Weaver was excellent, going a perfect 3-for-3 with two stolen bases and one double. Brayden Fry was another key player, scoring a run while getting on base in three of his four plate appearances.

Meanwhile, Union Catholic took care of business in their home opener (and then some) on Thursday. Everything went their way against Union as they made off with a 9-2 victory.

Nick Anderson made a splash while hitting and pitching. He pitched two innings while giving up no earned runs off one hit. Anderson was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-4 with two RBI and one double.

In other pitching news, Ryan Conlon tossed a big game, striking out nine batters over five innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off six hits.

Back at the plate, the team relied heavily on Chris Wilson, who scored three runs and stole four bases while going 2-for-3. Another player making a difference was Josiah Shapre, who scored a run and stole two bases while going 2-for-4.

Everything went Cranford's way against Union Catholic when the teams last played back in April of 2023, as Cranford made off with a 12-4 win. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Cougars since the squad won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.