Baseball Recap: Cresskill Gets the Win

It may have taken eight innings to finish the job, but Cresskill ultimately got the result they hoped for on Saturday. They had just enough and edged out the Ridgefield Park Scarlets 8-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Cougars have posted since April 13, 2024.

Luke Kopczynski made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk). He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Cresskill is undefeated when he allows at most one earned run, but 4-5-1 otherwise. Kopczynski was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Tyler Manarang, who went 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Anthony Santilli was another key player, going 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.

Cresskill is on a roll lately: they've won four of their last five matchups. That's provided a nice bump to their 8-5-1 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 10.8 runs over those games. As for Ridgefield Park, their loss ended a three-game streak of wins at home and dropped them to 9-7.

Looking ahead, Cresskill will square off against North Arlington at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. As for Ridgefield Park, they will challenge Cliffside Park at 4:15 p.m. on Monday. The Scarlets' pitchers better be ready for this one: the Raiders have averaged an impressive 7.3 runs per game this season.