Baseball Game Preview: Cranford Cougars vs. Marlboro Mustangs

The Cranford Cougars will face off against the Marlboro Mustangs at 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday. The teams are on pretty different trajectories at the moment (Cranford has three straight victories, Marlboro has four straight losses), but none of that matters once you're on the field.

The home team had won the previous three meetings between Cranford and Union, and Cranford kept the tradition alive. The Cougars blew past the Farmers 14-4 on Tuesday.

Tyler Muccigrosso made a big impact while hitting and pitching. He didn't allow a single earned run over four innings pitched. Muccigrosso was also big at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two runs, one double, and one RBI. That double marked the first that he has hit this season.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Quinn Smith, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with one home run, two stolen bases, and five RBI. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Michael Tripodi was another key player, going 2-for-3 with four stolen bases and two runs.

Cranford hit smart and finished the game with only two strikeouts. They are a perfect 3-0 when they post two or more strikeouts.

Meanwhile, Marlboro didn't have quite enough to beat Manalapan on Tuesday and fell 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest defeat the Mustangs have suffered against the Braves since May 3, 2022.

Marlboro's loss dropped their record down to 2-8. As for Cranford, their win bumped their record up to 5-3.