Baseball Game Preview: New Providence Pioneers vs. Cranford Cougars

New Providence hasn't had much luck against Cranford recently, but that could start to change on Friday. The Pioneers will square off against the Cougars at 4:00 p.m.

Summit hit New Providence with a six-run fifth inning on Thursday, which goes a long way in explaining the final result. The Pioneers fell 10-6 to the Hilltoppers.

Matthew Santacross made the most of his time at bat despite the final result and went a perfect 3-for-3 with three RBI, one stolen base, and one run. He also hit a double, marking his first of the season. Another player making a difference was Andrew Kruep, who earned one RBI and two runs.

Meanwhile, Cranford came tearing into Wednesday's matchup with three straight wins (a stretch where they outscored their opponents by an average of 10.3 runs), and they left with even more momentum. They came within a single run of losing the streak, but they secured an 8-7 W against the Mustangs.

Michael Tripodi was incredible, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, one run, and one double. He has become a key player for Cranford: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two stolen bases, but 1-3 otherwise. The team also got some help courtesy of Patrick Bendert, who went 1-for-3 with one triple, one run, and one RBI.

New Providence's defeat dropped their record down to 2-7. As for Cranford, their win bumped their record up to 6-3.

New Providence couldn't quite finish off Cranford in their previous meeting back in April of 2024 and fell 11-9. Can the Pioneers avenge their loss or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.