Baseball Game Preview: Summit Hilltoppers vs. Cranford Cougars

Summit hasn't had much luck against Cranford recently, but that could start to change on Monday. The Hilltoppers are taking a road trip to take on the Cougars at 4:00 p.m.

Summit managed to slip by Johnson the last time these teams faced off, but didn't have those same answers this time around. The Hilltoppers came up short against the Crusaders on Saturday, falling 10-0. The Hilltoppers have now taken an 'L' in back-to-back games.

Summit got a good showing from Matt Kurek, who tossed 1.2 innings while giving up no earned runs or hits.

On the hitting side, Summit saw three different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was TJ Flack, who went 1-for-2 with one double. Connor Moon also deserves some recognition as he snagged his first stolen base of the season.

Cranford not only won on Saturday, but they posted their biggest win since April 22nd (when they won 14-4). They put the hurt on New Providence with a sharp 8-1 victory. With that win, the Cougars brought their scoring average up to 6.1 runs per game.

Christian Pereira spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered only one earned run on four hits and racked up seven Ks.

At the plate, the team relied heavily on Brayden Fry, who fired off two home runs and two stolen bases while going 2-for-4. That's the most home runs he has posted since back in April. Patrick Bendert was another key player, getting on base in three of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases, one run, and one double.

The victory made it two in a row for Cranford and bumps their season record up to 10-7. The wins came thanks in part to their hitting performance across that stretch, as they averaged 7.5 runs over those games. As for Summit, their defeat dropped their record down to 8-11.