The Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders will head out on the road to face off against the Cranford Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Tuesday. Scotch Plains-Fanwood is strutting in with some hitting muscle as they've averaged 7.2 runs per game this season.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood had to skate by with only a one-run margin when they last took the field, which might have inspired the eight-run drubbing they dealt Glen Ridge on Saturday. The Raiders put the hurt on the Ridgers with a sharp 15-7 win. The victory continues a trend for the Raiders in their matchups with the Ridgers: they've now won three in a row.
Alex Bolton made a big impact no matter where he played. He tossed two innings while giving up no earned runs off two hits. Bolton was also big at the plate, scoring three runs while going 2-for-6. Those three runs gave him a new career-high.
In other pitching news, Mike Cantwell looked comfortable as he pitched one inning while giving up no earned runs or hits.
Aiden Luccarelli
| 04/05/25 @ Glen Ridge | 4 |
| 04/03/25 vs Brearley | 2 |
| 03/22/25 vs Monmouth Regional | 2 |
| 04/01/25 @ Johnson | 1 |
Back at the plate, Scotch Plains-Fanwood let Joe LaRosa and Aiden Luccarelli run wild. LaRosa went 2-for-5 with two stolen bases, three runs, and four RBI, while Luccarelli scored four runs and stole two bases while getting on base in five of his six plate appearances. Those four runs gave Luccarelli a new career-high. The team also got some help courtesy of Ronnie Germinder, who got on base in four of his five plate appearances with three RBI and one stolen base.
Scotch Plains-Fanwood kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That strong performance was nothing new for the team: they've now got at least eight hits every time they've taken the field this season.
Meanwhile, Cranford came up short against Union Catholic on Friday and fell 6-3. The loss put an end to the Cougars' undefeated start to the season.
Having lost for the first time this season, Cranford fell to 2-1. As for Scotch Plains-Fanwood, they now have a winning record of 3-2.
Cranford's pitching crew has a crucial task ahead of them: Scotch Plains-Fanwood hasn't had any issues making contact this season, having earned a batting average of .343. It's a different story for Cranford, though, as they've only averaged .254. Will they be able to contain Scotch Plains-Fanwood's hitters?
Scotch Plains-Fanwood came out on top in a nail-biter against Cranford in their previous meeting back in May of 2024, sneaking past 9-7. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Raiders since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
