Clifton is a perfect 4-0 against Kearny since April of 2015 and they'll have a chance to extend that dominance on Friday. The Mustangs will host the Kardinals at 4:00 p.m.
On Wednesday, Clifton came up short against Eastside and fell 6-3.
Seth Porcelli was a force to be reckoned with on the mound despite the final result: he tossed 4.2 innings while giving up three earned runs off four hits. The dominant performance also gave him a new career-low in walks (zero).
Tony Morales
| 04/23/25 @ Eastside | 1 |
| 04/21/25 @ Eastside | 1 |
| 04/19/25 vs Pequannock | 1 |
| 04/16/25 @ Passaic County Tech | 1 |
| 04/14/25 vs Passaic County Tech | 1 |
At the plate, Clifton saw four different players step up and record at least one hit. One of them was Tony Morales, who went 1-for-3 with one stolen base and one run. Morales has been hot, having posted at least one stolen base the last five times he's played.
Meanwhile, Kearny never let their opponents score on Wednesday. Everything went their way against University Academy Charter as they made off with a 16-0 win. Considering the Kardinals have won four games by more than 11 runs this season, Wednesday's blowout was nothing new.
Jayden Diaz made a splash no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, not allowing a single earned run and allowing only one hit while striking out nine over four innings pitched. Diaz was also solid in the batter's box, getting on base in all four of his plate appearances with one stolen base, two RBI, and one run.
In other batting news, Jonah Menendez and Julian Butler did most of the damage at the plate: Menendez got on base in two of his four plate appearances with four runs and one stolen base, while Butler went 2-for-4 with two runs and two RBI. Butler has become a key player for Kearny: the team is undefeated when he posts at least two runs, but 3-5 otherwise. Another player making a difference was Ismael Diaz, who got on base in two of his three plate appearances with three RBI.
Kearny always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .629. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.
Clifton has been struggling recently as they've lost five of their last six contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-9 record this season. As for Kearny, they now have a winning record of 6-5.
Clifton beat Kearny 5-1 when the teams last played back in May of 2017. Do the Mustangs have another victory up their sleeve, or will the Kardinals turn the tables on them? We'll have the answer soon enough.
