Baseball Recap: Clifton Victorious

Clifton took a ten-run loss the last time they faced off against Passaic, but this time they managed to keep it close and that made all the difference. The Mustangs came out on top in a nail-biter against the Indians on Monday, sneaking past 4-2. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest win the Mustangs have posted against the Indians since May 12, 2021.

Trevor Rascher

Earned Runs

04/11/25 @ West Milford	11
03/29/25 vs Belleville	6
04/21/25 @ Eastside	3
04/04/25 vs Wayne Hills	2
04/28/25 vs Passaic	1

Trevor Rascher was a major factor no matter where he played. He looked comfortable on the mound, striking out 15 batters over seven innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off two hits. He has become a key player for Clifton: the team is 2-1 when he allows at most one earned run, but 3-8 otherwise. Rascher was also solid in the batter's box, going 1-for-2 with one triple.

In other batting news, the team relied heavily on Aaron Tapia De La Cruz, who got on base in all three of his plate appearances with three stolen bases, two RBI, and one run. Those three stolen bases gave him a new career-high. Another player making a difference was Andy Gracia, who got on base in three of his four plate appearances with one run and one RBI.

Clifton always had someone on base and finished the game having posted an OBP of .562. That's the best OBP they've posted all season.

Clifton has been performing well recently as they've won three of their last four matches. That's provided a massive bump to their 5-9 record this season. Those victories came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.3 runs on average over those games. As for Passaic, they have been struggling recently as they've lost three of their last four contests. That's put a noticeable dent in their 4-8 record this season.

Passaic will be playing at home against Manchester Regional at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday. Clifton will be paying especially close attention to the Indians' game: after the Indians face off against the Falcons, they'll take on Clifton again at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday.