The Randolph Rams will head out on the road to challenge the Cranford Cougars at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday. Both come into the contest bolstered by wins in their previous matches.
Having struggled with four losses in a row, Randolph turned things around against Hudson Catholic on Wednesday. They never let the Hawks get on the board and left with a 5-0 victory. The matchup marked the Rams' most dominant win of the season so far.
Not much got past Ethan Shire, who gave up just three hits and racked up six Ks to keep Hudson Catholic off the board. Shire has been nothing but reliable on the mound: he hasn't given up more than one walk in three consecutive appearances.
At the plate, Mason Wilson was excellent, going 2-for-4 with one run, one double, and one RBI. Brendan Stokoe also deserves some recognition as he got his first hit of the season.
Meanwhile, it was a proper cat-fight when Cranford faced off against South Plainfield on Monday. The Cougars blew past the Tigers 9-2. Considering the Cougars have won three games by more than six runs this season, Monday's blowout was nothing new.
Cranford gave Gabe Arato the start and clearly made the right call: he pitched six innings while giving up just one earned (and one unearned) run off five hits.
On the hitting side, Cranford let Michael Tripodi and Brayden Fry run wild. Tripodi went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases, three RBI, and one run, while Fry went 3-for-5 with two runs, two RBI, and one double. That's the most hits Tripodi has posted since back in April of 2025. The team also got some help courtesy of Owen Woodruff, who went a perfect 2-for-2 with two RBI and one double.
Cranford kept the outfield on their toes and finished the game with 12 hits. That's the most hits they've managed all season.
The victory got Randolph back to even at 5-5. As for Cranford, their record is now 4-1.
Randolph couldn't quite get it done against Cranford in their previous matchup back in April of 2016 as they fell 9-5. Can the Rams avenge their defeat or is history doomed to repeat itself? We'll find out soon enough.
