After losing to Summit the last time they met, Cranford decided to demonstrate that turnabout is fair play. The Cougars had just enough and edged out the Hilltoppers 2-1. The victory made it back-to-back wins for the Cougars.
Gabe Arato spent all seven innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on three hits. He also tossed no earned runs, which is notable because Cranford is 4-1 when he allows at most two earned runs, but 5-6 otherwise.
Patrick Bendert
| 04/09/26 vs Randolph | 4 |
| 04/28/26 @ Summit | 2 |
| 04/13/26 @ Somerville | 2 |
| 04/04/26 @ Hudson Catholic | 2 |
| 03/28/26 vs Dayton | 2 |
| + 3 more games |
On the hitting side, the team relied heavily on Patrick Bendert, who got on base in two of his four plate appearances with two stolen bases and one run. He is becoming a predictor of Cranford's success: when he posts at least two stolen bases the team is 4-1 (and 5-6 when he doesn't). Another player making a difference was Michael Tripodi, who went 2-for-4 with one stolen base, one double, and one RBI.
Cranford's victory bumped their record up to 9-7. As for Summit, they have traveled a rocky road recently, having lost eight of their last nine matchups. That's put a noticeable dent in their 3-9-1 record this season.
Cranford will have a chance to go back-to-back against Summit: the pair's next game is a rematch scheduled at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday.
Article generated by infoSentience based on data entered on MaxPreps
