The North Arlington Vikings will venture away from home to square off against the Cresskill Cougars at 4:30 p.m. on Thursday. The two teams each escaped (but just barely!) with wins against their previous opponents.
On Tuesday, North Arlington needed a bit of extra time to put away New Milford. They came out on top in a nail-biter against the Knights, sneaking past 2-1.
Rohan Patel
| 04/21/25 @ Rutherford | 7 |
| 04/01/25 vs Elmwood Park | 2 |
| 04/29/25 vs New Milford | 1 |
| 04/15/25 @ Cliffside Park | 1 |
Rohan Patel spent all eight innings on the mound, and it's clear why: he surrendered a run (which was unearned) on one hit. He is becoming a predictor of North Arlington's success: when he allows at most two hits the team is 2-1 (and 5-8 when he doesn't).
At the plate, North Arlington's win was truly a team effort as five different players contributed at least one hit. One of them was Sam Rosamilia, who went 2-for-4 with one double and one RBI.
Cresskill came out on top against Ridgefield Park on Saturday thanks in part to the team's impressive four-run sixth inning. The Cougars skirted past the Scarlets 8-7. For those keeping track at home, that's the closest victory the Cougars have posted since April 13, 2024.
Luke Kopczynski made a big impact while hitting and pitching. On the mound, he struck out six batters over three innings while giving up no earned runs off six hits (and not a single walk). He has been consistent recently: he hasn't given up more than one earned run in four consecutive appearances. He was also solid in the batter's box, going 2-for-3 with one triple and one run. That triple marked the first that he has hit this season.
In other batting news, Tyler Manarang was incredible, going 3-for-4 with three RBI, two runs, and two doubles. Another player making a difference was Anthony Santilli, who went 2-for-4 with two runs and one RBI.
North Arlington is on a roll lately: they've won three of their last four games. That's provided a nice bump to their 7-9 record this season. The wins came thanks in part to their pitching effort, having only surrendered 3.8 runs on average over those games. As for Cresskill, their record now sits at 8-5-1.
The pitchers for both teams better look sharp on Thursday as neither team is afraid to steal. North Arlington has been swiping bases left and right this season, having averaged 3.6 stolen bases per game. However, it's not like Cresskill struggles in that department as they've been averaging an even more impressive 3.1 stolen bases. The only question left is which team can snag more.
North Arlington came out on top in a nail-biter against Cresskill in their previous matchup back in April of 2023, sneaking past 14-12. The rematch might be a little tougher for the Vikings since the team won't have the home-field advantage this time around. We'll see if the change in venue makes a difference.
