Baseball Drops to Cranford

CRANFORD—The last time the Hilltoppers faced the Cranford Cougars, the boys suffered a 14-0 loss.  Though they still didn't come away with the win on Thursday evening, they showed that they could hold their own with one of the top teams in the area.

"I thought we played really well," said senior designated hitter Matt DeWald.  "In the field we had a couple errors which we should all be able to limit."

Both teams, in anticipation of the big games coming up, showcased their pitchers.  Pat Birosak started the game for the Hilltoppers.  Birosak was relieved by Jay Crisfield in the fourth inning.  Crisfield pitched until the sixth inning, when Kenny Miller came in to finish the game.

"(The pitchers) have definitely made a lot of progress," said head coach Kevin Zaleski. "We're definitely confident on the mound and at the plate going into Monday."

It was clear from the beginning that it would be a hard-fought game.  Matt Rea grounded out, and Kenny Miller followed with a fly out to third.  Nick Oristanio singled to get on base, but was tagged out stealing second.  Cranford didn't fare much better in the first.  Their first batter hit the ball straight into Rea's glove in left field.  The next batter grounded out to the shortstop, Ben Roessle.  Their third batter reached first on an error, but, when the fourth batter hit a foul ball, Crisfield was there to make the catch and final out of the inning.  The first inning ended tied 0-0.

The second inning was a good one for the Hilltoppers.  Roessle led off for Summit and got to first on an error.  Then DeWald had a huge hit that everyone could tell was a home run from the moment it left his bat.  The home run was DeWald's first for the season.

"It felt good to hit a home run," he said.  "It's nice to hit one, but it's not good to lose a game, so there's not much to say about that.  I'm not trying to hit home runs.  I'm trying to hit singles every times I'm up."

With that, the Hilltoppers were up 2-0, but there was still a lot of baseball to be played.  The next three Hilltopper batters just couldn't get anything going, and they went into the bottom of the second trying to defend their lead.

On defense, Summit kept themselves in the game.  The first batter up got to first on an error, but the Hilltoppers re-focused and took care of business after that.  The second batter hit a fly out to Miller, the next batter hit a ground ball to Roessle who threw the runner out at second.  Then the fourth batter hit a another fly ball right into Miller's glove.  The inning was over with the Hilltoppers clinging to a 2-0 lead.

In the third, the Hilltoppers went three-and-out, moving right back onto defense.  They did not come out of the third unscathed.  Errors began to take their toll on the team.  The first threes batters got to first on errors, bringing in one run and leaving a runner on third.  The fourth batter was out when Joe Weil made a great catch.  The fifth batter hit a fly ball straight into Oristanio's glove in right field, but the runner tagged up and crossed home plate before the Hilltoppers could get the ball in.  The sixth batter grounded out to Weil and the inning ended tied 2-2.

"We needed to make a few extra plays and execute on some bunt coverages," Zaleski said.  "It could've been a way different game.  We could've been up 3-0 instead of 2-2 or down 3-2."

Neither team allowed anything in the fourth inning.  Crisfield took over pitching duties for the Hilltoppers and Cranford replaced their pitcher as well.  Both teams did their jobs defensively and moved into the fifth inning still tied 2-2.

The Hilltoppers got on base in the fifth, but could not get a run in.  Weil was walked, and Chris George got a single, but the boys were left stranded on the bases.  Cranford did not have the same problems.  Their lead-off batter got to first on an error.  Then the next batter doubled, setting up a good scoring opportunity.  The Cougars came through.  The next batter hit a fly ball to Oristanio, but the runner on third tagged up and scored a run.  The next batter singled to bring in another run.  The Hilltoppers got the second out when Crisfield struck the batter out.  The an error allowed the sixth batter to reach third, bringing in the third Cranford run of the inning before the Hilltoppers could make the third out.  The fifth inning ended with Summit down 5-2.

Again Summit didn't score in the sixth inning.  Miller took over pitching.  He struck out the first batter, and the second grounded out.  The next two batters got singles, but Miller didn't let Cranford get any father.  The fifth batter hit a pop-up and Miller raced under it, making the final out of the inning.  The Hilltoppers were still down 5-2 with one chance left.

The seventh inning started off well for the Hilltoppers.  The pitcher walked Birosak, George and Weil to load the bases for the top of the batting order.  Cranford recognized the danger and replaced the pitcher right before Rea's at-bat.  Rea hit the ball straight to the second baseman who made a great double play, but the contact gave Birosak enough time to score the third Hilltopper run.  That was the last run for the Hilltoppers and the game ended with Summit losing 5-3.

"This was a really good team," DeWald said. "I'm sure this is about what we'll see in the state tournament and we kept with them.  I think we're ready for Monday."

The NJSIAA State Tournament bracket has been announced and the No. 8 Hilltoppers will take on No. 9 Bordentown at home on Monday.  Field and time remains to be announced.

"We know what we have to do," Zaleski said. "There's nothing in particular we have to work on.  It's pretty much just the mental aspect that we have to make sure is there.  And we're there.  We're excited."

Summit faces St. Mary's High School Friday at 4 p.m. at Memorial Field.