Cranford Rolls Past Scotch Plains 16-1 In UCT Quarterfinals

Top-seeded Cranford is on a mission to win the Union County Championship, and the Lady Cougars took their first step towards that goal with a convincing 16-1 victory over Scotch Plains-Fanwood at Flanagan Field in Linden on Saturday.

Senior righthander Kelly Hardman improved to 10-2 on the season, tossing a one-hitter in five innings of work.

“Everybody’s doing their part, I couldn’t ask for anything better right now,” said  Hardman. “We’re hitting the ball and we just have to keep that up to keep going. It’s basically what it comes down to.”

“I thought today we all came together as a team,” said senior third baseman Taylor D’Antico. “We all played really well. Even the JV girls, some of them came up and helped us out. Everyone contributed. We hit the ball and we all played very good defense. It shows in the score.”

“Kelly was sharp today,” said Cranford coach Bob Bruno. “She hit her spots for the most part, not too overpowering, not too many strikeouts, but she did well.”

It was a big day offensively for junior Nicole Ravetier, whose day was highlighted by a pair of doubles, 3-for-3 effort with four RBI’s.

“The key today was to keep our focus and hit” noted Hardman. “We made the plays we needed to make. We did really well.”

Melissa Moreno, Julie Siragusa and Oliva Salinardo each added a pair of RBI’s in the victory, which improved Cranford’s record to 18-3.

Cranford scored five runs in the first inning, and three more in the second and third and five in the fourth to end the game. Bruno was impressed with the entire lineup.

One through nine hit the ball really well in the first two innings, so to single one kid out wouldn’t be fair today. They all participated in the win.”

“I think we have to have fun, because if we put pressure on ourselves, we always break under pressure,” said Hardman. “So we just have to have fun and relax and just keep doing what we’re doing.”

As for Hardman, she’s in a good place when it comes to her pitching this season.

“There’s always room for improvement, but we also have Julie and she’s doing really well this season. Between the two of us, we can get it done.”

Cranford will face Johnson in the semifinal round on Sunday, with a trip to next week’s final on the line. The Lady Cougars beat the Crusaders 1-0 earlier this season.

“I think that both of our pitchers will do a good job,” said Bruno. “they’re going to have trouble scoring runs against us. That’s what I truly feel, no matter who pitches against them.”

The Lady Crusaders defeated New Providence 2-0 to advance. Game time is set for 3:00 p.m. at Linden’s Flanagan Field on Stiles Street.