CLARK, NJ – The Arthur L. Johnson High School Crusaders varsity baseball team took the field to get their run in the state tournament started against the Raritan High School Rockets. However, Raritan came in and took care business, as the No. 9 seeded Rockets defeated the No. 8 seeded Crusaders by a final score of 6-0 Tuesday afternoon in Clark.
The Rockets wasted no time. Following a leadoff walk by sophomore Tyler Bruno and a double from junior Dan Vanmeerbeke, senior pitcher Matt Birdsall put the ball in play, allowing Bruno score on the RBI groundout, giving Raritan an early 1-0 lead.
In the top of the second inning, Raritan continued to create scoring chances, as sophomore Tim Hayes launched a deep fly ball to center field and out for a solo home run to put his team ahead by a score of 2-0.
On the mound, Birdsall was in full control against a Johnson lineup that would do a lot of work at the plate. He struck out 11 batters and allowed only three hits to lead his team to a state tournament win on the road.
Full Coverage of Raritan-Johnson baseball NJSIAA Central, Group 2 First Round
