Pitcher Gabe Arato did not give the second-seeded North Hunterdon baseball Lions much to growl about and his offense came alive in the later innings to earn the third-seeded Cranford Cougars a 9-3 triumph in the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 3 semifinal round atAnnandale on June 3. Cranford then got home field advantage when fourth-seeded South Plainfield ousted top-seeded Chatham, 4-2, in the other semifinal and took full advantage of the friendly atmosphere to tame the Tigers, 10-5, for the championship on June 5.