It was Cresskill coach Al McLaughlin’s moves before the game that created the offensive explosion resulting in double digits on the scoreboard against Leonia.

The Cougars had a combined seven hits in their two victories prior to facing the Lions, but the squad knew they possessed more offensive potency.

McLaughlin shook up the lineup against the Lions and it worked brilliantly, as his squad executed in all aspects of the game in a 10-1 home blowout.

"Sometimes scrambling around the lineup wakes a team up and makes them focus on how to properly execute," said McLaughlin. "Today we played an all around perfect game."

The Cougars were in control early, jumping on fastballs and working the count.

First baseman Brian Henderson crushed a ball that carried all the way to the warning track in right field for a lead off triple. Left fielder Kyle Franceshini reached on single through the Lion second baseman, plating Henderson, as Cresskill took a 1-0 lead.

Later in the inning Franceshini came around to score to give the Cougars a 2-0 cushion.

"Taking the lead early gave us a lot of confidence and it makes the game a lot more fun," said Henderson. "It not only loosened us up, but also makes us realize we have a lot of talent on this team."

The talent on the pitching side really shined for the Cougars as Robert Mier struck out eight Lions and only gave up one run.

"I haven’t pitched in a while and I was dying to play," said Mier. "Once we scored some runs it calmed me down and I just was set on throwing strikes."

Mier worked quickly, sending opposing batters back to the dugout shaking their heads and anyone watching could tell his stuff was effective.

"I was hitting my spots and consistently kept the ball low," said Mier. "I was able to mix in my curveball to keep the hitters guessing."

The Cougars pushed at least one run across the plate in all but the second inning and the home team even managed to put up a four spot in the third.

To begin the four run rally Henderson singled. In the game he reached base during all four plate appearances and was a homerun away from hitting for the cycle.

"I saw the pitcher really well," said Henderson. "We really broke out today and it just shows that practice really pays off. On our days off a lot of us go to the [batting] cages."

After another single by Franceschini, to move the runner to third, the left fielder stole second. Shortstop Ian Oates drew a walk to load the bases for third baseman Mike Furrer.

On a 1-1 count Furrer lined a double past the Lion third baseman, as two runs came around to score. Another run came off a defensive error and catcher Brett Petillo sacrificed a run home for the 6-0 lead.

"Our offense was good and we finally broke out and we lost to this team twice last year," said Oates. "But today everybody hit. Maybe it was the warm weather that helped. We’ve had a lot of games cancelled on us and we’ve been dying to hit."

The Cougars added two more runs in the fourth and one more in the final frames for the lopsided victory. Mier capped off the offensive effort with a home run to left centerfield, which traveled all the way to the sidewalk.

"I knew I wasn’t doing well at the plate and it was my last opportunity," said Mier. "I’m just glad I came through, was able to hit it right on the nose and knew I hit it hard off the bat."

The win puts the Cougars atop the BCSL Olympic standings and is a big confidence booster.

"The win makes us 3-0 in the league and it definitely gives us momentum for the rest of the week," said Oates.

E-mail: cheung@northjersey.com or call 201-894-6709