In the bottom of the seventh inning, the Blue Devils had a burst of energy and closed the 1-7 gap that was constant since the very beginning to a tight score of 5-7. Even with the four runs batted in, their final surge was not enough to defeat Jonathon Dayton High School.
In the first inning Jonathon Dayton started off strong with two runs, which was quickly followed by Westfield’s one run. For the rest of the game, the Bulldogs were able to continue increasing their score while the Blue Devils struggled to get any more points.
Throughout the game, the Blue Devils kept their energy high and continued to support their teammates even when hardships arose. They focused on cheering in the dugout and on the field to encourage better playing.
Sophomore Ava Heuck said, “We were being very supportive of one another. We were always picking each other up.”
The Bulldogs were able to pull away in the fourth inning, getting a total of 4 additional runs, bringing the score to 1-7. Westfield has acknowledged that their defense struggled today and in order to limit the additional runs, they need to focus on improving.
Senior co-captain Natalie Ardente said, “Defensively we need to make more plays. We are giving them way too many runs. We just need less errors and more plays to be made.”
Despite these weaknesses, they were able to bat aggressively and challenged their opponent in the later innings.
The highlight of the game was the slight comeback in the last inning, the girls started to work together and support each other to push themselves to perform. But their late game surge was not enough to hand them the win.
Head coach Caitlin Cheddar said, “They had a great fight at the end. But we handed them multiple runs in the middle of the game for no reason because we lost focus and couldn’t sustain it for seven innings. So it’s good, but not good enough.”
Westfield will look to work on their defense and their fight for their upcoming games.
Along with improving their defense, the Blue Devils also hope to approach their future games working for something bigger than themselves. “We need to work on not playing for ourselves, but playing as a team,” said Heuck.
The Blue Devils will play South Plainfield at home at 4:00 p.m. on Thursday looking to stay focused and prepare for counties.
