While the first inning may have suggested a tight matchup, the second inning demonstrated what would hold true for the rest of the game. Union Catholic scored four runs at the top of the second, and remained on a roll until the bottom of the seventh, prevailing over the Blue Devils 7-1.
It has been a tough season for Westfield, as their record moved to 4-16 after yesterday’s loss, which also took them out of contention for the Union County Championship. While it was a disappointing loss, there were some highlights for the Blue Devils.
Freshman Angelina Tessitore’s single in the bottom of the fifth inning gave Westfield a much-needed boost, regardless of its impact on the game overall. Sophomores Ava Heuck and Darby Revock also had impressive showings, as Heuck stepped in to take over the pitcher’s mound late in the game, and Revock had a number of good plays in the outfield.
Westfield played four games in a row this week, coming up short in all four. Head coach Caitlin Cheddar reflected on the long week, saying, “I don’t think that we have the luxury of relying on that as an excuse. This is no different than yesterday.”
Senior Kayla Reyes also reflected on the team’s schedule. “Not winning any of those games is mentally draining and doesn’t necessarily excite us for the next day,” said Reyes. “We have to give something else or tell ourselves and our teammates something else to push us for the next game. Usually, we are excited for a new day, but honestly, with our record, it is hard to keep that momentum going, especially back-to-back.”
However, early on in the game, the Blue Devils suffered another setback, as they lost their starting catcher, sophomore Grace Brodo, to an injury. Junior Claire Kurtz was put in as the backup, and while she put in the effort for the Blue Devils, a series of losses caused them to come up short.
“Losing Grace did impact the team as we’ve never really dealt with an injury that pulls someone out of the game before,” said Revock. “We knew we all had to step it up in order to keep a tight defense.”
After this disappointing result, Cheddar said that she will use the weekend to reflect and think of how to propel the team forward. Revock said the team’s goals after this loss will be “just trying to pull out wins and working hard at practice to stay focused on winning our next few games.”
“Moving forward, we must win a regulation game to help our seed in states,” said Reyes. “If we can not execute, there may not be any states at all.”
The Blue Devils will look to make a comeback against Ridge on at 10:00 a.m. May 14 away.
