At the top of the sixth inning, Westfield was back up to bat and senior Grace Loder was at the plate. The Blue Devils, trailing by 3 runs, were in need of some offensive momentum after an eventful fifth inning for Governor Livingston.
Loder swung and blasted the ball down the left field line, carrying it over the fence and sending the crowd into a frenzy. The game’s first and only home run brought the Blue Devils within 2 runs, but it eventually proved futile as No. 7 seed Westfield narrowly lost to No. 3 Governor Livingston, 5-4, in the Union County Tournament semifinals at Kean University.
Westfield came into Wednesday’s matchup on a four-game win streak. In those wins the team outscored opponents 38-9, generating a steady balance of impressive offense and sound defense. This was Westfield’s third time facing Governor Livingston this season, splitting the previous two matchups.
The Blue Devils immediately sparked against the Highlanders, beginning the game with a couple base hits. Westfield struck first, scoring 1 run off an RBI single from junior Erin Doherty. Governor Livingston soon answered, tying the game in the first inning. The Westfield defense complemented the offense through a couple of impressive plays in the outfield including a big catch in left field by Loder, showing off her athletic range, and a double play in right by senior Sophia Guerrero, catching the ball then throwing out a Highlander at first whose lead was just a bit too large.
“Going into the game we knew that [Governor Livingston] was going to be aggressive at the plate so we knew we were going to need a solid defense,” said Guerrero. “We made the routine plays and did a great job of knocking down hard-hit balls.”
Westfield went on to take the lead once more in the fifth inning, though it would prove to be only temporary. Governor Livingston got its turn at bat in the bottom of the inning and tied the game with an RBI single. With no outs, a couple Highlanders found their way on base, and quickly things took a turn for the worse. A base-clearing double allowed Governor Livingston its first lead of the day, a lead it would never relinquish. Leading 4-2, the Highlanders seemed to maintain the majority of the game’s momentum. They eventually finished the inning, but not before recording 1 more run, bringing them to a narrow lead at 5-2.
Head coach Caitlin Cheddar said that, in response to Governor Livingston’s lead, she told her team, “We have to do it now, we have to answer. That’s what they did to us and that’s what we have to do to them.”
In what was a relatively low-scoring game to that point, Westfield had failed to show the incredible offense evident in previous games. Once Loder launched her first home run of the year, that offense was reawakened.
“The girls put the ball in play and really had some high-quality at-bats,” said Cheddar.
Immediately after, Westfield laid down a bunt to advance a runner to second and into scoring position. With an RBI double into center field that soon followed, Westfield found itself within 1 run. Eventually, the Blue Devils found themselves in the final inning. In the seventh, Governor Livingston brought in relief pitcher Alina Murad, who quickly ended the Blue Devils’ Union County Tournament run by forcing a ground out, a pop out and a strikeout consecutively.
“It’s not the result we wanted, but we competed and played a heck of a game,” said Cheddar. “There is nothing to be disappointed about, nothing to be ashamed of. They got beat, and sometimes that happens. We move on and we learn from it and do the best we can the next time.”
Despite falling just short against Governor Livingston, the Blue Devils played a very sound game both offensively and defensively. The team has made some incredible strides as of late and Wednesday’s result should not be seen as a mark against that momentum. The team must now look forward as the North 2, Group 4 sectional tournament begins Tuesday.
