Coming off of a 9-2 loss to Cranford, where Westfield found itself outmatched, the Blue Devils looked to find their groove again in Monday’s matchup against New Providence. Coming into the day, the Pioneers were 7-12 and had already suffered a defeat to the Blue Devils in just their third game of the season. However, with bright beautiful skies and the hot sun beaming down, the Pioneers knew they needed a win in order to potentially make the state tournament, and that is exactly what they were able to accomplish, as New Providence surprisingly upset Westfield, 6-1. Westfield has now lost two consecutive games after previously winning three in a row before facing Cranford.
The Blue Devils were immediately caught by surprise when the Pioneers started the game with their first two runners reaching base safely. After two quick outs, it looked as if pitcher Kevin Dowling had danced around the danger. That was until a hard ground ball was ripped to second. In the blink of an eye, what had looked like a routine play quickly proved otherwise, as the ball squirted under Randy Davis’s glove, scoring 2 runs. It would be the first of many errors committed by Westfield throughout the game, all of which proved costly.
Another run scored soon after in the second inning when Dowling balked on the mound. This was the third time this season a Westfield pitcher balked on the mound and, in all three cases, a run scored. In order to have a man in scoring position, the Pioneers’ seventh hitter, who led off the inning, scorched a double into left field. Shortly after he advanced via a wild pitch before inevitably returning to home plate. It was only the second inning, but taking a quick glance at the Westfield players, things seemed all but over.
“We have to find a way to play with more heart and play with more, I guess I would say, a sense of urgency because going through the motions isn’t working for us,” said head coach Jay Cook.
Despite any lack of motivation, the Blue Devils were not without various opportunities throughout the game. The greatest of which came in the bottom of the fifth when the Blue Devils had the bases juiced with no outs. The inning began with Tomas Cestero taking one like a champ, as the ball nailed the center of his back. Nic Labin quickly followed, working a walk on a full count and taking some close pitches. Both runners advanced after sophomore Charlie McCormack laid down a flawless bunt that caused much confusion in the Pioneer infield. New Providence infielders were confused as to who should get the ball, and by the time it was fielded cleanly, McCormack was safe at first.
With the bases loaded, and nobody out, the top of the Blue Devil order was stepping up to the plate, hoping to cut into the 4-0 deficit. Davis ripped the ball into left field. The left fielder went full extension, hauling in the ball, but his throw to the plate arrived too late, and the Blue Devils scored their first run thanks to a sacrifice fly. Davis was followed by Leo Mangiamele and Braeden Trajkovski, whose at-bats were quickly resolved by the Pioneers with a pop-out and a ground-out. What began as a bases loaded, no-out situation ended in a single run scored.
On the lack of success at the plate, Cook said, “We had some good at-bats sprinkled around a lot of poor at-bats. Hitting is difficult at the end of the day, but I thought the approaches were okay at some points and not okay at other points.”
Monday’s loss against New Providence can be seen in various ways. Either a Westfield team that continues to recover from its Cranford loss two days ago, which was caught off-guard by the level of competition brought to the field by the Pioneers. Or a team that lacked motivation and thus success on the field.
New Providence must be acknowledged in its surprisingly good play, performing well in every facet of the competition. Both New Providence pitchers did well in forcing a large amount of fly outs and pop flys as well as a flurry of other miscues at the plate. The Pioneers infield made zero errors and fielded very well. They also produced in their at-bats. Five New Providence players recorded one or more hits, trumping Westfield’s two. Ultimately, in every aspect of the game, the Pioneers were better than the Blue Devils.
The Blue Devils must now collect themselves and look forward as they prepare to once again face Arthur L. Johnson for the third time this year, on Wednesday. Westfield has defeated the Crusaders twice thus far and hopes to do so once more and end its two-game slide.
