It was the bottom of the seventh, with a scoreless first six innings, Westfield needed to find a way to get on the board. Junior Anthony Bulger hit a run-batted-in single, bringing junior James Oligino home, ending the game 1-0 against a tough Elizabeth team.
Prior to this remarkable hit, sophomore Pete Cabrales was hit by a pitch, allowing Oligino to run in his place. Junior Brian Jordan got on base with a hard-hit line drive single, filling first and second base. Stepping up to the plate in this situation, Bulger said, “I knew I had to put the ball in play. Good things will happen if I just find [a pitch] I like and put the ball in play.”
Westfield and Elizabeth both pitched full games, not bringing in a closer, despite zero runs on either side. For Westfield, sophomore Anthony Narciso came out of the gate firing, striking out 13 batters. Senior Eliezer Cepeda for Elizabeth had success in striking out 5 players, and going 1-2 at bat.
Behind Narciso was a strong infield and reliable outfield. “[Elizabeth] was obviously really aggressive, we knew that going into the game. So, the whole game plan was to throw strikes, make [Elizabeth] swing, have [Elizabeth] put the ball on the ground, and I trust my defense to make every play,” said Narciso.
Head coach Jay Cook said, “That’s what we expect out of Anthony. Anthony is a solid, great pitcher who just keeps getting better year in and year out as he’s in our program. So, that’s the kind of start that we expect from him.”
Westfield got off to an early start with a double from senior tri-captain Jake Alfano in the bottom of the first inning. Cabrales added a hard-hit ground ball to left field and a line drive double. Despite being unable to score off of these hits, the Blue Devils had the momentum throughout the entirety of the game. Narciso complimented his teammates as he said, “Bulger with a huge hit in the last inning. [Cabrales] going two for two, Alfano’s [double], it was just a whole team effort and everyone played really well.”
Although this win gave the Blue Devils confidence for their rivalry game against Governor Livingston, which was scheduled for today, the game has been canceled due to poor field conditions after heavy rain. Looking ahead, the team plays Brearley away this coming Tuesday.
