Coming off five straight losses, the Blue Devils were eager to get back on track. With just one out in the bottom of the fourth inning, junior Claire Kurtz drilled a sacrifice fly to center field, handing Westfield their 15th run in a dominant 15-0 win over the Farmers of Union.
Westfield started the competition hot, leaving Union with a one-two-three inning in the top half of the first inning. Following, the Blue Devils tallied two runs of their own, thanks to runs batted in by senior Leah Abrams and sophomore Ava Heuck.
Sophomore Darby Revock said, “I think that we were able to hit the ball very well today, but it took a lot of adjusting. This is because we’ve been facing a lot of faster pitching. We were able to see the ball, hit the ball, wait back on it and we found a way.”
This proved to be true when the Blue Devils tallied another five runs in the bottom of the second inning, with singles and doubles from up and down the roster.
Senior Natalie Ardente said, “We all went up to the plate with a very aggressive approach today, and we were just able to connect [with the ball], which helped us in the end.”
Concluding their phenomenal ending to the bottom of the second inning, the Blue Devils did not give up on the defensive side of things either. Heuck delivered another one-two-three inning, which helped propel them into the bottom of the third inning with more momentum.
Head coach Caitlin Cheddar said, “I think good offense usually starts with good defense. If you’re making your plays and you’re loose playing defense, and you put up zeros when you get in the box, only good things can happen.”
In the bottom half of the third inning, Westfield manifested 3 more runs, growing their margin to 11 runs on the day. With a pair of knocks from Kurtz, Revock and Abrams, the Blue Devils were not looking back.
With momentum heading into the fourth inning, the Blue Devils commanded their authority, thanks to yet another scoreless inning by Heuck. Senior Kayla Reyes and sophomore Giada Petrarca capitalized in the bottom half of the inning with runs batted in themselves, growing the lead to 14, before the game-sealing shot by Kurtz.
Revock noted the impact a win like this can have on the team. She said, “It shows that we can have a clean defense and pitchers can throw strikes. We just have to make our outs and defense, and it also shows that we are capable of committing to the ball. Finally, it shows we’re capable of finding ways to manufacture runs.”
Ardente credited the team for their ability to step up to the plate today and set a dominant tone in a contest where the Blue Devils never looked back. “Knowing that we can come out today and score that many runs, and not let any up will definitely help us push through the rest of the season,” she said.
Coming off a rocky start to the season, the Blue Devils look to use their win over the Farmers as motivation as they continue to move through a tough schedule. Extending their record to 3-8, Westfield is forced to transition quickly as they take on Roselle Park on Tuesday at 4 p.m, less than 24 hours after their most recent game.
