As Westfield huddled together in the dugout, it looked to defeat David Brearley a second time this season and advance to the Union County Tournament quarterfinals. During the teams’ last encounter, Westfield won, 17-9. With Saturday’s margin lessened, the Blue Devils managed to beat the Bears again, 7-1, advancing to Monday’s quarterfinals.
Westfield got a quick start as junior Catherine Heflin started the game with an easy double, where she instantly sprinted and stole third. Shortly after, junior Erin Doherty walked to first and stole second on a Brearley error. With two bases loaded, sophomore Alex Laguna stepped up to the plate and hit another double, claiming 2 RBIs as Heflin and Doherty ran home. To close out the inning with a score of 3-0, senior Grace Loder hit a pop-up in order to help another run come in.
During the second inning, freshman Natalie Ardente hit a double and stole third, with Doherty hitting a line drive into center field, bringing Ardente home with an RBI. Laguna then ended the inning with another run, increasing the score to 5-0.
With the third inning actionless, Brearley’s Gianna Scuderi made a dent in the score during the fourth as she hit a double, driving in the Bears’ first run of the game.
The score was now 5-1 going into the fifth inning, and the Blue Devils were getting antsy and looking to cause a bigger gap in the scoreboard in hopes of promising a win. With a walk to first by Ardente, junior Annie Reilly hit a single through Brearley’s legs with a Blue Devil on first and second. Heflin then hit a single, loading the bases. With bases loaded, Doherty hit a single, bringing Ardente home once more. Following shortly, another Westfield run was added to the scoresheet to make the score 7-1.
After a high-speed last two innings, Westfield maintained the score of 7-1 with a diving catch from senior Sophia Guerrero to end the game.
Coach Caitlin Cheddar explained, “We played really good defense. We made a couple catches in the outfield in right, center and left that needed to be done if we want to win tight games and our pitching was also really good.”
With a record of 11-11, the Blue Devils will play in the quarterfinals on Monday against Arthur L. Johnson.
Written by Emerson Wotanowski
Live tweeting by Alyssa Martinez
