On May 1, the Blue Devils faced one of their fiercest competitors, Scotch Plains-Fanwood. With a deep rivalry, both teams had the grit and determination to win, and a hard game was played on both sides of the fence.
The first two innings got off to a slow start, with both teams scoreless. Going into the game against the Raiders, Westfield knew they needed to capitalize on their mistakes and take notes for their rematch on Monday. “We wanted to set the tone for the next game, and we succeeded in that,” said senior captain Alex Laguna.
The third inning started with junior shortstop Natalie Ardente making a great stop to get the first out of the inning. Despite this stellar defensive play, SPF was able to follow up with two hits to bring in a run. The Blue Devils didn’t let this deflate their spirits, as Laguna ended the inning with a double play to first baseman Claire Kurtz.
On offense, Westfield echoed the Raiders with three hits and a run to tie the game. However, the momentum ended quickly as the Blue Devils experienced hitting troubles. “Even though we didn’t have our best hitting day, the times we did get on base were mostly because of their mistakes, which we were able to benefit from,” said Laguna.
Sophomore pitcher Ava Heuck kept the Raiders at bay, pitching all seven innings and only allowing two runs. “My teammates get me through it,” said Heuck. “They’re so supportive, when I’m pitching and they’re cheering me on, it helps so much.” With the help of Heuck’s confidence in the circle the fourth inning came to a quick end, but Westfield failed to deliver at the plate.
Although the game was kept at a tie score for the majority of the first few innings, the tempo quickly shifted at the top of the fifth inning. Freshman catcher Grace Brodo got a walk after multiple poor throws from the SPF pitcher. Freshman Darby Revock kept the momentum in Westfield’s favor with a bunt. With two runners on base, junior Kayla Reyes stepped up to the plate and hit a crucial double, which upped the score to 3-1 in favor of the Blue Devils. After a stolen base from Reyes, senior Quinlan Doherty was tagged out to cap off an eventful inning for the girls.
On the defensive end, Heuck continued her fast pitches as the bench cheered loudly. The team’s energy and enthusiasm helped to shift the momentum in their favor and kept the pressure on SPF. Heuck continued her great performance with a single as Brodo walked to place two girls on first and second base.
After a hard-fought game, it was now time for the seventh and final inning. Despite their deficit, the Raiders were not going to go down without a fight. SPF was able to capitalize on some of Westfield’s errors and sneak two players on first and third base.
With the pressure on Westfield, SPF was able to bring in a run, which they hoped would be the start of a comeback. However, just when the Raiders attempted to make their final move, the Westfield infield played some of their best defensive plays of the day and closed the game on a double play.
Despite the less than perfect hitting, the team’s defense is what gave them the upper hand. “We really made a lot of really good defensive plays today,” said head coach Caitlin Cheddar. “Once you do that, once you collect a couple outs and make the plays you’re supposed to make and then make a couple extra, you’re in the driver’s seat.”
Westfield will travel to face off against SPF again on May 5 where they hope to take down the Raiders once more.
