After a scoreless first two innings, it appeared that the Saturday game between Westfield and Chatham was going to come down to the wire. Ultimately, while the Blue Devils held their end and only conceded one run, Chatham collapsed in the third inning and used four different pitchers in a game that ended in a 12-1 Westfield victory.
Junior Kellen Edwards got the ball rolling for Westfield with an RBI single in the third inning. This is when the mauling began. Westfield added two more runs in the third thanks to a 2 RBI single from junior Chris Shinners.
“Once we got the offense going the hits were contagious,” said Shinners. “We had a very simple approach at the plate and that was what allowed for the hits to keep on coming.”
Chatham would get its first and only run in the bottom of the fourth due to a balk from pitcher Kevin Dowling. Despite this error, Dowling pitched a tremendous game, only giving up a few hits. Dowling also had several strikeouts at the mound and pitched for 6 innings.
The Cougars made their second pitching change in the fifth, a decision that only put them in even more of a hole. The new pitcher walked the first two batters he faced and then threw a wild pitch that moved runners to second and third. Sophomore Braedan Trajkovski then ripped a ball into left field and brought in two runs for the Blue Devils, making the score 5-1.
The Blue Devils, using their simple plate approach, still had lots of gas left in the tank as they added two more runs in the inning. A double from senior Kevin Halleran put two runners in scoring position. Junior Randy Davis would then drive a ball deep into right field, bringing in two additional runs. The Blue Devils now led comfortably.
Dowling hit the first batter he faced in the bottom of the fifth, and now his ability to stay in the game was in question. However, Dowling would quickly recover with a strikeout and a perfectly executed double play from Navy commit Leo Mangiamele to get out of the inning.
Mangiamele was the lead-off hitter for the Blue Devils in the sixth and got hit by a pitch. He was then able to steal second and third, which allowed him to score off a groundout from Ithaca commit Owen Callahan. The Cougars hit four Blue Devils batters this game, which sums up the sloppiness and inaccuracy of all four of the Cougars pitchers this game.
Later in the inning, Halleran smashed a ball into center, allowing two more runs to score. Westfield now led by 9.
The Blue Devils showed no mercy to Chatham, as they added on two more runs in the seventh inning with RBIs from sophomore Jake Alfano and Edwards.
Senior Mason Gibbs closed out the game for the Blue Devils, capturing a huge win for Westfield.
The Blue Devils face Governor Livingston next on Wednesday at home. Governor Livingston is 1-2 this year with losses to Cranford and Elizabeth.
“We have a huge week ahead of us playing both GL and SPF so I’m glad we were able to get this win and keep our momentum going,” Mangiamele said.
