Battle of the Bats as Westfield Falls 29-14 in Group Baseball Final

Although the scoreboard read Manalapan 29, Westfield 14 once Saturday’s Group 4 state championship baseball game at Toms River South’s Ken Frank Stadium concluded, the Blue Devils produced a victory of sorts by the way they refused to quit.

Westfield trailed 11-0 going into the bottom of the second and it felt like 51-0 the way Manalapan - which looked more like a college team at the time - hit the ball. Westfield head coach Bob Brewster could only say, “wow”, as the Braves produced 11 of their 32 hits in the first two frames.

Did Westfield quit? No.

The Blue Devils scored their first two runs in the bottom of the second and then No. 9 batter Jonathan Gribbin blasted a grand slam over the left field fence in the bottom of the third to pull Westfield – the ultimate comeback team in these state playoffs – to within 11-6 heading into the fourth.

Manalapan answered with five runs in the top of the fourth to take a 16-6 lead.

Did Westfield quit? Once again, the Blue Devils did not.

Westfield, still down 16-6, needed a run in the bottom of the fifth to extend the game, otherwise it would have lost by the 10-run mercy rule. With the bases loaded and two outs, the Blue Devils – down to their final out – received a clutch, two-run single to right by first-pitch, fastball-hitting James O’Rourke to pull Westfield to within 16-8 and extend the game until at least the sixth.

At that moment, an NJSIAA official had to put the trophies away that he thought he was about to hand out to Manalapan.

Westfield wasn’t done.

With O’Rourke’s hit knocking out starter Kyle Rubbinaccio, that brought in lefty reliever Jake Winston to pitch to A.J. Murray. He struck out Murray swinging, but the pitch was wild and got past the catcher, with Murray making it to first base to load the bases again.

Then Dan Kerr, who struck out his first three times up, came through with a clutch, two-run single to right to make it 16-10.

Then James Barry drilled a three-run homer over the right-center field fence - smacking the ball off the brick field house - to pull the Blue Devils all the way to within 16-13.

Designated hitter Will Riggs then got hit with a pitch, which meant that Westfield got as close to having the tying run on deck. Amazing!

After trailing 11-0 and then 16-6 with one out to go before losing in five innings, Westfield rallied all the way back to put a major scare into Manalapan.

Plus, the Blue Devils knocked out Manalapan’s starting pitcher, who did not give up a run in the first inning, but threw 35 pitches in the frame and more than 100 in his 5 and 2/3 innings stint.

Manalapan scored a run after two outs and nobody on in the top of the sixth to make it 17-13.

The score remained that way until the seventh when Manalapan scored 12 runs on 11 hits against two Westfield pitchers for a 29-13 advantage.

In his only at-bat and on the only pitch he saw all season, Westfield senior Ben Kraus smoked a solo home run over the center field fence in the bottom of the seventh for the game’s final run.

Steve Forgash led Westfield with three hits, going 3-for-5, with three singles and three runs. He produced infield singles in the third and fifth innings.

Barry also had two hits for Westfield, going 2-for-3, with his three-run homer, a single, a walk, two runs and three RBI.

Westfield finished with 14 hits.

Manalapan ended up winning its first state championship in baseball in its first trip to Toms River. The Braves finished 29-3.

Westfield, which was also in its first state title contest in baseball and also making its first trip to Toms River, had an eight-game winning streak snapped and finished a remarkable season at 25-5. Manalapan was the only non-Union County team Westfield lost to this year. The Blue Devils lost to Group 2 state champion Governor Livingston three times and to repeat Union County Tournament champion Cranford once.

O’Rourke made one of the finest catches you will ever see in the top of the fifth to keep the score at 16-6. With a man on second and nobody out, he raced back, jumped up, dove full body and with his left glove hand snared a line drive. He then tumbled over completely and held on to the ball without separating his shoulder.

It was another highlight-reel catch by O’Rourke in center field, but maybe his best of the year.

“We kept battling back,” said O’Rourke, who was 1-for-3, with two walks, two RBI and a run. “Down 11-0 we knew we had to chip away. At 16-13 we were thinking it was a new game and we had the momentum.

“However, Manalapan kept coming back too and outscoring us.”

Murray went 2-for-5, with two singles and a run and just missed hitting a home run in his final high school at-bat. His first three at-bats as a freshman in Westfield’s 2008 season-opening win at Cranford were walk, walk and triple.

“They all seemed locked in,” Murray said of Manalapan’s hitting display.

Manalapan No. 3 batter Alex DeCastro was 5-for-7, with four runs and three RBI on three singles and two doubles.

The first five batters in Manalapan’s lineup went to the plate seven times.

Most teams would have folded at 11-0 or certainly at 16-6.

Not Westfield, which came back in the final inning to win its previous five state tournament games this season. Including its final state tournament win last year, the Blue Devils scored the deciding run in their final at-bat of six straight state tournament victories over a two-year span.

“This was incredible,” O’Rourke said. “To be on the first Westfield team to play in a state championship game and make it here is something I will always be proud of.”

“We finished second in Group 4, so it was an amazing season overall,” Murray said. “It was great to see all of our fan support here today and to play in front of all these people in a state championship-game setting.”

“Our kids wouldn’t quit,” Brewster said. “They battled to the end, like they did in all of our other games.

“They’re a great group of players, but they are even better human beings.”

 Gribbin also made two fine catches in left field, both times diving full body extended to his right.

Westfield senior John Randazzo followed the Kraus home run with a double off the fence in right-center.

Hitting home runs for Manalapan were Marco Ferrante, a three-run shot over the left field fence in the second; Chris Baird, an opposite field, two-run blast over the right field fence in the fourth; Joseph Serrapica, a three-run shot over the field house in the seventh and Nick Kreiger a two-run blast over the right field fence in the seventh.

Manalapan produced four home runs and Westfield three.

Rubbinaccio earned the mound victory for Manalapan, while starter Justin White took the loss for Westfield and finished his senior season 4-3.

The way Westfield came back twice in the game was just as good – if not better – than the way the Blue Devils came back to win any of their previous five state tournament contests this season.

Winning 25 games, a sectional title and making it to Toms River does not happen every season in Westfield. For that the Blue Devils should be applauded.