Gov. Livingston reaches UCT final with epic win over Westfield

This game will be remembered for a long time.

And Gov. Livingston’s Mike Cranston will never forget his part in it.

Cranston hammered the first pitch he saw with two out and two on in the bottom of the seventh inning over the left field fence to propel second-seeded Gov. Livingston to a dramatic 17-14 victory over third-seeded Westfield in the semifinal round of the Union County Tournament Saturday afternoon at Williams Field in Elizabeth.

Gov. Livingston (15-3), which have never won the UCT, will now meet top-seeded and defending champion, Cranford, for the UCT title on Sunday, May 15 at Kean University in Union at 4 p.m. Cranford defeated fifth-seeded Scotch Plains, 15-5, in six innings in the other semifinal on Saturday.

The Highlanders held a 14-10 lead heading to the top of the seventh and were up, 14-12, with two out before Westfield rallied to knot the score, 14-14.

“After seeing them come back we wanted to end it right away,” said Cranston, who reached base and scored all five times he was up. “I was looking for a first pitch fastball and got it.”

Gov. Livingston fell behind, 2-0, in the top of the second, but quickly erased that deficit when it sent 12 batters to the plate in the bottom of the frame and struck for nine runs.

Ryan Jennings and Billy Worswick, the Nos. 8 and 9 hitters in the lineup, each delivered RBI doubles and Tyler Martis and Joey DiSarno added RBI singles. Aaron Smith capped the onslaught with a three-run home run.

“That was my first varsity home run,” said Smith, the designated hitter. “It was a fast ball left over the plate and I got a good piece of it.”

Gov. Livingston starter, Joey Graziano gave a gritty effort on the mound, throwing 132 pitches in six innings of work.

Graziano allowed four runs in the sixth inning as Westfield closed within 11-10, but he clubbed a two-run homer in the bottom of the frame to push the lead back to three runs. Smith, who was 3-for-4, added an RBI single to bring the Highlanders lead to 14-10.

“I definitely felt more comfortable after we scored the nine runs,” said Graziano. “I never in a million years thought we would win this game, 17-14, but we did and it means a lot to us.”

Billy Worswick, who pitched the seventh, picked up the victory in relief.

Gov. Livingston is now 2-0 against Westfield this spring and will have an opportunity to win its first county title in one week’s time. The Highlanders lost, 6-3, at Cranford on April 20 in the only meeting between the schools this season.

Cranford defeated Gov. Livingston, 7-1, in the 2007 UCT final, the last time the Highlanders reached the final.

“We’re going to have to face a team that’s the best right now in the county,” said Gov. Livingston eighth-year head coach Chris Roof. “We’re looking forward to the challenge.”