Blue Devil Softball Falls to Gov. Livington in County Finals

Consider Saturday a stepping stone for the Westfield softball team in its quest to get back on top. The seventh-seeded Blue Devils were a huge underdog to top-seeded and 20-win program Governor Livingston when the 36^th annual softball Union County Tournament championship game was contested at Kean University’s Cougar Field in Union. Westfield hung in there for four innings before falling to the Highlanders 8-1. GL won its first UCT crown since 2001 and fourth overall. The Highlanders lost in the 2005, 2006 and 2010 championship games. Westfield reached the final for the first time since last winning it in 1998.With four freshmen and one sophomore in the starting lineup and with only two senior starters that will be lost to graduation, Westfield has a bright future. If the Blue Devils continue to work hard, the next time they reach the final they may be the favorite. 

THE RECORDS:  Westfield had a four-game winning streak snapped and fell to 10-14. GL won its 14 straight to improve to 21-2. The Highlanders also swept the Blue Devils in Union County Conference-Watchung Division play and captured the Watchung title their first year in the division.

THE DIFFERENCE: After managing just three hits off Westfield right hander Elena Scarano in the first three innings, GL was able to scratch out an unearned run in the top of the fourth to take the lead for good at 1-0. Senior first baseman and lefty-batting Sam Frungillo drove in a courtesy runner for junior catcher Jenna Kulback, who reached on an infield error. Frungillo hit a shot to the right field fence and was then thrown out at third on a nice Westfield 8-4-5 relay. “We didn’t want this to be a frustrating game, which it was in the early innings when we weren’t staying back on pitches,” said GL ninth-year mentor Rick Iacono, who won his first UCT as GL’s head coach. “I felt if we could get one run it would open things up and then we would get some big hits. That’s exactly what happened.”

GL scored two more runs in the fifth as a result of an infield error and then later in the inning junior designated player Steph Cataldo came through with an opposite field RBI-double to right to make it 4-0. Getting better swings at pitches Scarano was delivering later in the game, the Highlanders put the game away with four runs on four hits in the sixth. Junior right fielder Kelly Goense, batting ninth in the lineup, smacked an opposite field, two-run double that hit off the top of the fence in right-center to make it 6-0. Leadoff batter Paige Murphy, GL’s junior center fielder, followed with an RBI-double to left to make it 7-0. Senior third baseman Mackenzie Liss, who was GL’s catcher last year when the Highlanders were edged by Cranford 4-3 in the 2010 final on this same field, produced an RBI-double to the left field fence for an 8-0 advantage. “We knew what we had to do, worked hard in practice at it and had no doubt in our minds that we were going to hit and win this game,” Liss said. Frungillo was 3-for-4 with two doubles, a single and one RBI. She led off GL’s four-run sixth with an opposite field double to the left-center fence. Her single with one out in the seventh smashed straight off the center field fence. “Sam’s a very good hitter who has gotten some big hits for us,” Iacono said. 

HITTING SAFELY FOR WESTFIELD: Senior first baseman Nicki Schmeider had Westfield’s first of six hits when she produced an opposite field single to short right in the second. Freshman center fielder Julie Criscuolo hit a hard, line drive single to left to lead off the fourth. She was sacrificed to second and then tagged up and reached third on a fly ball out before being stranded at third. Junior third baseman Taylor Barber singled hard to left with one out in the fifth for Westfield’s third hit. Westfield had three hits in the inning it scored, which was the sixth. Freshman shortstop Cali Chambliss led off with an opposite field double to right-center. After Sarah Seitz reached on an infield error, Criscuolo singled to left for her second hit of the game. A fly ball to short center hit by senior catcher Emma Crossland brought home Chambliss with what would be Westfield’s only run. Crossland got credit for an RBI on the sacrifice fly, with GL then getting the Westfield runner out at third on an 8-2-5 relay. With two outs and a runner on second, Scarano singled to left for Westfield’s final hit. “This shows what Westfield is made of,” Crossland said. “We have such a young team and it’s only losing two starters.”

THE QUOTES: “I could not be more proud of my girls,” Westfield third-year head coach Caitlin MacDonald said. “GL did exactly what they needed to do, which was play great defense, get good pitching and hit the ball. Elena is a really good pitcher and has done so well for us this year, but she couldn’t outlast them. They hit the ball hard, to their credit. Getting to the final after beating Johnson (the second seed) and Cranford (the third seed and defending champions) in back-to-back days was phenomenal. We have such a young team.”

UP NEXT FOR THE BLUE DEVILS: Westfield will play at Watchung Hills Tuesday at 4 p.m. in a first round North 2, Group 4 contest. Westfield received the 12^th seed and Watchung Hills the fifth seed. The winner will play the winner of Tuesday’s 13^th-seeded Kearny at fourth-seeded Bridgewater-Raritan first round game on Thursday, which will be the quarterfinals.

36TH ANNUAL SOFTBALL UCT FINAL

AT KEAN UNIVERSITY’S COUGAR FIELD IN UNION

WESTFIELD WON THE COIN FLIP AND ELECTED TO BE THE HOME TEAM.

1-GOV. LIVINGSTON (21-2)                      0   0   0     1   3   4     0 – 8   12   2

7-WESTFIELD (10-14)                                0   0   0     0   0   1     0 – 1     6    2

GOV. LIVINGSTON PITCHER

Jordan Robbins, sophomore right hander (14-1)

7 innings complete: 1 run, earned, 6 hits, 1 strikeout, 0 walks

WESTFIELD PITCHER

Elena Scarano, freshman right hander

7 innings complete: 8 runs, 6 earned, 12 hits, 3 strikeouts, 2 walks

DOUBLES: Gov. Livingston - Sam Frungillo 2, Steph Cataldo, Kelly Goense, Paige Murphy, Mackenzie Liss. Westfield – Cali Chambliss.

TRIPLES: Gov. Livingston – None. Westfield – None.

HOME RUNS: Gov. Livingston – None. Westfield – None.