Senior Legion Team Wins District Bid, Decides to Stop Season

With victories in its final five games, the Westfield Senior American Legion baseball team came a long way after beginning its season with a four-game losing streak.

However, after earning Union County’s third and final district bid, Westfield was not able to continue on.

Westfield defeated Springfield 12-3 at Ruby Field Wednesday, but decided that its season would end right there.

Had Springfield won, it would not have accepted the bid either.

Both teams would have found it impossible to field a team of 12 players – which is necessary for state tournament play – and then take that team all the way to District 4 at Toms River East High School in Toms River.

The first game is Tuesday at 4 p.m., which was not going to work out for Westfield or Springfield.

Both teams were going to lose players to other commitments, which often occurs this time of year.

Union will take the county’s third district bid and, according to Union County rules, will compete at home at Teener Field in Union in District 1.

Watchung Hills, which finished second, will now represent Union County at District 4. Roselle, which finished first, will also compete in District 1 at Union.

All four districts commence Tuesday and then the State Finals – which will include the champions and runners-up from each district – will start July 26 at Moody Park in Ewing.

“We played better baseball, especially on defense,” said Westfield coach Ken Miller, whose team finished with a winning record of 9-7 and defeated Springfield twice in three tries. “Our pitching held up.”

Left hander Evan Friedman allowed two runs on six hits in five innings in earning the mound victory. James O’Rourke pitched a scoreless sixth and Brett Ryan gave up one run in the seventh.

All three will be seniors and pitching candidates for varsity coach Bob Brewster next spring. Ryan first pitched on the varsity as a sophomore last year.

Kevin Galasso, a righty, and Quinn Dursee, a lefty, will be juniors who could also be in the varsity pitching mix for 2012.

“Kevin will be bidding for a pitching spot and Dursee for outfield and pitching,” Miller said.

Legion players who will be returning varsity players include left fielder Jonathan Gribbin, O’Rourke, Ryan, Mike Coletta and Mike Mondon. O’Rourke started in center this spring and Ryan at third, while Mondon was one of Westfield’s most reliable relief pitchers and Coletta was a valuable player off the bench.

Third baseman Eric Demers, who will be a junior, and catcher Taylor Friss, who will be a senior, also enjoyed fine legion seasons according to Miller.

“There’s a lot of potential there,” Miller said. “Those players will help the varsity find a way to win up there.”

Westfield scored single runs in the first and second innings, poured it on in the third with seven runs for a 9-0 lead and then scored its final three runs in the seventh.

Ryan scored Westfield’s first run after a teammate was picked off first base in a rundown. Demers drove in Westfield’s second run when he blasted an RBI-double over the center fielder’s head.

 In the third, Westfield’s first run in the inning came across the plate on a fielder’s choice. Dursee followed with a two-run single up the middle and then Liam Devin smacked a three-run double to left to make it 8-0. Mondon followed with a sacrifice fly RBI to right, which was an unearned run after an outfield error was previously made.

In the seventh, O’Rourke produced a two-run single and then Tyler Bowman drove in Westfield’s final run on a ground out to first.

Down 9-0 and held to just two hits in the first four innings by Friedman, Springfield struck for its first two runs in the bottom of the fifth. Springfield did so by banging out four hard hits.

Joe Policastro led off with a single to center field and then Tommy Losito followed with a double to the left-center gap. Jack Finnegan drove in the first run on a ground out to second.

Designated hitter Matt Liebowitz hit a shot down the left field line for a double that brought home Losito to make the score 9-2. Tommy Walsh produced Springfield’s fourth hit of the inning, which was a single to center.

After Losito and Finnegan connected for back-to-back opposite field singles with one out in the bottom of the seventh, Liebowitz drove in Losito on a ground out to Gribbin at short for the game’s final run.