Westfield Baseball Advances to First Ever State Championship Game

There’s an underlying rule in sports that says never let the other team’s best players beat you.

With one out and Tuesday’s Group 4 semifinal tied in the top of the eighth, Morris Knolls head coach Adam Bonfiglio decided to intentionally walk Westfield’s James Barry to load the bases. Seniors A.J. Murray and Dan Kerr, who will continue playing in college, were already on second and third.

That brought up designated hitter Will Riggs, who was previously 0-for-4 on the day with groundouts to shortstop and third base sandwiched in between strikeouts looking.

Bonfiglio dared Riggs to end his team’s season.

Riggs, after striking out to end the sixth against Golden Eagles relief pitcher Jackson Baird, was ready this time.

Riggs made Morris Knolls pay.

On the first pitch he saw this time from the senior right hander, he drilled a fastball into right field for an opposite field, two-run single that gave Westfield the lead for good.

His game-winning hit and then a shutout bottom of the eighth inning thrown by junior right handed relief pitcher Mike Mondon led Westfield to another dramatic, come-from-behind state tournament victory as the North 2 champion Blue Devils downed the North 1 champ Golden Eagles 8-5 in eight innings in Tuesday’s Group 4 semifinal played at Kean University’s Jim Hynes Stadium in Union.

For the first time in the history of the program, Westfield will be playing in a state championship game.

For the first time Westfield will be playing in the Group 4 final.

For the first time Westfield will be playing a state championship game in Toms River.

Teams that want to play in Toms River this time in June have to go 5-0 in state tournament play to make that trip south.

Not only did Westfield do that for the first time, but the Blue Devils did so by scoring the deciding runs in their final at-bat in all five games.

Westfield (25-4, winners of eight in a row) will next face Central Jersey champion Manalapan (28-3) for the Group 4 state championship at one of the three Toms River high schools Saturday.

The NJSIAA will announce Saturday’s schedule on Wednesday morning.

Manalapan came back with eight runs in the sixth inning to defeat South Jersey champion Millville 9-4 in Tuesday’s other Group 4 semifinal played at The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township. Millville finished at 21-5.

Westfield scored the game’s final three runs in the top of the eighth after almost losing the game in the bottom of the seventh.

Morris Knolls rallied for three runs in the seventh to tie the game at 5-5 and then had runners on first and second with just one out to try to win it. Mondon, who entered in the sixth with a runner on first and nobody out and then got three outs on four pitches to keep the game at 5-2, retired the next batter he faced on a 6-4 fielder’s choice, with the Golden Eagles now having runners on first and third with two outs. Mondon then got the next batter to hit a ground ball to Barry at second, who fielded it cleanly and flipped to Tim Younger at shortstop for a 4-6 force to keep the game tied at 5-5 and send it to extra innings.

Riggs has had his share of timely hits this season, including an RBI-triple to tie Westfield’s Union County Tournament semifinal clash against Governor Livingston. He drove in Matt Varakian in that spot when the Blue Devils were behind by a run and down to their final out in the top of the seventh.

While that game did not eventually work out for Westfield, this game did.

Riggs went with the fastball and produced the game-winning hit.

“I was sitting dead-red and it was right over the plate,” Riggs said. “I knew they were going to challenge me because I was 0-for-4 and had struck out twice.”

Riggs approached the at-bat with just as much confidence as someone who was previously 4-for-4.

“You go up there thinking that there’s no option to fail,” Riggs said.

Ironically, Barry was the only Westfield starting player in the lineup not to get a hit, although he did reach base twice on walks, including one in the second and later scored Westfield’s first run in that inning.

Of the other eight starting batters in the lineup, Riggs was the last of the group to hit safely.

“I know I had a job to do,” Riggs said. “Mine at that time was to get a hit to win the game.

“I knew when we had 2-3-4 coming up in the eighth that we would get the job done.”

That’s another great lesson for youngsters in these games. You can be 0-for-4 with a couple of strikeouts like Riggs was, but you may get another opportunity to come up with the game-winning hit. Riggs received that chance, was ready, and produced.

That’s a sure sign of never giving up.

“With Riggs it was all guts,” said Westfield head coach Bob Brewster, who now in his 29^th season will get a chance to win a state championship. If he does win he will join a group of elite coaches in Union County that have. Without naming every coach on that list, some of those mentors include past coaches Gordon LeMatty of Union and Ray Korn of Elizabeth and present coach Dennis McCaffery of Cranford. “He was 0-for-4 when he stepped up to the plate, but went right after it and came up big for us.”

Westfield never gives up and seems to have different players come through in the clutch in these games. Senior right fielder Steve Forgash was 3-for-4, with three singles, a run and an intentional walk. He reached base all five times up, including once on an infield error. Junior third baseman Brett Ryan was 3-for-4, with three singles, one run, one RBI and a sacrifice bunt.

“I’ve been struggling lately, so it feels good to be able to get some hits and help the team win a big game like this,” said Ryan of his first three-hit game of the season.

Ryan also caught the game’s final out. Westfield did not commit an error.

“We have a team that fights back,” Ryan said. “After they tied the game we knew that we were going to come back.”

Forgash singled to center in the first, led off Westfield’s four-run fourth inning with an opposite field single to right and later scored in that inning and also reached in the seventh on an infield single to the right of the second baseman where he beat the throw. He also reached on an infield error in the fifth and was intentionally walked in the eighth.

“We’ve been doing this throughout the state tournament, we never stop fighting,” Forgash said. “To do this my senior year and to go as far as we possibly can, it’s everything you dream of.”

Westfield took a 1-0 lead in the second on an RBI-double by No.  9 batter, junior Jonathan Gribbin.

Morris Knolls came right back to take a 2-1 lead with two runs from the bottom of its order after Westfield starter Matt Rivera retired the first two batters he faced in the second inning on ground balls. Brian Stagg hit an opposite field double to right on a 0-2 count and was then brought home when designated hitter Nick Dispenziere hit a triple to right-center. Dispenziere was 3-for-4, with a triple, single and double, two runs and one RBI. An opposite field single to right by No. 9 batter Jake Moran gave Morris Knolls a 2-1 lead.

Westfield regained the lead with four runs in the top of the fourth. Forgash singled, Ryan singled and with one out, Younger drove in both runners with a two-run double down the left field line that just stayed fair by hitting the outside of the line. James O’Rourke followed with an RBI-triple to the right-center gap, sliding safely head first into third base. Dan Kerr drove in O’Rourke on a 6-4 fielder’s choice to make it 5-2.

Morris Knolls relief pitcher Jackson Baird - with his bare pitching hand - knocked down a shot hit up the middle by O’Rourke to rob the junior center fielder of a probable two-run single to center that would have increased Westfield’s lead to 7-2 in the fifth. Instead, Baird threw out O’Rourke to end the inning and then proceeded to pitch three scoreless innings to keep the Golden Eagles in the game and have the opportunity that they had to tie the contest in the bottom of the seventh.

Dispenziere and Moran, the last two batters in the Morris Knolls lineup, opened the bottom of the seventh with singles. After a fly out to Barry in short right field, Evan Steidl, the No. 2 batter, went the other way to left field, with the ball taking a Westfield bounce over the fence for a grounds rule double.

That meant only the runner from second could score. Now Morris Knolls trailed 5-3 and had runners on second and third with one out.

Vinnie Oliveri then laced a shot past O’Rourke in center that tied the game at 5-5. Mondon settled down and got the next two batters after Brewster intentionally walked Baird, his team’s cleanup batter.

“Even though he was 0-for-3, we knew he was a good hitter and didn’t want him to beat us,” Brewster said.

“I couldn’t let this slip through our fingers,” Mondon said.

With one out in the top of the eighth, Murray started Westfield’s winning really with a hard single to center for his second hit of the game. On a beautifully timed hit-and-run, Kerr singled to right to put runners on the corners with one out. Kerr then stole second.

Then Barry walked.  

Then Riggs came through.

Then Ryan delivered his third hit, driving in Riggs to make it 8-5.

Mondon gave up a one-out double in the eighth to Dispenziere, but that was it. He got the next two batters on a strikeout looking and a pop up to Ryan at third.

Mondon ended up gaining the victory in a third straight state tournament game as his pitching record improved to 7-1, including four wins in relief.

“There were a lot of emotions running through me in the final inning,” Mondon said. “I knew I couldn’t let it happen again. I threw, pretty much, all fastballs.

“This is such an incredible feeling. We’re all flying high right now.”

Murray, after uncharacteristically striking out his first two times at the plate, bounced back to go 2-for-4, with a walk and a run.

“It was a tight ballgame,” Murray said. “They were able to put together an inning there in the seventh and we came back again.

“This has been a great senior year and a state championship would cap it off.”

Kerr went 1-for-4, with an intentional walk, a run and a stolen base.

“To be able to play in the Group 4 state championship game, there’s nothing better than that,” Kerr said. “I’m always confident that we’re going to find a way to put it together.”

“This is the result of hard work that took place going back to last summer and then in the fall and the commitment these kids have made,” Brewster said. “These kids have worked hard in the batting cages and have worked on the little things too.

“Murray and Kerr have carried the team on its back as quiet leaders and we’ve also received contributions from everyone else in our lineup.”

Brewster said that senior right hander Justin White (5-11, 155) will get the mound start against a very formidable Manalapan squad.

“Including White, Rivera, Zach Archambault, Mondon and Ryan, our pitchers have only thrown 30-40 innings this year, it’s been pretty spread out,” Brewster said.

Westfield has only scored 10 runs in one of its last nine games. Before that the Blue Devils were averaging 11 runs a game.

When the stakes are higher, the starting pitchers a team faces are that much better.

“We beat five very good pitchers so far,” Brewster said. “We’ve also been getting outstanding pitching and good pitching is what wins these games.”

NOTES: Westfield had at least one baserunner in all eight innings.

The first inning was the only inning the Blue Devils did not produce a hit.

Westfield also outhit Morris Knolls 14-10.

GROUP 4 BASEBALL SEMIFINAL

AT KEAN UNIVERSITY’S JIM HYNES STADIUM IN UNION

N2 CHAMP-WESTFIELD (25-4)                      0   1   0     4   0   0     0   3 – 8  14  0

N1 CHAMP-MORRIS KNOLLS (21-9-1)        0   2   0     0   0   0     3   0 – 5  10   2

WESTFIELD STARTING PITCHER:

Matt Rivera, senior right hander, (record remains 5-0)

5 innings complete, plus one baserunner, 101 pitches (56 strikes 45 balls),

2 runs (both earned), 5 hits (3 singles, 2 double, 1 triple),

2 strikeouts (both swinging), 2 walks, 1 hit batter,

Pitched a perfect third inning.

Pitch count: 1-24. 2-23. 3-12. 4-17. 5-18. 6-7. Total: 101.

WESTFIELD RELIEF PITCHER:

Mike Mondon, junior right hander, (7-1),

Fourth win in relief and third straight in states.

3 innings complete, 41 pitches (33 strikes, 8 balls):

3 runs (all earned), 5 hits (3 doubles, 2 singles),

2 strikeouts (1 swinging, 1 looking), 1 intentional walk,

Took only 4 pitches to get 3 outs in the 6^th.

Pitch count: 6-4. 7-23. 8-14. Total: 41.

MORRIS KNOLLS STARTING PITCHER:

CJ Abrahamsen, senior right hander, (record finishes at 4-3),

4 innings complete, 96 pitches (56 strikes, 40 balls),

5 runs (all earned), 7 hits (4 singles, 2 doubles, 1 triple),

6 strikeouts (4 swinging, 2 looking), 5 walks (1 intentional),

Pitch count: 1-21. 2-24. 3-21. 4-30. Total: 96.

MORRIS KNOLLS RELIEF PITCHER:

Jackson Baird, senior right hander, took the loss,

4 innings complete, 62 pitches (44 strikes, 18 balls),

3 runs (all earned), 7 hits (6 singles, 1 double),

5 strikeouts (2 swinging, 3 looking), 2 walks (both intentional), 1 balk,

Pitch count: 5-18. 6-11. 7-12. 8-20. Total: 61.

SINGLES: Westfield – Steve Forgash (3), Brett Ryan (3), James O’Rourke, A. J. Murray, Dan Kerr, Will Riggs. Morris Knolls – Jake Moran (2), Evan Steidl, Vinnie Oliveri , Nick Dispenziere.

DOUBLES: Westfield – Tim Younger, A.J. Murray, Jonathan Gribbin. Morris Knolls – Evan Steidl, Vinnie Oliveri , Brian Stagg, Nick Dispenziere.

TRIPLES: Westfield – James O’Rourke. Morris Knolls – Nick Dispenziere.

HOME RUNS: Westfield – None. Morris Knolls – None.