Westfield Blue closes season with 3-2 loss to Long Hill

Westfield Blue lost to Long Hill 3-2 Saturday morning in the CJBL semi-finals, ending a very good season in which the team went 11-4 in league play and had an overall record of 16-9.

Westfield Blue started off the game well with Tyler Roth hitting a double and Rowan Oberman drawing a walk but the team was unable to advance either runner home. Long Hill was also unable to score in the bottom of the first, thanks in part to a outstanding grab of a line drive to left center by Owen Murray.

WB went silent in the top of the 2nd but Long Hill was able to rack up 2 runs without getting any hits by taking advantage of a few walks and stolen bases. Neither team scored in the 3rd due to excellent defensive play by both teams, including a diving catch of line drive by Roth at short.

In the top of the 4th, WB finally got on the board. Oberman led off with a single, stole 2nd and was advanced to 3rd on a sac fly by Owen Colwell. Owen Murray came up next and clobbered the first pitch clear over the left center field wall, tying the game at 2-2. WB was able to hold Long Hill in the bottom of the 4th leaving the score tied after 4.

After WB went down in order in the top of the 5th, Long Hill played a little small ball and dropped a bunt down the 3rd base line to put a runner on 1st. He stole his way to 3rd and was able to score on a defensive lapse by WB, putting Long hill up 3-2 after 5.

WB threatened to tie in the top of the 6th when Liam Loughlin singled and stole his way around to 3rd. Oberman drew a walk to put a 2nd runner on base but the offense wasn't able to get them home.

WB enjoyed excellent pitching efforts from Justin Lin and Rowan Oberman and many fine defensive plays from the rest of the team.

Oberman singles

Owen Murray 2 run HR ties the game

Westfield Blue shuts out Chatham 6-0 in CJBL Playoffs

Westfield Blue avenged their regular season loss to Chatham by beating them 6-0 in the opening round of the CJBL playoffs in Chatham Friday night.

Both teams started off slowly offensively tonight with no score through 3 innings. WB struck first in the bottom of the 4th (yes Westfield was the Home team). Rowan Oberman drew a walk, stole 2nd and 3rd and tagged up to score on a sac fly to center field by Owen Colwell.

WB pitching and defense held Chatham scoreless in the top of the 5th. The WB offense got to work quickly in the bottom of the 5th starting with a lead off single by George Devanney Murray. Justin Lin drew a walk and then Daniel Criscuolo took his 2nd pitch of the night in the Gluteus Maximus (look it up kids). This left the bases loaded with one out and Will Stern at the plate. Stern worked the pitcher, fouling off several 2 strike pitches and then ripped a line drive to left scoring Devanney Murray and Lin. After Liam Loughlin worked a walk, Owen Brancatella singled to drive in another run. Tyler Roth capped off the rally with a 2 RBI single to left that put WB ahead 6-0.

WB pitchers Tyler Roth and Parker Hess were outstanding tonight and effectively shut down the Chatham offense. Equally impressive was the WB defense. For example, in the 2nd inning with a runner on 2nd, Chatham hit a single to right field sending the runner from 2nd home. However, right fielder Loughlin quickly fielded the ball and fired to first base to get the batter out and save a run. In the top of the 5th, Chatham threatened with bases loaded and 1 out. A Ground ball was hit down the first base line to Justin Lin who fielded it and fired home to get the force out and save another run.

Next up in the playoffs is Long Hill at 10am Saturday.

Colwell sac fly scores Oberman

Devanney Murray starts off 5th with single

Stern 2 RBI rip

OB RBI single

Roth drives in final runs of the 5th

Stern rides his horsey to relax after the game

Kings of the Hill

Yikes! A mouse..everybody climb up here where it's safe

Westfield closes out season with 12-1 win over Plainfield

Westfield Blue bats were on fire during last Thursday’s game against Plainfield. With strong pitching by Parker Hess and an offense pounding out hits, the team took a commanding 5-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Tyler Roth led off with a line drive single to left, stole second and third, and scored on a hard grounder by Owen Colwell. Owen Murray then crushed a home run. He was followed to the plate by Parker who smacked a triple down the left field line. George Devanney Murray and Justin Lin each had RBI singles, which were followed by a beautiful line drive double by Daniel Criscuolo. Justin Lankler drew a walk before the inning ended.

The offense was back at it in the bottom of the second, scoring another 6 runs. Owen Brancatella reached first base after being hit by a pitch. Will Stern followed with a single. Tyler drove in both runners with a triple. Rowan Oberman drilled a single to bring home Tyler. Owen C, Owen M, Parker, and Justin Lin all followed with singles, with Parker and Justin each knocking in a run. Daniel then ripped the ball to left field for his second double of the game.

In the bottom of the third, Liam led off by crushing a triple to right field which was hit so hard that it brought lightening, ending the game with Westfield winning 11-1 after Plainfield opted not to resume play.

Parker pitched over 2 innings of no-hit ball, striking out 6 of his 7 outs. Tyler came on to finish the 3rd inning by getting the last two outs on Ks.

The defensive play of the game went to Claire Criscuolo for warding off a foul pop with her coffee cup. Unfortunately, she could not save the two drinks on the stands. Fortunately, they were only sodas.

Game Recap by C.Roth

Tyler drills a single

Owen Murray's inside the park HR

Parker triples

Justin Lin singles to left

Daniel doubles

Westfield Blue ousts Warren 4-3

Pitching, defense and timely hits allowed Westfield Blue to avenge their loss earlier in the season to Warren by beating them 4-3 in Warren Tuesday night.

WB put several base runners on in the 1st but was unable to score. Warren threatened in the bottom of the first with runners on 1st and 3rd and only one out. However, the next batter hit a grounder to pitcher Justin Lin, who threw to Rowan Oberman at first. Oberman saw the runner at 3rd going home and fired to catcher George Devanney Murray who put the tag on, completing a double play and ending the inning.

WB was able to record their first run of the game in the bottom of the 2nd when Daniel Criscuolo singled, was advanced by a hit from Lin and a walk by Will Stern and was then able to score on a sac fly to center by Liam Loughlin. Warren was held scoreless in the 2nd and 3rd but WB put up another run in the 3rd when Tyler Roth smashed a ball over the left fielder's head and into the next county for a home run.

In the top of the 4th, Parker Hess drew a walk, stole 2nd and was advanced to 3rd on a grounder by Devanney Murray. When Lin hit a "swinging bunt" that landed a few feet in front of the plate, Hess took advantage of Warren's indecision and came sliding into home, putting WB up 3-0. Unfortunately, Warren came back in the bottom of the 4th with 3 runs of their own to tie the game 3-3. Neither team scored in the 5th. In the top of the 6th, Owen Colwell singled up the middle and stole 2nd. With 2 outs, Hess drilled a single to bring home Colwell with what turned out to be the game winning RBI. Warren tried to rally in the bottom of the 6th but some excellent defense from WB shut them down.

Pitching from Justin Lin and Parker Hess was dominant, striking out 11 batters and allowing only 4 hits.

Criscuolo singles to set up 1st run

Loughlin sac fly

Roth's HR

Hess drives in the winning run

Westfield Blue loses rematch with Branchburg 10-0

After previously being able to shatter Branchburg’s undefeated record of 10-0, Westfield Blue didn’t have their usual Mojo flowing in their second matchup with Branchburg on July 16th. With a few exceptions, Tyler Roths’s single in the bottom of the 1st and Dan Criscoula’s double and Justin Lankler’s single in the second, the well was dry when it came to capitalizing on hits. Branchburg robbed Tyler, George, Dan, and Owen C, of some hard hit balls and the opportunity to get on base. The boys made a pact to boost Branchburg’s confidence for the state/regional championship by letting them get on base and score runs without too much trouble and it must have worked because Branchburg won the state championship!

Game Recap by F.Byrne

Defense key in 6 – 2 win over Union

Strong pitching, solid defense and timely hitting propelled Westfield past Union to bring their record to an impressive 13 – 7.

After Owen Murray retired the side in order in the top of the first, Westfield posted three big runs in the bottom of the inning. Tyler led off with a single and stole second. Rowan singled to drive him in. With one out, Owen Murray walked and Parker then singled to drive in one run. After Parker was caught stealing, George followed with a single to left to drive in the third run.

Union responded with a run in the second on two hits, but Owen closed the door with a strike out and a soft grounder to the mound. Westfield did not score in the bottom of the second despite a double by Daniel Criscuolo and three walks in the inning. Daniel was thrown out attempting to steal second, and Westfield Blue stranded three runners in the inning.

Union got the first two runners on in the top of the third, but both runners were stranded as a result of three fine outfield plays. Westfield struck again in the bottom of the third. Rowan led off with a walk, but was the thrown out trying to steal second (the third runner thrown out attempting to steal). Owen Colwell then walked and advanced to third on a double by Parker. George then scored both runners with a 2 RBI single to left. Score after 3 – Westfield 5…Union 1.

Rowan Oberman took the mound in the fourth and limited Union to one hit in the inning. Fine plays by Justin at second and Tyler at short kept Union in check. Westfield went down in order in the bottom of the fourth.

Union threatened to make it a game in the fifth. After a leadoff single, Rowan retired the next two batters, but then the 10th hitter in the lineup hit a sharp grounder up the middle. Daniel dove for the ball but only got a piece, knocking the ball sideways and allowing the batter to stretch the hit into a double. With two outs and the potential third run in scoring position, Union’s 11th hitter lofted a soft fly ball down the right field line. Daniel got a good jump from second base and made an outstanding catch going back on the ball, saving a sure run and ending the rally. Westfield pushed through an insurance run in the bottom of the fifth on singles by Owen Brancatella, Justin Lankler and an rbi double by Tyler. Score after 5 – Westfield 6…Union 2.

In the sixth, Rowan retired the side in order on two fine plays by Tyler and one by Parker. Westfield did not bat in the bottom of the sixth. Final Score – Westfield 6…Union 2.

Game Recap by S.Criscuolo

Devanney Murray picks up 2 RBIs

Guest commentary by MJ and Mitchell Bryk

Westfield Blue tops Union 12-8 in extra innings

Westfield Blue played 5 outstanding innings Thursday night in a league game against Union, but a bizarre 6th inning forced the game into extra innings. Fortunately WB prevailed 12-8 after 8 innings.

Union struck first, scoring 3 runs in the first inning on a series of hits and walks. WB came back with 1 run in the top of the 2nd after Justin Lin worked a walk , stole 2nd and 3rd and scored on a grounder by Justin Lankler. Union was held scoreless in the bottom of the 2nd making the score 3-1 after 2 innings of play.

WB rallied in the top of the 3rd. After Daniel Criscuolo and Rowan Oberman drew walks, Owen Murray hit a blast that bounced just before the 200 ft center field fence. Unfortunately, the ball bounced over the fence limiting Murray to a ground rule double and Oberman to 3rd base. Not wanting to leave his teammates stranded, Parker Hess next ripped a double to send both runners home and take a 4-3 lead.

WB added to its lead in the top of the 4th. Lin drew a lead off walk, followed by a single from Will Stern. Dan Criscuolo and Owen Brancatella followed with singles of their own allowing WB to add 2 more runs. Union added one run themselves in the bottom of the 4th. Both teams went quietly in the 5th leaving WB with a 6-4 lead after 5.

In the top of the 6th, WB got a rally started with walks by Lin, Stern and Justin Lankler. Liam Loughlin then worked another walk to score Lin and take the lead. Criscuolo added to the lead with an RBI single to put WB ahead 8-4 going into the bottom of the 6th.

In the bottom of the 6th, things started to get ugly. The WB defense momentarily forgot how to catch the ball. When they did finally remember, the umpire wasn’t looking. Union took full advantage of this lapse and tied the game at 8-8, sending it into extra innings.

Neither team score in the 7th but in the top of the 8th WB said “enough is enough –let’s end this”. Lin started it off with a single but Union retired the next 2 batters. Loughlin drew a walk and Criscuolo singled to pick up another RBI. OB followed this with an RBI single of his own and then Oberman crushed Union’s hopes with 2 RBI double putting WB up 12-8. The WB defense regained their composure in the bottom of the 8th and shut Union down to win the game 12-8.

Pitching duties were shared by Owen Colwell, Owen Murray and Rowan Oberman.

O. Murray smashes ground rule double to center

O. Murray tags runner on the butt at 2nd

Oberman knocks in 2 with 2B

Colwell was so dominant he pitched from his knees

OB picks up an RBI

Lin singles

Hess rips a 2 bagger

Stern singles

Westfield Blue hands defeat to Branchburg 11-10

The summer is in full swing as is the league play of the Westfield
Blue travel baseball team. On a hot afternoon, they traveled on
the road to play the yet undefeated Branchburg team, the same team
that Westfield Blue lost to in last year's finals. With a sense of
revenge in mind, the Westfield Blue boys had a quick start
offensively. In the first inning, Colwell reached base after 2 outs
thanks to good defensive plays of Branchburg. Murray then drew a
walk, Hess hit a two RBI double, and the Westfield Blue lead 2-1
after one inning. After a scoreless 2nd, the Westfield Blue had an
explosion in the 3rd, swinging their bats well. Roth reached first, Oberman drew
a walk, and Colwell hit a double scoring Roth. After Oberman stole
home on a wild pitch upping the score to 4-1, Murray also drew a
walk. Colwell and Murray each stole a base, and Hess then hit his 2nd
two RBI double. But the Westfield Blue was not done, Lin would add
one more score after reaching base, and Stern tagged on another run
on a hit by Loughlin. After held scoreless in the 4th, Hess led off
in the 5th reaching base on a walk. Devanney Murray hit a line drive
to the middle for a double. After Hess stole home, Lin hit a
fly ball to right field scoring Murray who came on as the pinch
runner, which turned out to be the winning run of the game.

Defensively, the Westfield outfielders, Loughlin, Murray,
Brancatella, Criscuolo and Lankier had a great day catching hard hit
fly balls, which were keys in the game to stop the high powered
offense of Branchburg. The pitching was handled by Murray, and Roth,
Lin and Oberman. Murray's fast ball was very effective limiting
Branchburg to one score after two innings. Roth, Lin and Oberman all
pitched well in relief. A scare happened in the 5th when Lin was hit
by a ground-ball. When asked by coach Murray, he said that he was hit
at his funny bone near his knee. But he was fine after Oberman
relieved him, who then held the opponent scoreless in the sixth
inning preserving a much needed win against the league leading
Branchburg team.

Recap by L. Lin

Westfield Wins in District Semifinals!

Those of us that ignored the torrential rain in Westfield and traveled to Booth Field in Scotch Plains today were rewarded with an opportunity to see 24 outstanding 10 year old baseball players doing what they love best. This District 12 Babe Ruth Tournament semifinal game matched the Westfield White team against our Westfield Blue to see who would proceed to the Championship Game. Both teams played exceptionally well but Westfield White used their speed to run the bases a little more aggressively and came up with some key defensive stops to edge out WB 4-2. With friends, neighbors and former teammates playing against each other, many of the parents ended up cheering for both teams - and both teams certainly deserved it.

It looked like a promising start for WB in the first. After Oberman singled up the middle and Owen Murray drew a walk, Hess drilled a line drive that was knocked down on an excellent defensive play by the umpire, limiting Hess to a single and preventing a run from scoring. In the bottom of the first, WW was able to manufacture a run after Chris Rinaldi walked and stealthily stole his way around the diamond.

Both teams went quietly in the second, with both Vincent Difilippo and Tyler Roth pitching superbly. In the top of the 3rd, WB tied the game at 1-1 after Roth singled and was advanced by Oberman’s walk, a ground ball from Owen Colwell and a line drive single by Owen Murray. In the bottom of the 3rd, Eric Varakian hustled his way on base after a hard hit grounder to 2nd was unable to be fielded. He advanced on a walk by Rinaldi and scored on Difillipo’s RBI hit. After Rinaldi and Difillipo both stole bases, there were runners on 2nd and 3rd with Nick Mele at the plate. Nick hit a towering blast that sent centerfielder Oberman back to the fence. Fortunately for WB, the fence in center at Booth field is 200’ and Oberman was able to catch the ball; at Gumbert or most other fields that ball would have been gone.

WB was able to load the bases in the 4th but couldn’t send anyone home. After Chris Boutsikaris and Tom Summers drew leadoff walks in the bottom of the 4th, Oberman was brought in for relief. Despite picking up 2 K’s, WW was able to tack on another run as the speedy Bouts stole home when a passed ball ricocheted around the backstop, giving WW a 3-1 lead.

Chris Rinaldi took the mound for WW in the 5th and held WB scoreless while WW picked up another run on 2 groundball singles and some very good base running by Difillipo and Mele, making the score 4-1 after 5.

WB almost got a rally going in the top of the 6th as George Devanney Murray and Justin Lin both singled. With one out, Owen Brancatella grounded out and a play was made for George at 3rd. The ball got past the third baseman, sending George home and Lin towards 3rd. George scored but Lin was called out at 3rd in a very close play to end the game.

After the game, WW’s Nick Mele gave a post game interview in which he complimented WB for their play and reflected on the mutual respect that these two teams have for each other. Unfortunately that video clip got overwritten but it was very touching to see that at 10 years old Mr Mele is as gracious off the field as he is extraordinary on it.

[pictures to follow]

Rowan's Catch (video by J.Rinaldi)

Westfield Blue drops close one to Chatham 6-5

Westfield Blue’s offense came alive a little too late as the team lost 6-5 in the bottom of the 6th to Chatham at Nash fields in Chatham Thursday night.

WB got off to a slow start, unable to score in the first despite having 2 runners on base. Chatham turned a walk and a couple of hits into a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. WB came back to score 1 in the top of the 2nd after Lankler walked, stole 2nd and was driven home on a hard hit single by Stern. However, Chatham had a big inning in the bottom of the 2nd with a few nice hits and a couple of misplayed balls allowing them to score 4 more runs and take the lead 5-1.

WB was able to score 1 more in the 4th and held Chatham scoreless in the 3rd, 4th and 5th innings, making the score 5-2 going into the top of the 6th. Oberman worked a walk and Colwell ripped a single to get things going for WB. When Hess got hit by a pitch, WB had the bases load with only one out and George Devanney Murray at the plate. George came through big time with a solid shot down the 3rd base line that drove in 3 runs and tied the game 5-5. The celebration was short lived however as Chatham came back to score the winning run in the bottom of the 6th on a deep line drive to left center.

WB used 5 pitchers this game: Roth in the first, Colwell the 2nd, Oberman the 3rd & 4th, Hess the 5th and Owen Murray closed out the 6th. On a positive note, Coach Murray took some time to mingle with the parents in the bleachers during the game.

George's game tying rip

Nothing gets by Stern at 3rd

Colwell about to rip one

Owen Murray takes a healthy cut

Oberman grabs a line drive in center

Hess hustles to first

Lin ready at first

Lankler flys into 3rd

Loughlin shows off his speed to beat throw

OB about to make contact

Daniel gets under fly to left

Tyler gets the relay from left

Westfield Blue loses, eats Ice Cream

Rowan went with his trusty mint Oreo chip but others like OB, Roth & Lanky chose a strange blue concoction called “Smurf” at Scoops tonight after the team lost to Scotch Plains in the Babe Ruth tournament at nearby Booth Field.

Despite an excellent effort from starting pitcher Justin Lin, our dairy devouring diamond devils displayed dozens of deft defensive don’ts, allowing Scotch Plains to rack up 8 runs in just the first inning. After Lin faced his 13th batter of the inning, Oberman was brought in for relief. WB was able to limit Scotch Plains to just 1 more run through the 3rd inning but was only able to rack up 4 runs itself making the score 9-4 after 3. Owen Colwell came in to pitch in the 4th and Owen Murray closed out the 6th but by then the Scotch Plains bats were on fire and the WB bats were as cold as that Smurf colored ice cream.

The loss dashed hopes of an all Westfield Championship game; the two Westfield teams will now meet in the semi-finals.

Westfield Blue beats Cranford 8-4

Westfield Blue clinched a playoff spot in the District 12 Babe Ruth Tournament by defeating Cranford 8-4 at Booth field in Scotch Plains today. The victory was a true team effort, the result of excellent pitching, solid D, aggressive base running and lots of contact at the plate.

WB got things started in the first inning when Tyler Roth drew a walk, stole 2nd and 3rd and was driven home by a single from Rowan Oberman. Owen Colwell next belted a grounder to short. The Cranford SS made an excellent play, knocking it down and throwing from his knees to get the force on Oberman at 2nd. Colwell promptly stole bases and was driven home on a ground out by Owen Murray, putting WB up 2-0.

However, Cranford drew a few walks and hit a couple of singles in the bottom of the first to take the lead 3-2. That was to be the last time Cranford lead in this game as the WB pitching and defense held them scoreless until the bottom of the 6th when they threatened but were able to score only 1 more run.

WB’s big offensive output came in the top of 3rd. After Coach Murray told the team “We can hit this pitcher” the boys went out and did just that. Oberman led off with a single to center. Colwell followed it with a rip to right. When Cranford threw to 2nd to catch Colwell stealing, Oberman stole home. Owen Murray then advanced Colwell to 3rd and Parker Hess drove him in with a single that he managed to stretch into a triple. George Devanney Murray picked up the next RBI with a single to center that was followed by singles from Justin Lin and Justin Lankler. Roth then blasted a hard single to right driving in the last of the 6 runs WB scored in the inning.

Tyler Roth and Owen Murray handled the pitching, allowing only 4 runs against a very good Cranford team and striking out 7 along the way.

Next up in the tournament is a tough Scotch Plains team on Tuesday.

Roth delivers a strike

Murray fires one in

Words of Wisdom from Coach Murray

The 3rd inning rally:
(The photographer apologizes for the shakiness of these clips but he was shooting from 200ft away through a fence. Also, the sun was in his eyes and the dog ate his homework.)

Oberman starts it off

Colwell rips a single

Hess turns single to triple

Devanney Murray blasts a single to center

Lin singles to extend rally

Lankler hustles one out

Roth rips to right for RBIs

Westfield Blue takes first Babe Ruth game 14-4 over Springfield

The 3 Amigos handled pitching:

Lin

Colwell

Oberman

The defense held Springfield in check:

Lankler knocks one down at 2nd

Rowan scoops one up at 1st

The Offense got off to a great start:

Rowan singles to advance Tyler

Owen C's RBI double

Owen M's RBI

Parker's RBI single

Lankler rips one in the 2nd

George launches a missile to RF

Dude, the golf course is up the street...

Westfield Blue racks up 6-5 Win over New Providence

On a breezy summer night, Westfield Blue resumed its league play and welcomed home the New Providence team. During warm-up, Coach Murray asked the kids to improve their defensive play. The kids responded. In the 3rd inning, 2nd baseman Criscuolo picked up a ground ball, and alertly tagged out a runner to 2nd for the first out. After a strikeout, Criscuolo picked up another hard hit grounder and threw out the runner at 1st resulting in the 3rd out of the inning. In the 4th inning, Criscuolo caught a fast flying ball for the first out of the inning. In this inning, Coach Murray was also at his best when he successfully appealed for missing 2nd base after a New Providence player hit a long fly ball to center field, thus thawing a rally by New Providence. Lin and Colwell also contributed to several good defensive plays. The best of the night happened in the 6th inning, when catcher Stern fielded a ball and fired a bullet to short stop Roth to pick off a Providence player on 2nd that led to the 2nd out of the inning. Will's good play earned him one of two game balls of the night.

The pitching duty was handled by Colwell and Murray. Colwell got in the groove after two walks at the beginning of the game striking out 2 in the first, 3 in the 2nd, and one in the 3rd. O. Murray took over in the 4th and displayed good control striking out 1 in the 4th, and 2 in the 5th. The biggest strike of the night came at the top of 6th inning. With two outs, the leadoff hitter of New Providence came to the plate. After a 2-2 count, Murray threw a fastball striking out the last New Providence batter and preserving a 5-5 tie score.

The New Providence pitchers came to play and the Westfield offense had a hard time sustaining a rally. At the bottom of first inning, Oberman reached first after a hit to left field. After two stolen bases, a hard hit ground ball by Hess sent Oberman home with his first RBI of the night. In the 2nd inning, Lin hit a hard grounder passing the first baseman resulting in a double. After stealing to 3rd, Stern hit a line drive to center field sending Lin home for the 2nd score of the game. In the 3rd inning, Roth hit a line drive double to center field and he then stole 3rd. A sacrifice by Oberman scored Roth which tied the score at 3-3. In the 4th inning, Murray hit a double, followed by another double by Hess scoring Murray. Hess alertly stole home resulting in another score tying the game at 5-5.

After a scoreless 5th inning, and holding New Providence for no score at the top of 6th, Westfield Blue was ready to take the game. Oberman led off with a single. Colwell hit a grounder and beat the throw to reach first. After Oberman and Colwell each stole a base, New Providence decided to intentionally walk Murray only to find a charged-up Hess at the plate. After talking to Coach Murray briefly, a confident Hess knew exactly what to do. A grounder to the middle resulted in the winning run of the game, sending the team and the crowd into standing ovation. What a beautiful evening for another thrilling game!

Game Recap by Linus Lin

Parker, Rowan, Owen C & OB share
their thoughts on the game

Westfield Blue tops Long Hill 8-7

Westfield Blue prevailed in a tough battle in Long Hill tonight, defeating Long Hill by a score of 8-7. Tonight’s game almost seemed like 2 games: In the first 3 innings, WB hit and fielded extremely well and racked up a sizeable lead. In the final 3 innings all that changed and the lead almost evaporated. However, WB held tough and won the game.

Things got rolling for WB right away. In the top of the 1st, Tyler Roth, Rowan Oberman, Owen Colwell singled back to back to back. Owen Murray picked up an RBI with a sac fly. George Devanney Murray continued the pounding with a single, followed by a double from Parker Hess and singles from Justin Lin and Will Stern. In total, WB racked up 5 in the first inning. Long Hill was unable to score in the bottom of the first. After their runner at 3rd base left early when tagging up, the alert umpire called him out saving at least one run and killing their attempt at a rally.

WB added another run in the 2nd when Liam Loughlin singled and was driven in by Roth. Long Hill put runs on the board in the bottom of the 2nd but the WB defense then shut them down. Both teams hit well but were unable to score in the 3rd due to excellent defense from both sides.

WB started off the 4th well; Daniel Criscuolo singled, followed by a single from Lin and walks by Stern and Owen Brancatella. Justin Lankler ripped a single to drive in Stern in what turned out to be WB’s last RBI of the game. Despite having bases loaded in both the 4th and 5th innings, WB was unable to produce any more runs. Nor was the concession stand able to produce nacho cheese flavored sunflower seeds as requested by Roth; only barbeque flavored was available. At that point, the momentum of the game seemed to shift. Long Hill combined hits with WB defensive lapses to almost tie the game. With the tying run on base, WB held their ground and got the final out on a pop up to Hess at 1st.

There were several memorable plays in the game. For example, in the 5th Justin Lankler knocked down a grounder at 2nd that was heading up the middle and threw the runner out at 1st from his knees, saving a run and perhaps the game.

For the WB, the win tonight was especially sweet because it was on the same field where last year’s league championship game was played - it was nice to win one here.

Pitching for WB was shared tonight by the ever popular duo of Lin and Oberman.

Lankler drives in Stern for last RBI

"Americas Got Talent" future winner catches a
sunflower seed in his mouth in Slo Mo

Lankler starts a Conga line

Murray about to rip one

Lin fires a strike

Oberman on the hill

Lin at bat

Stern sets up behind the plate

Photos by Beth Lankler

Did Westfield Blue lose to S. Orange 6-3?

The final score of Saturday night’s Clark tournament game (a continuation of a rain delayed game originally started on June 14) was S. Orange 6, Westfield Blue 3. However, it did not look or feel like the same WB team that had handily beaten Berkeley Heights that same morning. Immediately following the game, the team was contacted by Dr. Felix Esnesnon, director of the government’s top secret Joint Center for the Study of Sports and Alien Life Forms.

Dr. Esnesnon reported as follows:
“At approximately 8:30 pm when our flayrods started spinning off their treddles we knew something was wrong. We dispatched the nearest local team to investigate. We were very puzzled. I mean, here is a team that scored 41 runs in their last 3 outings and now they only score 3? This team has fielded the ball nearly flawlessly in its previous games, yet tonight they made several defensive gaffes. We ran a satellite scan and determined that at precisely the time of the game, the following object was sighted in the sky over Clark:”

“Our theory is that aliens of an unknown origin abducted your players and replaced them with droids that looked exactly the same. These droids were experts in surfing and ballroom dancing but had subpar baseball skills.”

Dr. Esnesnon concluded by saying that “This is just a theory –we cannot prove it actually happened. Those aliens are really tricky – much smarter than us in fact. We do know however that all of your players have been restored to their original human forms and that the chance of this happening again is minimal.”

Westfield Blue defeats Berkeley Heights 11-3

After getting off to a sluggish start and trailing 3-0, Westfield Blue came to life in the bottom of the third inning. Liam Loughlin started a rally with a solid hit followed by a line drive single by Owen Brancatella. After Justin Lankler battled the pitcher in a tough at bat, Parker Hess then slammed a double, driving in the team’s first run. Strong hits and superb base stealing by Rowan Oberman, Tyler Roth, and Daniel Criscuolo added 3 more runs to the scoreboard. A great hit by Owen Colwell drove in run 5. Owen Murray knocked in the last run of the inning.

The fourth inning was a 1-2-3 inning. Justin Lin made the play at first to get out Berkeley Heights’ first batter. Owen Murray then struck out the next 2 batters. Westfield Blue’s defense showed its depth in the top of the fifth, when George Devanney Murray jumped up to grab a bunted ball and rifled it to first for an out. Roth then made 2 nice catches to wrap it up. In the bottom of the fourth Westfield almost got another rally going with hits by Will Stern and Loughlin but no runs were scored.

The bottom of the fifth got off to a great start with solid hits and stellar base stealing by Parker Hess, Oberman, and Criscuolo. Hess stole home for the seventh run of the game. A nice hit by Criscuolo knocked in the next run. Owen Murray’s stand up triple drove in 2 runs. A big hit by Devanney Murray drove in run 11.

Owen Murray’s spectacular on-the-run diving catch to get out a Berkeley Height’s batter was the highlight of the top of the sixth. Murray struck out the other 2 batters to wrap up the game.

Strong pitching by Daniel and Owen M., tough defense, and aggressive batting by the entire lineup contributed to the team’s 11-3 win over Berkeley Heights.

Game Recap by Cindy "Lois Lane" Roth

Photos from the game:


Criscuolo fires a strike
Murray unleashes some heat
Loughlin starts off rally
Excellent D from Lin at 1st
No thanks Will - I have my own
No thanks Lanky - Will already offered me some

The Hit Parade:


Brancatella

Hess

Oberman

Roth

Criscuolo

Colwell

Murray

Devanney Murray

Westfield Blue comes from behind to beat Clark 9-6

Westfield Blue once again showed its mettle in a dramatic come from behind victory against a tough Clark team in the Clark Tournament on Friday night. Solid pitching combined with an explosive offense did the trick against the team that beat WB in a scrimmage just a few weeks ago.

In the first 3 innings, Clark pulled out to a 3-0 lead on smart base running and a few key hits, including a 2-run HR by Nick Santos (the same hitter who put 2 over the wall in our scrimmage a few weeks ago). WB didn’t get a hit until the bottom of the 3rd. Daniel Criscuolo and Justin Lin both put the ball in play but were thrown out by Clark defenders. Then with 2 outs, Will Stern and Liam Loughlin both singled. However, the rally was short lived and WB was unable to score.

Clark added a run in the 4th to go up 4-0 as WB came up to bat in the bottom of the inning. Rowan Oberman started the inning off with a single followed by hits from Owen Colwell, Owen Murray, Parker Hess, Justin Lankler and Stern. After Loughlin worked a base on balls the score was tied 4-4 with bases loaded and Tyler Roth at the plate. The pitcher tried to jam Roth but ended up hitting him, sending him to first and the go ahead run home. Not content with a 5-4 lead, Oberman continued the rally with a 2 out double that drove in 2 more, followed by a 2 RBI single from Colwell. When the inning was finally over, WB had the lead 9-4.

Clark continued to hit the ball well in the 5th and 6th but could only add 2 more runs. WB almost added to their lead in the 5th with a hit by George Devanney Murray and a walk by Owen Brancatella but neither player scored, leaving the final tally at 9-6.

WB pitching was superb with duties shared by Colwell and Roth. Oberman was called in for relief in the 6th with men on base and Clark threatening. In a dramatic showdown, the game ended with a strikeout of Clark slugger Santos.

Westfield Blue tops Plainfield 21-8

The entire Westfield Blue line up swung their bats exceptionally well leading to a victory in the team’s first CJBL away game in Plainfield Thursday night.

The game started off slowly for the WB. In the top of the first 3 runs were manufactured off aggressive base running following a few singles. Plainfield, however, came back swinging and was able to rack up 5 runs. Neither team was able to score in the 2nd leaving Plainfield with a 5-3 lead after 2.

In the top of 3rd, Tyler Roth started WB off with a walk, followed by hits from Rowan Oberman, Owen Murray, Parker Hess, Justin Lin and Daniel Criscuolo adding 4 more runs for Westfield. Plainfield responded with 1 run in the bottom of the 3rd, but WB now lead 7-6 after 3.

Will Stern started off the 4th with a walk, a stolen base and scored on a single from Justin Lankler. Roth, Oberman, Owen Colwell and Hess all followed with hits tacking on 5 more for WB. Plainfield was unable to produce any runs in the 4th or 5th making the WB lead 12-6 after 5 full innings.

But that wasn’t enough for the hungry WB bats. In the 6th the offense exploded, with 12 batters coming to the plate, racking up 8 hits including a triple by Hess and a rocket from George Devanney Murray. Owen Brancatella also singled and used excellent base running to score on a close play at the plate. When the dust settled, WB added 9 more. Plainfield tried to rally in the final inning but could only add 2 more, making the final score 21-8.

WB pitchers Owen Murray, Justin Lankler, Owen Colwell and Parker Hess pitched exceptionally well, shutting down the Plainfield offense with 15 strikeouts between them. They also learned some valuable lessons from the Umpire including how many warm up pitches are allowed and how balks are called.

Photos from the Game:

Colwell drives one

Hess drills one

Roth smashes one

Oberman lines one

O B safe at home

So this is what it's like to be Mike..

Hard to believe they're only 10!

Our fans

Westfield Blue drops 11-9 decision to Warren

The Westfield Blue 10 baseball team enjoyed a strong evening at the plate but gave up a few too many and lost to Warren, 11-9, in Central Jersey League action last night on Gumbert Field 3.




On Nickname Night at Gumbert, Parker Hess "Station" had a great game offensively, crushing three line drives for base hits. Other Westfield standouts at the plate were Tyler "Triple" Roth, Rowan "Roy Hobbs" Oberman, Liam "Launch" Loughlin and Owen "No The Coach Is Not My Father" Murray. Justin "Spanky" Lankler made his first start of the season on the mound. Owen "The Hitman" Brancatella had three great at-bats against Warren's talented pitchers. George "Scooter" Murray and Justin "Heater" Lin also were at the game and were very helpful in cleaning up the dugout after the loss.

The Blue Kids take the field tomorrow night on the road against Plainfield.

Game Recap by M.Murray

Photos by Nancy Murray (No she's not related!)