Westfield White 10 Year Olds Complete Season with CJBL Tournament Win

Westfield White 10 Year Olds completed their season with a thrilling 7-6 victory over Long Hill to win the Central Jersey 10 Year Old Tournament. With the win, the Blue Devils completed their season with a 26-8 record and championship wins in both the Babe Ruth District 12 and Central Jersey Baseball tournaments.

Westfield's Eric Varakian jump started the offense with a line drive triple to right center field to lead off the 1st inning. Vin Difilippo promptly knocked in Varakian with a hard hit RBI single up the middle to give Westfield a 1-0 lead. Nick Mele and Chris Boutsikaris followed with consecutive singles to load the bases and then Devin Anderson drove a single through the right side that allowed Difilippo to score. Mele then alertly scored on a passed ball to increase Westfield's lead to 3-0.

Westfield added two more runs in the 2nd inning with timely hitting and aggressive base running. Hopper Murray led off the inning with a sharply hit single to left field. Chris Varano followed with a hard grounder that was fielded by the Long Hill 2nd baseman who forced Murray at 2nd base. Tommy Summers then battled the Long Hill pitcher for a walk and with runners on 1st and 2nd, Westfield runners Varano and Summers successfully executed a double steal. Varakian was hit by a pitch to load the bases and then Christopher Rinaldi drove a hard single threw the left side that allowed Varano and Summers to score, increasing Westfield’s lead to 5-0 after 2 innings.

Pitcher Rinaldi and the Westfield defense held Long Hill scoreless through the first 3 innings. Ethan Smith, Christopher Varano and Brett Robertshaw made strong defensive plays to prevent Long Hill from scoring in the first three frames. Long Hill managed to get on the board in the 4th with 2 runs via a walk, a triple and a single. The damage would have been worse had it not be for a leaping stab of a hard liner by shortstop Nick Mele who then doubled the runner off of 2nd base for an inning ending double play, ending Long Hill’s scoring threat.

Westfield responded in the bottom half of the 4th with another run. Scott Tupper led off with a line drive single to right field and Hopper Murray walked, putting Tupper in scoring position. Christopher Varano then stepped to the plate with 2 outs and delivered a clutch, line drive single to right center field to score Tupper giving Westfield a 6-2 lead.

Long Hill was not finished though and they took advantage of 2 walks and 3 hits to score 4 runs in the 5th to tie the game at 6. With 1 out and 4 runs in, the battery of Nick Mele and Vin Difilippo switched positions and they then combined to end the scoring threat. Catcher Mele threw a great strike to Devin Anderson, who made a great scoop and tag at 3rd base, to nail a Long Hill runner attempting to steal and then Difilippo struck out the next batter to end the inning.

With the score tied at 6 in the bottom of the 5th, Varakian once again ignited Westfield’s offense by leading off with a line drive single to left center. He stole second and moved to 3rd on a fielder choice. Vin Difilippo continued his hot hitting and drove Varakian home with a single up the middle to put Westfield ahead 7-6.

Difilippo took the mound again in the 6th and he found a Long Hill team that would not go quietly. Long Hill managed to make things very interesting and they loaded the bases on a walk and two bunt singles, but Difilippo recorded a strike out and a pop out to short to pull Westfield within an out of the championship. He got the last Long Hill batter to ground out to Chris Boutsikaris at 1st base to secure the victory and complete a truly phenomenal season.

Westfield Defeats Union 9-3 to Advance to CJBL Championship Game

Westfield met up with a tough Union team in the semi-final round of the Central Jersey Baseball League playoffs and prevailed 9-3 to advance to the championship round. The Blue Devils had not played a game in just over a week and the break seemed to help as they appeared well rested and focused. Vin Difilippo pitched four very strong innings and Chris Rinaldi and Hopper Murray each threw an inning in relief, holding Union to 3 runs on only 5 hits.

The defense was razor sharp behind the Westfield hurlers and almost every play was executed to perfection. The umpire commented after the game that “the Westfield defense was the best he has seen all year” and several outstanding plays were turned in by the team. Center fielder Ethan “DC” Smith started the highlight reel catches with a beautiful sliding stab of a fly ball that seemed destined fall in just over 2nd base. Smith read the hit perfectly, got a great jump on the ball and he finished off the play with a sliding catch in short right center field. Vin Difilippo was up next and he added some flare to his diving catch of a short pop-up near the 1st base line. Difilippo left his feet to snag the ball just before it hit the ground and then he rolled over a few times, kicking up a cloud of dust for effect, before showing the ump that he held onto the ball. Hopper Murray closed things out and recorded the last out of the game with a diving stop of a sharply hit ground ball to the right of the pitcher’s mound. Murray kept his composure after the catch, got back to his feet and made a nice throw to Chris “Boots” Boutsikaris at 1st base for the final out. Boots made some very nice plays at first base, saving a couple of throws in the dirt and Brett Robertshaw made a nice stop of a hard hit ground ball at 3rd base and threw out the runner at 1st base to save a run. Nick Mele turned in a great job behind the plate and completely shut down Union’s running game. Chris Rinaldi and Devin Anderson teamed up to throw a runner out at the plate after Rinaldi made a backhand stab at shortstop and threw to Anderson who was blocking the plate. Anderson did a great job of holding onto the ball and applying the tag as the runner was initiating contact with him.

Westfield’s offense came alive early and often with almost every batter recording a hit. Difilippo (3 RBIs), Boutsikaris (1 RBI) and Murray each had 2 hits and Nick Mele batted in two runs. Westfield came back from a 1-0 deficit in the 1st inning to score 5 runs. Rinaldi led off with a hard single to the right side and Difilippo walked to put runners on 1st and 2nd with one out. Rinaldi and Difilippo advanced on a delayed steal and scored on a line drive double by Nick Mele. Boutsikaris followed with an RBI single and then Brett Robertshaw crushed an RBI double to left center. Scott Tupper and Ethan Smith drew walks to the load the bases and then Murray laced an RBI single to complete the scoring in the inning. Westfield’s offense plated another run in the 2nd as a result of hard hit doubles by both Eric Varakian and Vin Difilippo. In the 4th, Westfield scored two more runs on timely hitting and aggressive base running. Hopper Murray led off with a single and then Chris Varano scorched a hard ground ball to 2nd base that the Union 2nd baseman made a great play on to force Murray. Tommy Summers followed with a beautiful bunt single to put runners on 1st and 2nd and Rinaldi walked to load the bases. Difilippo then drove a single threw the right side to score Varano and Summers. Boutsikaris then rounded out the scoring in the 5th by leading off with a triple and then scoring on a passed ball.

Westfield plays Long Hill in the championship game on Monday night. The game will likely be played in Warren at 6PM.

Westfield Rally Falls Just Short in State Semi-Finals

Westfield found themselves down 7-0 after 4 innings to a tough Hazlet team in the semi-finals of the NJ State Babe Ruth tournament, but they showed great resolve and never quit and almost pulled off another miracle comeback. The boys pulled within 3 in the top of the 5th and had the tying run at the plate, but the 7 run deficeit proved to be too much and the rally died out before the cardiac kids could pull even. Westfield battled valiantly and lost a tough game to a tough team who Westfield had defeated 7-3 just 2 days earlier. Vin Difilippo threw 4 very strong innings and kept the Hazlet hitters off balance most of the night.

Hazlet now moves onto face Branchburg in the championship game with the winner advancing onto the North East Regional tournament in Troy, NY. Westfield now turns its attention to the league playoffs which start the week of July 21st.

Long Night in Long Hill

The two rain delays at the beginning of the night should have been warning enough that it was going to be a long night, and it sure was. Westfield squandered a 13-4 lead tonight and eventually lost to Long Hill in 7 innings by a score of 16-15. Long Hill never gave up and scored 6 runs in the 5th, 5 in the 6th and the game winner in the bottom of the 7th.

Westfield's offense scored in every inning as they built the early lead. Chris Rinaldi had a 3 for 4 night with a triple and 5 runs batted in. Vince Difilippo knocked in three runs, and Brett Robertshaw was 2 for 3 with a walk and 2 runs batted in. Chris Varano also had 2 hits and an RBI and Eric Varakian reached base safely 4 times with 2 walks and 2 hits. Tommy Summers had a hit and a walk. Nick Mele, Devin Anderson, and Ethan Smith also had hits in the game, while Hopper Murray had a walk and a run scored.

Hopper Murray started the game and Westfield's defense was a little shakey in the first inning which helped Long Hill to score 4 runs and tie the game after Westfield had opened the top of the first with four of their own. Hopper shut them down in the second inning without a run.

As Westfield continued to build their lead, Eric Varakian pitched the 3rd and 4th innings, receiving some good defensive support. On his first pitch of the 3rd inning the batter scorched a line drive to third base which was snared by Tommy Summers. Varakian also received good defense on plays by shortstop Rinaldi and centerfielder Nick Mele.

In the 5th and 6th innings, Ethan Smith, Chris Varano, Scott Tupper and Brett Robertshaw all came on to pitch and did their best to stop Long Hill's relentless offense, but Long Hill was not to be denied. Chris Varano did make a great catch in right field in the bottom of the seventh for the second defensive gem of the night. Westfield surrendered 13 hits and 9 walks.

Westfield was missing first baseman Chris Boutsikaris tonight who was home ill and unable to play. Devin Anderson and Scott Tupper were also feeling under the weather during the game. Get well real fast boys and we hope you didn't breath on anyone!

With the loss, Westfield dropped to 11-4 in league play and will most likely finish second or third in their division heading into the league playoffs, which have yet to be scheduled. Looking forward to the conclusion of a very eventful week, the Blue Devils face Hazlet Friday night in Mt Olive in an elimination game of the North Jersey State tournament.

Westfield Advances to State Semis with win over Hazlet

A 7 -run 4th inning keyed by patience at the plate, along with clutch pitching and solid defense added up to a 7-3 victory over Hazlet tonight for the cardiac kids from Westfield.

For the first three innings, Westfield's Chris Rinaldi kept the team in the game, allowing a run in the top of the third as Hazlet took a 1-0 lead. Rinaldi allowed only two hits and struck out 4 batters, including striking out the side in the second when he got the third batter with his fluttering knuckleball.

Westfield was not doing much at the plate the first three innings, collecting only one hit - a single by Rinaldi in the third. But they made the pitcher Tynion work hard, working deep counts and collecting 5 walks (Varakian (2), Difilippo, Boutsikaris, Varano).

In the top of the 4th Nick Mele came on to pitch for Westfield and worked out of a bases loaded, one out jam by getting a bouncer back to the mound for a force at the plate and a fly ball to left that was handled by Brett Robertshaw.

BIG BLAST BY BOUTS CAPS 7 RUN RALLY
( say that 5 times fast)

In the bottom of the 4th with one out Scott Tupper put a grounder through the right side. The Hazlet pitcher was beginning to tire and issued walks to Ethan Smith, Eric Varakian, and Chris Rinaldi, with Rinaldi's walk forcing in the tying run. Hazlet brought on a new pitcher and Vince Difilippo greeted him with a 2 run single to right to give Westfield a 3-1 lead. Nick Mele walked to once again load the bases and bring No. 5 hitter Chris Boutsikaris to the plate. Bouts hit a rocket to right center for a bases-clearing triple that gave Westfield a 6-1 lead. Bouts came in to score on a wild pitch to add another run. Devin Anderson started things up again with a single before Hazlet got out of the inning.

With one out in the 5th, Hazlet's cleanup hitter Facendo hit a long home run to left. This was followed by a walk and two singles but on the second hit, Westfield alertly got the trailing runner at third base as the lead runner scored to make it 7-3. Nick Mele then showed his toughness by striking out the next hitter to end the threat.

MR. SMITH DOES IT AGAIN!

After Westfield went quietly in the bottom of the 5th, Hazlet mounted a threat in the 6th against Scott Tupper who came on in relief. A walk, a groundout to short and a walk put runners on first and second with one out and the No 3 and 4 hitters coming up. With the possibility of the home run hitting cleanup batter representing the tying run, Scott got the 3 hitter to hit a hard grounder to third and Devin Anderson, cool as a cucumber, handled it and stepped on third for the force out.

Tupper got one up in the zone and Facendo lifted a fly to right field that looked like it might go to the wall. Then all eyes moved to see Ethan Smith back-peddling with a chance to catch it.
Mr Smith made this one a little interesting as there was some white showing in his glove, but he held on for another 6th inning catch and ended the game!

See you again Thursday night in Long Hill as Westfield returns to league play with a chance to take the lead in their division. Both squads have only 3 losses and this will be Westfield's penultimate league game and Long Hill's final regular season contest.

Westfield Advances to Semi-Finals of States

Westfield defeated Hazlet by a score of 7-3 to advance to the semi-final round of the state tournament (game recap to follow).

Westfield finished state tournament pool play with a 3-1 record with head-to-head victories against the other two playoff teams (Hazlet and Branchburg), but the tie was broken by runs against because Hazlet and Branchburg did not face each other in pool play.

Westfield (#3 seed) now plays Hazlet (#2 seed) on Friday at 5:45 PM in Mount Olive. The winner advances to face Branchburg (#1 seed) in the championship game.

Pressure? What Pressure?

Westfield defeated Branchburg 4-3 tonight in a tense, well-played contest in North Jersey state tournament play. Westfield, needing a win to maintain their hopes of advancing, came in as the underdog against a powerful Branchburg team that had gone 3-0 thusfar in the tournament.

Westfield was the visitor and threatened in the top of the first on a single by Eric Varakian and a hit-by-pitch by Vince Difilippo but could not score. Chris Rinaldi took the mound and after walking the leadoff batter retired the next three hitters in order on a sac bunt, a looping liner that first baseman Chirs Boutsikaris stabbed in foul territory and a fly to left field that Devin Anderson tracked down and hauled in.

In the second Westfield got a single from Brett Robertshaw and a perfect sacrifice bunt from Scott Tupper but once again could not score. Rinaldi yielded a walk and a single in the bottom of the second and got out of the jam without any scoring.

In the top of the third Westfield broke through, With one out Chris Rinaldi walked, and Vince Difilippo was hit by a pitch for the second time to put runners at first and second. The runners advanced on a double steal and with runners at second and third the Branchburg pitcher uncorked a wild pitch. Rinaldi came on to score and as the throw back from the catcher got away, Difilippo also scampered home. Nick Mele singled but was stranded and Westfield led 2-0 heading into the bottom of the third.

Chris Rinaldi continued to hold the Branchburg squad scoreless through the bottom of the third. Westfield went quietly in the fourth getting only a walk to Chris Varano.

In the bottom of the fourth Nick Mele came on to pitch for the Blue Devils He struck out the first batter and then the No. 6 hitter for Branchburg, an excellent hitter, knocked a single. With one out and a runner on first a grounder got past second baseman Varakian to put runners at first and second. The runners moved up on a wild pitch and the next batter hit a sharp grounder to short that Rinaldi fielded but his only play was to get the out at first as the run scored from third. Mele limited the damage to one unearned run as he got the next batter on a comebacker to the mound.

With the score 2-1 heading into the top of the 5th, Westfield needed some insurance and they got it. Chris Rinaldi started the inning with a picture perfect bunt for a base hit. Then Vince Difilippo and Nick Mele hit back to back doubles and Westfield had a 4-1 lead just like that.
Mele advanced to third and with one out Anderson hit a grounder to third and Branchburg just nipped Nick trying to score. Tommy Summers worked a walk to put runners at first and second but Westfield was unable to do any further damage

The breathing room was needed as Branchburg came back for 2 runs in their half of the 5th on two singles and a double to left that skipped to the wall. Hopper Murray hustled the ball back in to keep the runner from advancing past second. This was key as once again, Nick Mele stepped it up a notch and kept the tying run from scoring with a grounder to short, a strikeout, and another grounder to short handled flawlessly by Rinaldi.

Westfield once again threatened in the top of the 6th on singles by Varakian and Rinaldi and with two outs Nick Mele hit a deep fly that the Branchburg centerfielder ran down just feet short of the wall to kill the rally.

Then the intensity turned up another notch as a sore but determined Vince Difilippo came on to try and close out the game. The leadoff batter reached on a single. This was followed by the first defensive gem of the inning as the next batter hit a line drive down the third base line and Devin Anderson snared it for the first out. The next batter walked to put runners at first and second with one out. This brought up the Branchburg leadoff hitter who Westfield had not gotten out all night. What followed was a screaming line drive to left field that had double written all over it. But leftfielder Ethan Smith was having none of that and he made a great catch and fired the ball in to third to keep the runners from advancing. They did advance during the ensuing at bat on a ball that went to the backstop. With the tying run at third and the winning run at second, the Branchburg bench screaming, and Westfield trying to stay alive in the tournament, Vince Difilippo got the No. 3 hitter for Branchburg to pop to second. Varakian squeezed it, and another exciting game in Mt Olive was in the books. Final score, Westfield 4, Branchburg 3.

With the victory, Westfield is 2-1 in the tournament and will play Hazlet on Wednesday night.
Three teams will advance to the playoff round, and the No 2 seed will play the No 3 seed Friday night, with the winner playing the No 1 seed on Saturday for the right to advance to the Mid Atlantic tournament in Troy New York next week.

Staying Focused

The theme has been staying focused and Westfield did not look past New Providence on Monday night in coming away with the 10-0 victory.

Although the game was played at New Providence, Westfield was the "home" team because the game was originally scheduled for Tamaques and the fields were deemed unplayable. So the road warriers were back at it.

Brett Robertshaw set the tone as the starting pitcher with 3 shutout innings, 4 strikeouts and only 1 walk. The Westfield offense struck early coming up with 3 runs in the bottom of the first on a single by Rinaldi, a double by Difilippo, and singles by Mele and Boutsikaris. In the bottom of the second Hopper Murray led off and christened his new bat with a blast over the left fielder's head. As Hopper headed for 3rd, Coach Rinaldi waved him around and the New Providence fielders executed a good relay to nail Hopper at the plate.

Westfield was back at it in the bottom of the third. Varakian walked, Rinaldi singled and after the runners moved up Difilippo brought home a run with a sac fly to right. Then Nick Mele lofted a big fly to left that looked like a Tiger Woods drive down the fairway. This time the New Providence relay came up short and Nick slid in safely at home with a 2 run homer.

Devin Anderson was hit by a pitch, and moved into scoring position on a wild pitch. Brett Robertshaw brought him home with a single and Scott Tupper followed with an RBI single of his own to complete the 5 run inning to put Westfield ahead 8-0.

Ethan Smith came on to pitch the 4th and the 5th and did an excellent job throwing two shutout innings. Smith kept the New Providence hitters off balance by changing speeds and locating his pitches.

Westfield added two runs in the bottom of the 4th on a walk to Varano, single by Smith, walk to Summers, and RBI singles by Rinaldi and Difilippo. Chris "Mariano" Varano was brought in to pitch the 6th and secure the shut out. Varano threw hard and used his fastball to record two strike outs.

Tommy Summers had the defensive play of the game when he fielded a single to center and threw a runner out trying to go from first to third on a base hit. This may have happened in the third inning or fourth inning - I don't remember because I am still recovering from the Bayonne game, but it was a good play just the same.

Another highlight was Chris "Bouts" batting lefty and stroking a single in the 5th inning. We might have a secret weapon there!

Westfield Comes From Behind to Defeat Chatham 6-5

Tired and fresh off of their marathon 17-16 victory over Bayonne in a Babe Ruth State tournament game, Westfield found themselves in a Central Jersey league battle against Chatham.

Westfield threatened in the 1st after Eric Varakian walked and Vin Difilippo and Nick Mele singled, but the Blue Devils were only able to score once in the inning. Chatham exploded for 4 runs in their half of the first on 4 hits and 2 errors.

Westfield pulled within two in the top of the 2nd at 4-2 when Hopper Murray led off with a double and then scored on a clutch RBI single from Ethan “DC” Smith. Chatham then extended their lead to 5-2 in the bottom of the 2nd on 3 more hits, but Westfield was able to escape further trouble when Hopper Murray struck out a Chatham hitter with 2 runners on base.

The game remained 5-2 until the top of the 5th when Westfield was able to tie the game on 5 walks, an RBI ground out by Chris Rinaldi and a RBI sac fly by Devin Anderson. Eric Varakian and Scott Tupper each threw 2 scoreless innings for Westfield and combined to limit Chatham to 4 hits over the final 4 innings while striking out 3.

Westfield went ahead to stay in the top of the 6th. Brett Robertshaw led of with a single and advanced to second on a passed ball. He moved over to 3rd on a Murray ground out and was knocked in with a key piece of hitting by Tommy Summers. Summers battled the Chatham pitcher and fought off a couple of hard pitches before driving a hard ground ball between 1st and 2nd that Chatham's 2nd baseman had to leave his feet to stop. Robertshaw alertly scored on the play and Westfield was able to hold on for the 6-5 victory.

Next up -- Westfield plays New Providence on Monday at 6 PM at Tamaques Field #6.

Westfield defeats Bayonne 17-16 in Extra Inning Classic

Westfield tested scorekeeper Rich Varakian’s sanity by collecting 19 hits, 6 walks and 17 runs and the boys treated the Westfield faithful to a game that saw the Blue Devils come from behind by 5 in the bottom of the 6th to tie it and from 1 back in the 7th to win it.

The beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon started well for Westfield with Vin Difilippo holding the Bayonne bats in check in the top half of the first and the Blue Devils offense coming alive in the bottom of the 1st and scoring 3 runs. Eric Varakian walked, Vin Difilippo singled and Nick Mele tripled to right center field to plate the first 2 runs. Chris Boutsikaris’ hard grounder to first brought in Mele for the 3rd run and gave Westfield a 3-0 lead. Difilippo and the Westfield defense held Bayonne scoreless again in the 2nd and the Westfield offense could not score in the 2nd despite a solid single by Scott Tupper.

Bayonne’s bats came alive in the 3rd and were accompanied by loud chanting from the Bayonne players and fans. Westfield seemed to lose their focus and Bayonne scored 6 runs on 2 doubles and a long home run. The rally was also fueled by 4 walks. Chris Rinaldi came on in relief and struck out two of the last 3 batters he faced to slow the Bayonne chants. Westfield’s offense responded in the bottom of the 3rd. Rinaldi led off with a double, Mele walked and Boutsikaris singled before Brett Robertshaw cleared the bases with a booming triple to deep right field that almost cleared the fence. The three bagger pulled Westfield even at 6-6.

Westfield held Bayonne scoreless in the 4th and the Blue Devil offense continued pounding the Bayonne pitchers, scoring 4 more runs in the bottom of the inning. With one out in the 4th, Varakian doubled and Rinaldi singled. Difilippo, Mele and Boutsikaris hammered back-to-back-to-back doubles to put Westfield ahead 10-6.

Neither team was able to score in the 5th so the game went into the 6th inning with Westfield protecting the 4 run lead. Mele was on in relief and throwing hard, but Westfield’s defense did not hold behind him and Bayonne erupted for 9 runs. Boutsikaris relieved Mele in the inning and was able to get some big outs, but when the dust settled and the chants faded, Bayonne had taken a 15-10 lead.

Westfield demonstrated tremendous character and refused to quit as they batted in the bottom of the 6th. Difilippo led off with a walk and that was followed by back-to-back singles by Mele and Boutsikaris. Devin Anderson’s hard grounder allowed Difilippo to score, but with two outs Westfield was still behind by 4 runs. Chris Varano fought back from an 0-2 count to lace a single to right field to force in a run and keep the rally alive. Hopper Murray pinch ran for Varano and then Scott Tupper and Varakian fought hard in their at bats to earn free passes to load the bases. Rinaldi came up with the bases loaded and 2 outs with Westfield trailing 15-13 and drove a line shot to deep center field. The ball bounced over the center field wall for a ground rule double and the game was tied at 15. Westfield could not score again and the game went into extra innings.

In the top of the 7th Bayonne scored a run on 2 hits and an error and once again Westfield found themselves behind in their final at bat. With one out, Boutsikaris and Anderson gave Westfield hope with hard singles. Robertshaw delivered with another key hit and Westfield tied the game at 17. Tupper then came to the plate with runners on 2nd and 3rd and two outs. He delivered a clutch, walk off single up the middle that allowed Anderson to truck home from 3rd for the winning run!

The win evened Westfield’s record at 1-1 in the Babe Ruth State Tournament. They face Branchburg on Tuesday night in Mount Olive at 5:45 PM.

Famous last words "If you don't like our chanting, then beat us!" So we did.

Westfield won a marathon game this afternoon against Bayonne in the Babe Ruth State Tournament by a score of 17 - 16. Full recap to follow.

You Can't Win Them All

Westfield White (WW) fell to a tough Clark team in the finals of the Cranford Tournament Tuesday night by a score of 10-5. The contest was close through 4 innings as the lead changed hands multiple times.

Westfield took the lead early scoring a run in the bottom of the first. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the third when Clark got their offense rolling. They put 3 runs on the board and jumped out to a 2 run lead. Westfield came right back in their half of the inning as Vin Difilippo sent a rocket over the right field wall for a game tie-ing 2 run homerun. Nick Mele followed with a walk and Chris Boutsikaris singled him home. Heads up baserunning allowed Bouts to score also as Clark threw the ball wild. At the end of three, Westfield took the lead back, with the score 5 -3.

Clark kept pounding away at our pitchers and manged to put 2 more runs on the board in the fourth. With the game now tied at 5, Westfield struggled to get any offense going. They were held scoreless for the remainder of the game. Clark scored 3 more in the fifth and 2 in the sixth to secure their win, with the final score being 10-5.

The boys have played some fantastic games recently, showcasing both their offensive and defensive skills. Congratulations for a great tournament.

Next up is the Babe Ruth State Tournament beginning on Thursday evening.

Congratulations Champs!

There were 2 types of fans at this mornings district championship game: those that sat on the edge of their seats and those that paced back and forth along the pavement. What they both witnessed was a well pitched defensive gem of a game between Westfield White (WW) and South Orange - Maplewood (SOM). In the end, WW squeaked out a 2-1 victory in a game that saw a dramatic sixth inning homerun force extra innings.

Chris Rinaldi took the mound for WW today and pitched 4 shutout innings allowing just 3 hits. The WW defense was sharp from the get go and frustrated the SOM hitters by killing rally after rally. In the first inning with 1 man on and 2 outs, shortstop Nick Mele made a nice stab of a one hopper to force the runner at second. In the second inning with the bases loaded and 2 outs, second baseman Eric Varakian snagged a hard hit grounder to end the inning. In the third inning, Mele and Varakian worked together to get out of a 2 on , 2 out jam as a sharp grounder was fielded by the second baseman and tossed to the shortstop covering 2nd. DEFENSE was the name of the game today.

Westfield was able to scrape together a run in their half of the fourth by using some heads up base running. After Chris Boutsikaris and Devin Anderson singled, Tommy Summers put the ball in play. His speed down the line must have rattled the infielder who ended up throwing wild to first. Chris Bouts scored from second on the throw and got Westfield on the board with a run. That's all they were able to get, so with the score 1-0 Westfield went back out into the field to let their pitching and defense get back to work.

Nick Mele came in for WW to pitch the fifth inning and got right to work. With a man on 2nd and 1 out, fans were treated to a "strike em out throw em out" double play. (What number is that in Coach Rinaldi's playbook?) Mele threw a swinging strike three to the SOM batter and catcher Vin Difilippo thew a bullet to third baseman Devin Anderson who tagged the runner trying to steal. Way to go boys!

Westfield held on to the 1-0 lead going into the sixth inning. They recorded a quick out on a routine grounder to Bouts at first base. Next came something that no one expected ... a shot off the bat of SOM player Harvey that carried over the right centerfield fence and clanked off the scoreboard. It was a game tying homerun. What would Westfield do now ... stay focused or lose control of things ??? Well the boys made Coach Rinaldi proud (as well as us moms and dads) as they buckled down and closed out the inning. Pitcher Mele fielded a slow roller back to mound for out #2 and after a walk to next batter, catcher Difilippo mowed down his second base runner of the day as he tried to steal second.

With the score tied at 1, Westfield came to bat in the bottom of the sixth but was unable to get anything going. Mele came back out to pitch the top of the seventh and kept SOM scoreless as well.

In the bottom of the seventh with 2 outs, Vin Difilippo got on base with a double. Nick Mele followed with a fly ball to short centerfield that neither the second baseman nor the centerfielder could handle. As it tipped off the glove of the fielder, Difilippo came around to score the winning run. Westfield wins it in extra innings by the score of 2-1.

The team will move on to the state tournament which will be hosted by Mt. Olive. Details to follow.

Westfield White Reaches District Finals

Westfield White advanced to the finals of the Babe Ruth District tournament and will face South Orange-Maplewood (SOM)in the Finals. SOM defeated Scotch Plains Gold by a score to 2-1 in a 7 inning contest.

The championship game will be held at Booth Field in Scotch Plains on Sunday, July 6th @ 10:00 AM.

District Semi Final Highlights

Westfield White defeated Westfield Blue 4-2 in a well played game today.

Vince Difilippo pitched the first four innings allowing only one run on six hits and got out of several jams with the help of his defense. The defensive play of the game for Westfield White occurred in the top of the third inning with the score tied 1-1, bases loaded and one out. George Devanney-Murray hit a solid line drive that was snagged by third baseman Brett Robertshaw who got to the bag to double off the runner and end the inning.

Chris Rinaldi opened the scoring for W-White in the bottom of the first with a walk, advancing on a stolen base and a ground out before scoring on a wild pitch. In the bottom of the third, sparked by Robertshaw's play in the top of the inning, White took the 2-1 lead on an infield single and stolen base by Eric Varakian, who came around to score on a single by Difilippo.
Westfield Blue centerfielder Rowan Oberman then robbed Nick Mele on a fly ball hit to the wall when he made an over the head catch.

In the bottom of the 4th, White added another run without the benefit of a hit when Chris Boutiskaris walked and worked his way to 3rd before scoring on a wild pitch with two outs.

Mele bounced back in the 5th inning when after Vince Difilippo reached on a single, Nick drove him in with a single up the middle. Although Westfield White was limited to just 4 hits, they got them at the right times and also ran the bases well.


Chris Rinaldi pitched the last two innings and got out of a jam in the top of the 6th when after the first two batters reached base, he got a pop out to second for the first out and recorded the second out on a comebacker to the mound. On the same play, after a wild throw to third base allowed one run to score there was a close tag play at third for the final out of the game.

Congratulations to Westfield White on advancing to the district finals and to Westfield Blue on another tough game between these two evenly matched squads.

Explosive Bats equal Big Win

In a shortened five inning game last night, Westfield fans watched as their team reached double digits in both base hits and runs scored. A total of 18 hits and 21 runs were recorded by the Blue Devils as they beat Dunellen by a score of 21-6.

The game was actually pretty tight through the first 3 innings as Dunellen scored one run the top of the first and Westfield's offense was slow to get going. Tommy Summers pitched 2 strong innings allowing just 3 hits and the 1 run. Ethan Smith helped out again defensively (remember that diving catch against SPF the other day) on a deep shot out to centerfield that he glided back on and snagged. Summers also alertly picked a Dunellen base runner off of 3rd for the final out of the 2nd inning.

The game was quiet until the bottom of the 2nd when Brett Robertshaw started things with a double to left. Chris Boutsikaris followed with an RBI triple and scored on a Dunellen error. Chris Rinaldi added a single to left center, and stole 2nd, 3rd and home making the score 3-1 in favor of Westfield after 2 innings. Dunellen came right back in the 3rd adding 5 runs on a combination of hits and walks. Eric Varakian was brought in to pitch with the base loaded and shut down the scoring threat by striking out 2 of the next 3 batters. He kept Dunellen scoreless in the fourth allowing just 1 hit and striking out 2 more batters.

Westfield's offense got in gear starting in the third. Summers reached base on a Dunellen error, Scott Tupper singled to center, and Ethan Smith and Hopper Murray each hit RBI singles. Devin Anderson beat out an infield hit to short (RBI) and Brett Robertshaw added an RBI with a fielders choice groundout to short. The fourth inning saw the offense really take off scoring a total of 10 runs. Varakian led off getting hit by a pitch, Rinaldi singled to left , Nick Mele blasted a RBI double to right center, and Summers and Tupper walked to load the bases. Ethan Smith was hit by a pitch, Hopper Murray singled, Chris Varano walked and Devin Anderson hit a single to left that scored 2 more runs. Brett Robertshaw added an infield single and Chris Boutsikaris launched a triple (his 2nd of the game) out to right center that cleared the bases.

Ethan Smith pitch a scoreless fifth and recorded 1 strikeout. Westfield came back to the plate and continued where they left off. Vin Difilippo and Nick Mele started things with singles and Summers was hit by a pitch. Ethan Smith added a 2 RBI hit to right, Hopper Murray walked and Devin Anderson added his 3rd hit of the night, sending 2 more runners across the plate. (Anderson finished the night with 5 RBIs.) At this point, Westfield was leading by 15 runs and the game was stopped.

Westfield is scheduled to play in the Cranford Tournament at 1:30 today. Let's hope the rain holds up.

Cranford Tournament Game Completed

Play resumed last night between Westfield White and Scotch Plains Gold in the Cranford Tournament. The game was started on 6/29 and reached the fourth inning before the rains came our way. At the time, the score was 3-0 in favor of Westfield.

Chris Boutsikaris took the mound for the Blue Devils and kept the Scotch Plains team off balance. He pitched three full innings of scoreless ball as Westfield went on to win 6 -0. Ethan Smith recorded the final out of the game by making a diving, sliding catch of a soft fly ball hit out to right field. Great defense all around by all the boys.

Westfield White Rolls into District Semi-Finals

Westfield White took control of a tight contest with a 7 run bottom of the fourth and went on to defeat Warren 9-5 in a district tournament game tonight. The win improved the Blue Devils record to 3-0 in district play and set up a semi-final match against Westfield "Blue" on Saturday July 5th.

Hopper Murray continued his stellar pitching starting the game with 3 shutout innings, striking out 4. Hopper has now extended his scoreless inning streak to 10! He was helped by some slick fielding at third base by Devin Anderson who grabbed two hard grounders and got some help from Chris Boutsikaris pulling down the throws at first base. Ethan Smith caught a drive to right field and Chris Rinaldi snagged a line drive at short with two on and two out in the third. Chris "Mariano" Varano also contributed defensively to help keep Warren off the board in the early innings.

While Murray and Westfield's defense were shutting down the Warren offense, Westfield scratched out single runs in the 1st and 3rd innings to take a 2-0 lead. In the 4th Brett Robertshaw got things started reaching on a walk and promptly stole second and third. Ethan Smith pinch hit and singled to drive in the first run of the inning. Eric Varakian followed with a walk and Chris Rinaldi smashed a double to drive in Smith and put runners at second and third. Vin Difilippo singled in two runs, and Nick Mele hit a monster 2 run home run to left. Scott Tupper came to bat and smashed a single to center to start the rally up again. Robertshaw came to bat for the second time in the inning and singled to drive in Tupper. Tom Summers then ripped a single through the left side. When the dust settled, 7 runs were in and Wesfield had a 9-1 lead.

Warren climbed back into it with 4 runs in the 5th inning. With the score at 9-4, bases loaded and one out, the Warren batter hit a deep fly ball to left field and speedster Tommy Summers tracked it down and made the grab. Westfield got out of the inning with a grounder to first baseman Chris Boutsikaris who made the play unassisted for the final out.

In the sixth inning Scott Tupper came on to preserve the victory and the final out of the game was recorded on another fine grab by Summers in left field.

Cranford Tournament Game Rain Out

Westfield fan Bob Summers looks out over the rain soaked field in Cranford this afternoon. With the Blue Devils leading 3-0 in the fourth, the heavens opened up and dumped buckets of rain onto the field and fans.

Tommy Summers walked and stole 2 bases, Devin Anderson had a booming double and Vin Difilippo threw 3 shutout innings, striking out 4, while also adding a two run single before the rains halted play.

Next up is Warren in the Babe Ruth Tournament on Tuesday at 6pm.

A Complete Effort Leads to 9-0 Victory in District Game #2

In probably their best all around game so far this season, Westfield put it all together today, recording a 9-0 victory over South Orange-Maplewood.

The pitching duties were handled by Chris Rinaldi (4 innings, no runs, no hits) and Nick Mele (2 innings, no runs on two hits).

The hitting was supplied by Vince Difilippo (2 for 4, inclduing a double and 3 RBI), Nick Mele (2 for 4 with a triple), Chris Rinaldi (3 for 4 with a double and 3 runs scored), Eric Varakian (2 for 4 with 2 runs scroed), and Scott Tupper ( a perfect bunt single). Chris Boutsikaris and Brett Robertshaw added RBI's as well.

The defense was excellent all game long, with a few standout plays. In the fourth inning, after walking a batter and watching him hustle to first, Chris Rinaldi and Chirs Bouts executed the old "let him round first and then pick him off" play (No. 114 in coach Rinaldi's playbook).

Then in the fifth inning after a leadoff walk, it was our version of Tinkers to Evers to Chance, as Rinaldi fielded a ground ball at short, tossed to Varakian and on to Boutsikaris for the twin killing. Somehow "Rinaldi to Varakian to Boutsikaris" doesn't roll off the tongue quite as easily but who's counting syllables anyway.

The next batter got on first base with a walk and then it was time for another play from the playbook. On a hit to right field, Ethan Smith executed the old "let the runner round second and throw behind him to Rinaldi who makes the tag for the third out" play. That's No. 173 in the playbook if you're keeping track.

All in all it was a good start to the day and we hope to keep it going in Cranford at 3 PM this afternoon against Scotch Plains.