WP DOWLING, DAVIS 2 RBI, CESTER0 2B; LABIN, IVES RBI
Facing a strong pitching performance from Kyle Morsell for five innings and trailing 2-0, the Westfield High School baseball team was in jeopardy of being handed its first defeat when it hosted the High Point Wildcats in Westfield on April 13. But a leadoff double by senior Tomas Cestero and later a slump-ending tworun single by senior Randy Davis sparked a five-run sixth inning and then a strong relief job by sophomore Logan Revock resulted in a 5-3 Blue Devil victory.
Blue Devil senior starting pitcher Kevin Dowling, who picked up the win, tossed six very strong innings before running into a bit of difficulty in the seventh. Dowling recorded six strikeouts, while hitting two batters and yielding five hits. Revock allowed one hit and struck out three of the four Wildcats that he faced.
Cestero finished 1-for-3 with his double and scored the 6-0 Blue Devils’ first run. Davis had his two-run single and also scored once. Jake Alfano went 1-for-1 with two walks and a run scored. Aaron Ives went 2for-3 with a stolen base and an RBI. Nic Labin rapped an RBI single and scored once. Braedan Trajkovski walked twice and his pinch runner Jordan Walsh scored once. Kellen Edwards pulled off a key sacrifice bunt that advanced the runners in that sixth inning.
Morsell, who was charged with the loss, walked four and recorded a pair of strikeouts. Ethan Rasmussen relieved with one out in the sixth and recorded a strikeout. Rasmussen also doubled and scored once. Morsell singled and scored once. Jake Henningsen went 2-for-3, with two RBI and stole two bases. Austin Mitchell went 2-for-4, scored twice and stole a base.
High Point (3-2) scored once in the top of the first inning when Mitchell singled and scored on Henningsen’s RBI single. In the meantime, Morsell kept the Blue Devils’ bats silent until they threatened in the bottom of the fourth inning. Alfano doubled down the right field line and Trajkovski drew a free pass. Davis’ bunt attempt resulted in a popup that the catcher corralled. Edwards grounded out to the second baseman as Alfano took third then Labin took a call of strike 3.
The Wildcats went down 1-2-3 in the fifth when Brayden Franko popped up to Trajkovski at first, Erik Wiley grounded out to shortstop and Morsell grounded out to the second baseman. But so did Westfield when Ives grounded out to second, Mikey Lynch hit a long fly out to center and Brendan Scheper grounded out to second.
High Point added a run in the sixth. Mitchell blooped a one-out single into shallow center. When Reed Peterson struck out, the ball was dropped and catcher Scheper threw to first for the second out as Mitchell slid into third. Henningsen then hopped an RBI single past the shortstop.
The Westfield sixth began with a banging double to centerfield by Cestero. Alfano and Trajkovski drew back-to-back free passes to load the bases then Davis broke out of his slump in a big way by slashing a tworun single to right. Edwards pulled off his sacrifice bunt, Labin laced an RBI single and Ives lined an RBI single to leftfield. Labin scored on an overthrow. Rasmussen relieved and got the next two batters out.
Trailing 5-2, High Point began with Rasmussen’s double to leftfield. Will Van Puttinvink was hit by a pitch. Revock relieved Dowling, recorded a strikeout then Morsell rapped an RBI single to left. Revock fanned the next two Wildcats for the victory.
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