No team seems to be a shoo-in for the top seed in the upcoming Union County Tournament (UCT). Coming off two of its biggest victories of the season, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood softball Raiders found themselves in a pitchers’ duel and came out on the short end to the Westfield Blue Devils, 3-2, in Westfield on May 1.
No team seems to be a shoo-in for the top seed in the upcoming Union County Tournament (UCT). Coming off two of its biggest victories of the season, the Scotch Plains-Fanwood softball Raiders found themselves in a pitchers’ duel and came out on the short end to the Westfield Blue Devils, 3-2, in Westfield on May 1.
The 11-4 Raiders were definitely riding high after knocking off the No. 20 AL Johnson Crusaders, 2-1, in a 10-inning classic then toppling the Governor Livingston Highlanders, 94, after nipping them, 5-4, earlier in the season. But in addition to the Crusaders, there are a few other contenders for the UCT top seed: the 122 Roselle Park Panthers, whose only county loss was to ALJ, and the 12-5 Summit Hilltoppers, who had beaten the Raiders but lost to the Panthers and Westfield.
“This season has been really exciting – there are so many good games all over the conference. This county tournament should really be a great one,” Blue Devil Head Coach Caitlin Cheddar said.
The Raiders, who have three very strong pitchers with Maddy Bogart, Emily Roof and Olivia DiSalvo, chose to put Roof on the mound against Blue Devil Ava Heuck. It was quite a contrast of pitching styles. Roof in six innings, struck out 11 Blue Devils, while allowing seven hits, two walks and two earned runs. Heuck in seven innings, walked none and yielded seven hits and one earned run, while striking out just two Raiders.
The Blue Devil that Roof just could not get out was freshman leadoff hitter Darby Revock, who went 3-for-3, with a stolen base and a run scored. Kalya Reyes rapped a key two-run double and Grace Brodo went 1-for-1 with two walks and a run scored. Heuck and Gaida Petrarca each singled.
Coach Cheddar recalled, “Roof most definitely challenged us in the box – she pitched great. Brodo and Giada and Darby being able to use their speed to get on base put the pressure on their defense was essential. Kayla really came through with a huge, timely hit for us.”
Raider Harper Shimko proved to be a tough out with an RBI double and a single. Bogart doubled. Lara Fox singled and scored once. DiSalvo, Natalie DiFabrizio and Sam Friscia both singled. Sarina Llano had an RBI.
Key defensive plays also ranked highly in the outcome. In the top of the first inning, Shimko looped a leadoff single into shallow right field. After Roof’s fly was hauled in by Petrarca in right field, DiSalvo hit a sharp grounder to third where Alex Laguna, scooped it, threw to second baseman NatalieArdente, who in turn fired to first baseman Claire Kurtz for an inning-ending double play.
Revock led off the Westfield first with a bunt single but Roof struck out two of the next three batters she faced. Friscia singled up the middle in scoreless top of the second inning but Roof struck out the side in the Westfield second.
The Raiders then got on the scoreboard with a run in the third. Fox looped a one-out single to leftfield and Shinko drilled her RBI double over centerfielder Quinlan Doherty’s head. Roof’s liner tipped off the second baseman’s glove but no further damage was done when DeSalvo grounded to third where Laguna stepped on the bag and threw a strike to first for her second double play.
An answer came immediately in the Westfield third. Brodo led off with a single down by first base. Petrarca beat out a 10-foot bunt single and Revock laid down another bunt single that drew a throwing error allowing Brodo to score.
Both teams went down 1-2-3 until the Blue Devils scored twice in the bottom of the fifth. Brodo led off with a free pass then Petrarca attempted to bunt again but Roof made a diving snag just inches off the ground. Revock followed with her third bunt single and Reyes slashed a two-run double between center and right field.
DiSalvo sizzled a two-out single over second in the Raider sixth but Heuck gotAngelina Valente to ground into a force out at second. In the Westfield sixth, Heuck plopped a oneout single into shallow center and Kurtz hit into a force out. After Brodo walked, Roof struck out Petrarca for her 11th strikeout of the game.
The top of the seventh had Friscia lining a sizzler back to the mound for the first out. Bogart bounced a ground rule double over the leftfield fence. DiFabrizio wiggled a single by second as Bogart took third. Llano’s ground out to short resulted in Bogart scoring as a throw to the plate followed. DiFabrizio attempted to take third but Brodo got her throw to Revock covering for the game-ending out.
“Our defense set us up to win,” Coach Cheddar pointed out. “We made our routine plays and also were able to make a couple excellent ones. Two double plays started off by Alex Laguna, a huge snag on a line drive up the middle by Ava in the seventh and the game-ending double play in the seventh with the final throw being made by Grace Brodo and a great tag by Darby Revock. Ava in the circle was also excellent – she got ahead of almost every batter and really worked the corners.”
The Blue Devils would face the Raiders again on May 5.
“We see them again on Monday and I’m sure it will be another great competition,” Coach Cheddar promised.
Sc Pl-Fanwood 001 000 1 2 Westfield 001 020 x 3