Westfield Battles Branchburg in CJBL Championship Game

Westfield White faced off against perennial powerhouse Branchburg in the Central Jersey Baseball League Championship game in Union on Friday night.  Branchburg was undefeated in CJBL play and entered the contest with a record of 38-3, outscoring their opponents on the year by a margin of 491-118.  Westfield entered the game with a record of 32-12 and on somewhat of a roll with convincing playoff victories earlier in the week against tough squads from Long Hill and Florham Park.

Westfield won the toss and decided to be the home team.  They sent ace Vin Difilippo to the mound and a suberb defensive squad into the field behind him with the hopes of containing the explosive Branchburg offense.  Difilippo changed location and speed often and he successfully kept the Branchburg bats from doing any damage in the 1st inning.  Outfielders Scott Tupper and Hopper Murray recorded the first two outs by making nice plays on fly balls and then shortstop Chris Rinaldi made a running catch on a fly ball in short right center field for third out and Westfield kept Branchburg off the board in the 1st inning.  Westfield mounted a small offensive threat in their half of the 1st when Eric Varakian reached on an error and advanced to second on a ground out by Chris Varano, but Varakian was stranded there when Branchburg recorded two consecutive outs to end the inning.

Branchburg got on the board with 2 runs in the 2nd inning courtesy of a few hits, a walk and a perfectly executed suicide squeeze bunt.  Difilippo got out of the inning though with great pitching and two solid defensive plays.  Left fielder Mobarakai made an unbelievable running catch on a long fly ball that was foul down the left field line.  It seemed as if the ball would fall harmlessly in foul territory but Mobarakai appeared out of nowhere and snagged the ball for the 1st out of the inning.  Mobarakai was awarded a Blue Ball (defensive award) on the play.  With 2 runs in and runners on 2nd and 3rd, Difilippo then made some great pitches to strike out a batter for the 2nd out.  2nd baseman Chris Varano then made a great play on a slow roller to nip the batter at 1st for the final out.

Westfield got two runners on in the bottom of the 2nd inning, but they were unable to score.  Devin Anderson walked and then Chris Boutsikaris crushed a 2-1 offering off of the wall in right center field but Anderson had to hold up on the play and had to stop at 2nd. Both runners were stranded there as the last out of the inning was recorded.

Branchburg scored 2 more runs in the 3rd inning on a 2 run home run by their clean up hitter.  The damage may have been worse, but Westfield was able to record a double play on a hard liner to shortstop Chris Rinaldi who made the catch and fired to Boutsikaris at 1st base for the out.  Westfield was unable to score in their half of the 3rd and the score remained 4-0 Brannchburg.

Rinaldi came onto relieve Difilippo to start the 4th inning and he retired Branchburg 1-2-3 with a strike out and then two ground outs.  3rd baseman Brett Robertshaw made a nice play on the 1st ground ball and 2nd baseman Eric Varano on the second grounder.

Westfield came to bat in the 4th with some energy.  Lead off hitter Eric Varakian was hit by a pitch and Chris Varano followed with a single.  Both runners advanced on a double steal and then Varakian scored on an RBI single by Difilippo.  With runners on 1st and 3rd, Difilippo was caught off of 1st base in a run down.  Varano, who was on the 3rd, alertly took off for home and scored just ahead of the throw to cut the Branchburg lead in half at 4-2.  Westfield did not score again in the inning.

Westfield held Branchburg again in the 5th and the key play in the inning was a perfectly executed pickoff play at 2nd base, followed by a run down to cut down the lead runner.  3rd baseman Difilippo then made the defensive play of the game when he made a diving grab of a hard ground ball towards the hole at short and fired to 1st from his knees.  Unfortunately the ump ruled the Branchburg runner safe at 1st on a very questionable call, but the play was fantastic nonetheless.  The runner was stranded when the 3rd out was recorded on a pop out off of 1st base that was grabbed by Chris Boutsikaris.

Westfield threatened again in the 5th and had runners on 1st and 2nd with 1 out after Boutsikaris walked and Hopper Murray singled, but Boutsikaris was thrown out attempting to steal 3rd on a passed ball on a very close play.  Replays would have shown that he was safe, but the call stood and it took some life out of the Westfield offense.  Scott Tupper walked and Westfield had runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs but they were not able to score.

Branchburg extended the lead to 5-2 in the 6th inning on a walk, a stolen base and a hard single up the middle.  Right fielder Murray and Shortstop Nick Mele made nice plays to close out the inning and Catcher Liam Heinbokel continued his stellar play behind the plate to keep the deficit to 3 runs.

Westfield looked like they might stage one of their infamous late inning rallies when Mobarakai led off with a single, but Branchburg recorded the last three outs to secure the victory and the CJBL Championship.

It was an exciting, very well played game by two great baseball teams and it was a fitting way to close out another tremendous summer travel baseball season for the team they call Westfield White.

Westfield Advances to CJBL 12U Finals With Win Over Florham Park

Westfield traveled to Florham Park on a steamy hot afternoon for the 3rd time this month.  The 1st two trips did not go so well for Westfield and in both earlier games, the Blue Devils did not play their best baseball and ended up losing both contests.    Today's game, which was the Central Jersey Baseball League 12U semi-final game, started in a similar manner to the 1st two meetings.

In the 1st inning with runners on 2nd and 3rd and one out, the Florham Park catcher threw behind the runner at 3rd base and got him in a run down.  After Florham Park tagged out that runner, they then went after the runner who had started on 2nd base and they got him in a run down and tagged him out to complete a double play and end the inning.  Florham Park then scored 3 runs in their half of the inning courtesy of 4 consecutive singles and a couple of balks.

Westfield seemed to recover some in the 2nd when Vin Difilippo led off with a smashing double down the left field.  Difilippo advanced to 3rd on a passed ball and then scored on an RBI ground out by Chris Boutsikaris to cut the lead to 3-1.  Difilippo started on the mound for Westfield and he went 3 strong innings.  He did not allow a run after the 1st inning and he struck out 3 batters.

The Blue Devils scored another run in the 4th when Chris Varano, who reached on a fielder's choice, stole 2nd base.  Varano then advanced to 3rd on a Chris Rinaldi single and scored on a Difilippo RBI single to cut the Florham Park lead to 3-2.

Chris Rinaldi took over on the mound for Westfield in the 4th and held Florham Park to one unearned run over the final 3 frames.  He allowed no hits and recorded 7 of the 9 outs by way of strike out.

The Westfield bats exploded in the 5th inning and broke the game open.  Brett Robertshaw started the rally with a single and he came around to score all the way from 1st base when Hopper Murray launched a 1-1 curveball over the left fielder's head for an RBI double.  Scott Tupper walked and both runners advanced on steals to put runners on 2nd and 3rd.  Liam Heinbokel then cleared the bases with a clutch 2 RBI triple to deep left center field that gave Westfield a 5-3 lead.  Michael Mobarakai and Eric Varakian walked to load the bases and Heinbokel scored on an RBI fielder's choice by Varano.  Chris Rinaldi singled home Mobarakai and Difilippo followed with a RBI single of his own.  Devin "Big Dog" Anderson then knocked home Rinaldi and Difilippo with a 2 RBI double that made the score 9-3.

Florham Park managed a run in the bottom of the 5th following 2 walks and an errant throw on a run down, but Westfield promptly shut down threat and held Florham Park scoreless the rest of the way.

Next up for Westfield is Branchburg in Union at 6:00 PM on Friday in the Central Jersey Baseball League 12U Championship game.

Westfield Wins CJBL Playoff Game vs Long Hill

Westfield defeated a tough Long Hill team earlier tonight by the score of 13-6 to advance to Wednesday's Central Jersey Baseball League semi-final game against Florham Park (Florham Park defeated Branchburg tonight 10-4).  Westfield got solid pitching from Chris Rinaldi, Brett Robertshaw and Vin Difilippo and clutch hitting from a host of Blue Devils, including Chris Varano (3 RBIs) and Hopper Murray who both had 2 doubles and Michael Mobarakai who had 2 hits and scored 3 runs.  All 11 hitters in the line up had hits in one of the most balanced offensive displays of the year.

Varano cleared the bases with a clutch 2 out double in the 3rd inning and then Rinaldi followed with a hit to score Varano, giving Westfield a 4-2 lead.  Long Hill scored 1 in the bottom of the 3rd to make it 4-3. 

Westfield went right back to work in the top of the 4th, scoring 5 runs on 6 hits.  Devin Anderson led off with a single and was followed by Chris Boutsikaris who also singled.  Brett Robertshaw and Hopper Murray then hit back-to-back RBI doubles.  After 2 outs were recorded, Mobarakai hit an RBI double and Varakian laced an RBI single to give Westfield a 9-3 lead.  Brett Robertshaw relieved Rinaldi and held Long Hill scoreless in the 4th.

Long Hill scored 3 runs in the bottom of the 5th to close the lead to 9-6, courtesy of a long home run and 2 miscues by the Westfield defense.  Difilippo relieved and struck out 2 of the 4 batters he faced in the inning to end the Long Hill threat.

Westfield scored 4 more times in the top of the 6th to extend the lead to 13-6.  Murray hit a one out double down the left field line and promptly stole 3rd.  Scott Tupper followed with a walk and stole 2nd putting runners on 2nd and 3rd with 1 out.  Liam Heinbokel then ripped a 2 RBI double to left center field scoring Murray and Tupper.  Mobarakai then laced an RBI single to score Heinbokel and Mobi alertly advanced to 2nd on the throw home.  Varakian then launched an RBI single to left center that allowed Mobarakai to score the 13th run.  Difilippo and the Westfield defense retired Long Hill in order in the bottom of the 6th to preserve the win.

Next up for Westfield is Florham Park at Florham Park on Wednesday at 5:45 PM in the CJBL semi-final game.

 

Spectacular Comeback vs Ridge Falls Just Short

Westfield found themselves down 8-1 going into the last inning of the Basking Ridge tournament semi-final game against a tough Basking Ridge squad, but rather than go quietly, they dug down, didn't quit and put up one heck of a final at bat.

Basking Ridge scored 3 in the 1st inning and 2 in the 2nd to take a 5-0 lead.  Westfield got one of those runs back via singles by Devin Anderson, Chris Boutsikaris and Brett Robertshaw.  Ridge went onto score 1 more run in each of the next 3 innings to make the lead 8-1.

In the bottom of the 6th inning Westfield came to bat down 7 runs.  With 1 out, Hopper Murray started the Westfield offense with a line drive single to right field.  Scott Tupper followed with a walk and then Liam Heinbokel knocked in Murray with an RBI single.  After an RBI ground out by Michael Mobarakai to cut the lead to 8-3 with 2 outs, Eric Varakian drew a walk to put runners on 1st and 3rd.  Chris Varano hit a ground ball in the hole to short and with tremendous hustle out of the box, he beat the throw to 1st for an RBI single.  Nick Mele then launched a 2-1 offering off of the wall in deep right center field for a 2 run single cutting the lead to 8-6.  Vin Difilippo then stepped to the plate and fouled off numerous pitches before lacing a single to left field which scored Mele to make it 8-7.  Ridge then changed pitchers (2nd time in the inning) and recorded the last out to preserve the win.

Vin Difilippo and Nick Mele each threw 3 solid innings for Westfield.

Next up for Westfield is a CJBL playoff match up against Long Hill in Long Hill on Monday at 8:00 PM.

Murray and Heinbokel Combined to One Hit Berkeley Heights

Hopper Murray, Liam Heinbokel and the rest of the Westfield Blue Devils awoke early this morning to make their way to Berkeley Heights for an early morning Central Jersey Baseball League game.  Murray and Heinbokel were especially sharp for the 8:15 AM start though and the duo combined to throw a 1 hit shutout.  The pitchers split the innings evenly and they recorded 5 strikeouts between them.  

The defense was strong behind the Westfield hurlers as well and two Blue Balls were awarded for great defensive plays.  The 1st came in the 1st inning when Murray initiated the rare "1-6-3-2" double play.  With runners on 1st and 2nd and no one out, Murray fielded a hard grounder back to the mound.  He turned and fired a strike to shortstop Chris Rinaldi to record the force out at 2nd base and Rinaldi threw to Chris Boutsikaris at 1st but the runner was ruled to have beat the throw.  The Berkeley Heights runner who started on 2nd did not stop at 3rd and headed for home.  Boutsikaris alertly threw home to catcher Heinbokel who applied the tag at the plate to complete the double play.  Heinbokel received a 2nd blue ball when from the mound he made a leaping stab of a pop up behind the mound which would have otherwise fallen in for a hit.

While the Westfield pitching and the defense were putting up zeroes across the frames, the Blue Devil bats started warming up in the middle innings and finished very strong.  All 11 Westfield players in the line up had hits and Vin Difilippo (double and 3 RBIs), Michael Mobarakai (triple) Murray and Boutsikaris each had 2 hits.  Heinbokel came within inches of hitting an inside the park home run when he launched a drive to deep center field which cleared the outfielder's head.  He then raced around the bases and towards home, but he was ruled out at the plate on a very close play.

Next up for Westfield is Basking Ridge tonight at 7:00 PM in the semi-finals of the Basking Ridge tournament.

Westfield Falls to Florham Park in CJBL Contest

Westfield lost to Florham Park for the 2nd time this year -- this time by the score of 4-1.  Westfield's offense struggled most of the night in the 95+ degree heat. 

The Blue Devils managed only 5 hits off of the Florham Park pitchers and their run came in the 6th inning when Hopper Murray singled, advanced to second on a single by Eric Varakian and alertly stole 3rd when the Florham Park pitcher when to the windup.  The pitcher attempted to step off and throw out Murray at 3rd, but the throw went out of play which allowed Murray to score and Varakian to advance to 3rd.  Unfortunately Westfield was not able to manage any more runs and the game ended at 4-1.

Florham Park scored all of their runs in the 3rd inning.  Chris Boutsikaris and Chris Rinaldi threw for Westfield and they also allowed only 5 hits.

Rinaldi had two hits, including a double and Varakian, Murray and Devin Anderson each had hits for Westfield.

Next up for Westfield is a CJBL match up against Berkley Heights on Saturday at 8:15 AM in Berkley Heights.

Westfield Defeats Mountainside 11-3 in CJBL Play

Michael Mobarakai and Scott Tupper teamed up on the mound to shutdown Mountainside in a CJBL game.  The duo allowed only 6 hits and 3 runs over 6 innings and each pitcher threw 3 innings in the win.  Chris Boutsikaris made a great play behind Mobarakai in the 1st inning when he made a tremendous stab of a hard grounder to 1st that took a bad hop.  Boutsikaris read the bounce, grabbed the ball and raced to 1st base to record an unassisted out on the hard smash.  Boutsikaris received the Blue Ball defensive award on the play.

Westfield's offense was powered by several bats -- Michael Mobarakai and Brett Robertshaw were both 3 for 3 with 2 runs scored and Chris Varano had 2 hits for the Blue Devils.  Hopper Murray and Liam Heinbokel added doubles to power Westfield rallies and Vin Difilippo connected on a long home run to center field.

Next up for Westfield is Florham Park in a Central Jersey Baseball League match up at 5:45 PM on Friday in Florham Park.

Westfield Loses State Game to Mount Olive

Westfield faced off against Mount Olive in a Cal Ripken State game tonight and in what was a rematch of a game that was played between the two teams just a week earlier in the Basking Ridge tournament.  The 1st meeting between the two teams saw Westfield win on a walk off grand slam.  Tonight's outcome was also decided by the long ball -- actually many of them -- but unfortunately for Westfield, this time they were all off of the bats of Mount Olive players.  Westfield held leads of 2-0 and 4-2 early in the game, but the Mount Olive bats were hot and they went onto hit 1/2 dozen home runs in a mercy rule shortened game.

Next up for Westfield is a Central Jersey Baseball League game against Mountainside on Thursday at 6:00 PM at Gumbert #2.

Westfield Rally Falls Just Short vs Bridgewater American

In the longest game of the year, Westfield battled powerful Bridgewater American in a game that started 8 days ago and came up just short in a 9-8 loss.  The game originally started on July 12th but heavy rains came in the 2nd inning resulting in a suspended contest that Bridgewater led 7-1.

In the portion of the game that was played on July 12th, Vin Difilippo put Westfield ahead in the bottom of the 1st inning with a long home run into the trees beyond the left field fence.   Bridgewater came roaring back in the top of the 2nd when they scored 7 runs on 9 hits, including 3 home runs.  The rains came at an opportune time for Westfield and the game was stopped with 2 outs in the inning and the bases loaded for Bridgewater.

Fast forward 8 days and the game resumed that way.  The game scenario may have been the same, but many things were different.  There was no sign of rain, the Westfield players were very focused and Eric Varakian was on the mound.  Varakian got the 1st Bridgewater batter to pop-out harmlessly to the mound to end the threat.

Westfield then came to bat in the bottom of the 2nd with a purpose.  They scored 5 times in the inning to close the gap to 7-6.  Nick Mele, Scott Tupper and Eric Varakian singled, Chris Rinaldi and Michael Mobarakai both walked and Chris Boutsikaris hit a key RBI sac fly.  However, the big hit in the inning was a rocket, line drive, 2 run, homer off of the bat of Hopper Murray.  Murray's blast left the field in the matter of seconds and he was greeted at home plate by the Westfield bench.

Varakian then resumed his brilliant pitching.  Using a mixture of a change-up, a slow change, a slower change and a REALLY, REALLY slow change-up, Varakian kept the powerful Bridgewater bats mostly silent.   He pitched a total of 4 and 1/3 innings and allowed only 2 hits and 2 runs.

Westfield entered their final at bat trailing 9-6, but they did not quit.  Boutsikaris led off with a walk and then with one out, Murray fought off several hard fastballs and earned a walk himself.  Michael Mobarakai also walked, loading the bases.  Varakian then stepped to the plate with the bases loaded and 2 outs and he promptly hit a clutch 2 RBI single to left field to cut the lead to 9-8.  Bridgewater was able to survive the scare by recording the final out on a pop-up to shallow left that the shortstop caught to end the game.

Next up for Westfield is Mount Olive in the Cal Ripken State tournament on Wednesday at 6:00 PM in Wayne.

Westfield Drops State Game to Manalapan

Westfield headed north on Sunday, following their win in Basking Ridge in the scorching 95 degree heat, to face a relatively unknown team from Manalapan.  The Blue Devils and many of their fans met at an Applebees on Route 46 to escape the sweltering heat.  As they enjoyed their meals, little did the group know that they were about to witness the 2nd coming of Nolan Ryan just a few short miles away.

Westfield's offense resumed where they had left off in Ridge and they came out swinging red hot bats.  Lead off hitter Chris Varano put a charge into a 2-1 offering and came within a foot or two of a home run before the Manalapan right fielder tracked it down at the fence for an out.  Undeterred by the strong defensive play on Varano's drive, the next 6 Westfield batters recorded hits and the Blue Devils quickly took a 4-0 lead.

Chris Rinaldi singled to put a runner on base and then Nick Mele quickly launched a blast to deep center field for a 2 run home run.  Vin Difilippo followed by belting a 2-1 offering to deep left center field for back-to-back homers and a 3-0 Westfield lead.  Devin Anderson and Brett Robertshaw continued the offensive onslaught with singles and Anderson scored on an RBI single by Boutsikaris.  Enter the 2nd coming of Nolan Ryan...

Manalapan's Rodriquez relieved with runners on 2nd and 3rd.  He recorded the next two out and struck out 14 of the next 17 hitters he faced.  In all he threw 5 2/3 innings, allowing no hits and only 1 walk.

Westfield held off Manalapan's offense for a while and maintained a lead heading into the 3rd inning.  Vin Difilippo was throwing very well and only allowed 1 run through the 1st 2 innings.  In the 3rd, Manalapan's offense came alive and they took advantage of several Westfield defensive mistakes to take a 6-4 lead.  Nick Mele relieved Difilippo to start the 4th and he threw well but he was also victimized by defensive miscues and Manalapan extended their lead to 8-4.  Chris Boutsikaris relieved Mele in the 5th to shut down the threat and close out the inning.  When the dust settled, Westfield was down 10-4 and they were unable to stage a miracle comeback.

Next up for Westfield on Tuesday is the continuation of the suspended game against Bridgewater American in the Basking Ridge tournament.  The game will be resumed at 7:45 PM on Tuesday at Ridge Field #4.

Westfield Rallies to Defeat Bridgewater 10-7

Westfield found themselves down early to a tough Bridgewater Nationals team in a Basking Ridge tournament game, but the Blue Devils settled down and rallied late to win 10-7. 

Trailing 5-0 as they came to bat in the 2nd, Westfield went to work and began chipping away at the lead.  Chris Boutsikaris, who was 2 for 2 with 3 runs scored on the day, singled and stole 2nd base to put a runner in scoring position.  Brett Robertshaw then followed with a monsterous 2 run home run that cut the Bridgewater lead to 5-2. 

The score remained that way through the middle innings mainly as a result of solid pitching by Hopper Murray and some great defensive plays by the Blue Devils.  In the 3rd inning, Center fielder Nick Mele made an outstanding play when he dove to snag a sinking line drive before it hit the ground.  He then fired the ball into the infield and Boutsikaris and Chris Rinaldi teamed up to double up a Bridgewater runner on the bases.  Shortly after Mele's play, 2nd baseman Eric Varakian made a tremendous diving stab of a hard ground ball up the middle and then fired a strike to Boutsikaris at 1st base to record the out.

Westfield's offense got hot and took the lead in top of the 4th.  Chris Rinaldi started the rally when he was hit by a pitch and stole second base.  Boutsikaris singled to put runners on 1st and 3rd and then Brett Robertshaw knocked in Rinaldi with an RBI single which advanced Boutsikaris to 3rd.  Robertshaw stole 2nd to put runners on 2nd and 3rd and then Liam Heinbokel laced an RBI single to score Boutsikaris.  Hopper Murray (3 for 3 on the day) then stepped to the plate and he quickly delivered a clutch 2 RBI single the knocked in Robertshaw and Heinbokel, giving Westfield a 6-5 lead.

Bridgewater took advantage of a couple of defensive miscues by Westfield in the 5th inning to take a 7-6 lead. 

Westfield came to bat in the top of the 6th trailing by 1 run and they immediately began to threaten.  Vin Difilippo led off and battled for a walk.  Devin Anderson then sent the Westfield faithful into a frenzy when he launched a 2-1 offering to deep center field.  The ball looked like it would clear the fence, but the Bridgewater center fielder reached back over the fence and somehow caught the ball.  The play seemed to be the play of the game and one that would be enough to secure a victory for Bridgewater, however Westfield had other ideas.  Chris Rinaldi stepped to the plate and worked the count to 2-2 before launching a line drive, 2 run homer into the trees beyond the left center field fence to give Westfield a 7-6 lead.  Westfield poured on the offense after the home run.  Boutsikaris walked and then scored on a line drive RBI double by Liam Heinbokel (2 for 3).  Hopper Murray followed with his 3rd hit of the game which drove Heinbokel home.

Michael Mobarakai finished the game on the mound, throwing the last 3 innings and only allowing 2 hits over the final 3 frames.

Next up for Westfield is Manalapan in the State Tournament in Wayne at 3PM today.

Westfield Opens States With 7-4 Win Over Monroe

Westfield opened Cal Ripken State Tournament play with a solid 7-4 win over Monroe. The Blue Devils jumped out to an early 5-0 lead in the top of the 1st and they held on to preserve the victory.

Eric Varakian got things started in the 1st inning when he drew a lead off walk. Chris Varano followed with a single to put runners at 1st and 2nd and Nick Mele followed with an RBI single to give Westfield a lead they would never relinquish. Devin Anderson followed with an RBI single which put runners on 1st and 3rd. Chris Rinaldi then hammered a 1-2 pitch deep over the fence in left center field for a 3 run homer.

Monroe did not quit though and they quickly rallied for two runs in their half of the 1st. Westfield got one of those runs back in the 2nd when Chris Varano singled with 1 out, stole 2nd and scored on an RBI double by Devin Anderson.

The score remained 6-1 until the bottom of the 3rd when a misplayed fly ball to right field with 2 outs allowed Monroe to score their 2nd run. Westfield got that back in the top of the 4th when Nick Mele reached base on an error, stole 2nd and scored on Anderson's 3rd RBI of the day.

Chris Rinaldi threw 4 innings for Westfield and held Monroe to 3 hits and 2 earned runs. Brett Robertshaw relieved Rinaldi and threw 2 solid innings in relief. Robertshaw only allowed 1 hit and he did not allow an earned run.

Two Blue Balls (defensive awards) were handed out during the game. Right Fielder Hopper Murray received the 1st one when he charged a hard hit liner to right field and immediately fired a laser to 1st base to record an out. Chris Boutsikaris made a great defensive play at 1st base when he made a tough play on a hard grounder and then scrambled to slide into the bag and get the out a split second before the Monroe player arrived.

Next up for Westfield is Bridgewater National in the Ridge tournament on Sunday morning at 10AM.

Westfield Defeats Summit in CJBL Play

Westfield arrived at Long Field for an early morning Central Jersey Baseball League (CJBL) match up against Summit. The Westfield fans who made it to the game were treated to an explosive performance as White’s bats erupted early and often and White’s pitching and defense was solid throughout en route to a 17-0 victory in a mercy rule shortened contest. Eric Varakian (3 innings) and Brett Robertshaw (1 inning) combined on the shutout, limiting Summit to just two hits.

The early morning tranquility in Summit was shattered with loud noises coming from the Westfield bats. White scored 8 runs in the 1st inning, 4 in the 3rd and 5 in the 4th. Chris Boutsikaris and Hopper Murray each had 3 hits while Liam Heinbokel, Eric Varakian, Vincent Difilippo, Devin Anderson and Chris Rinaldi each had 2 hits. Boutsikaris, Varakian and Nick Mele each doubled and Anderson and Rinaldi each had key home runs.

Westfield starts play in the Cal Ripken State Tournament later this afternoon against Monroe in Wayne at 3:00 PM.

Mele's Walk Off Slam Powers Westfield Past Mount Olive in Ridge Tourny

The name "Nick" and the words "walk off" were heard often tonight.  Nick Swisher had a walk off single for the Yankees in the Bronx and Nick Mele had a 2 out, walk off, grand slam in Basking Ridge.  Mele's blast capped off a remarkable Westfield comeback against a very tough Mount Olive team.  Down 7-3 in their last at bat, each and every Westfield hitter battled at the plate against two hard throwing Mount Olive pitchers.  More on the rally in a minute.

Mount Olive scored 3 in the 1st inning on back-to-back-to-back home runs by the 3-4-5 hitters.  Mariano Varano then settled down and proceeded to shutdown the Mount Olive bats over the next 2 innings.  Westfield got 1 run back in the bottom of the 1st on an RBI single by Vin Difilippo.

Mariano got help from Scott Tupper in the 3rd when Tupper came on in relief with 2 outs and 2 men on base.  Tupper pitched cautiously to the Mount Olive clean up hitter and issued a walk and then he got Mount Olive's number 5 hitter to pop out to the mound for the last out, ending a bases loaded threat.

Mount Olive extended their lead to 5-1 in the 4th and they were threatening to score more, but Chris Boutsikaris came on to extinguish the threat.  Westfield then put two runs on the board in their half of the 4th.  Nick Mele hustled on a dropped 3rd strike to get to 1st and then Devin Anderson and Chris Rinaldi singled.  Mele scored on Rinaldi's hit and then Anderson scored on Boutsikaris' RBI ground out to make it 5-3.

Mount Olive scored 2 more runs in the 5th to make it 7-3.  Westfield came up in their final at bat facing one of Mount Olive's top pitchers.  Liam Heinbokel started things off by battling for a walk.  Hopper Murray followed with a single to put runners on 1st and 2nd and then Scott Tupper hit an RBI single to knock Heinbokel across and close the deficit to 7-4.  Mount Olive then made a pitching change and brought in a tall, hard throwing right hander.  He struck out two Westfield batters before Chris Varano battled and earned a walk to load the bases.

Mele then stepped to the plate with 2 outs and the bases loaded and representing the winning run.  Nick swung aggressively threw 2 fastballs and then with an 0-2 count, he launched a high, hard fast ball to deep center field.  The ball seemed to hang in there air for a while, but it finally cleared the fence and the Westfield faithful went into a frenzy.

Next up for Westfield is Summit on Saturday at 10AM in a Central Jersey Baseball League game.   Westfield opens in the state tournament later in the day when they face Monroe in Wayne at 3PM.

Westfield Rebounds With Win Over Summit

Westfield White rebounded strongly from an ugly loss early in the day with a 12-0 win over Summit.  Chris Varano threw 3 strong innings and only allowed 2 hits and Liam Heinbokel closed things out with 2 solid innings of his own on the mound.  The defense behind Varano and Heinbokel was flawless and even outstanding at times.  Shortstop Nick Mele made a great bare handed grab and throw of a slow roller that just got past Heinbokel at the mound and recorded the out at 1st.  Mele received a Blue Ball award for the play.

While the Westfield pitchers and defense were working towards the shutout, the offense was busy pounding out 14 hits.  Varano and Devin Anderson led the way with 3 hits each and Brett Robertshaw, Michael Mobarakai and Eric Varakian each had 2 hits.  Nick Mele had 4 RBIs, including a towering 3 run home run to deep left center field.  Scott Tupper and Hopper Murray each had RBI singles during a big 1st inning rally.

Up next for Westfield is Bridgewater American in the Basking Ridge Summer Tournament on Monday at 7:45 PM.

Westfield Loses to Hillsborough...Missed Field Goal and Extra Point the Difference

Westfield came up short 17-13 in a slugfest against Hillsborough in an early morning Sunday game.  Despite the high score, Westfield pitchers Brett Robertshaw, Eric Varakian, Chris Boutsikaris and Scott Tupper threw pretty well.  While the Westfield hurlers were throwing strikes, their defense had an off day and let them down early and often.  Westfield committed no fewer than 8 errors and Hillsborough capitalized on almost every mistake with big hits.

Westfield's offense was a bright spot and they collected 17 hits.  Varakian led the way with a 4 for 4 performance.  Boutsikaris, Chris Varano, Vin Difilippo and Devin Anderson each had 2 hits and a double for Westfield in the loss.

Next up for Westfield is Summit later tonight at 6:00 PM in Summit.

Murray and Tupper Pitch White Past Blue

Hopper Murray and Scott Tupper each threw 3 strong innings in leading Westfield White past Westfield Blue by the score of 11-2. 

Murray and Tupper scattered 4 hits over 6 innings while the White offense banged out 12 hits, including 7 hits in the 8 run, 3rd inning.  Chris Varano, Nick Mele and Chris Boutsikaris had 2 hits a piece, Brett Robertshaw drove in 2 runs, Liam Heinbokel and Mele doubled and Varano and Michael Mobarakai each scored twice. 

Westfield White has a double header on Sunday, playing at 10:00 AM against Hillsborough at Gumbert #3 and at 6:00 PM against Summit at Long Field in Summit.

Varano, Murray and Mobarakai Lead Westfield Past Springfield

Chris Varano hit two long home runs and drove in 5 runs to lead Westfield past Springfield 12-2 in Central Jersey Baseball League action.   Varano connected on a 3 run blast to deep left field in the 1st inning and a 2 run shot to center field in the 3rd.  Hopper Murray's bat was on fire as well and he had a single and a double and 3 runs batted in for Westfield.  Michael Mobarakai and Chris Rinaldi each had 2 hits a piece as the Westfield offense exploded for 12 hits in the 4 inning, mercy ruled shortened contest.

While Westfield's offense was busy with the bats, Michael Mobarakai was hard at work shutting down the Springfield offense.  Mobarakai threw 3 innings and only allowed one hit.  Devin "Big Dog" Anderson and Liam Heinbokel followed Mobarakai and closed things out on the hill for Westfield.

Next up for Westfield White is Westfield Blue on Saturday at 10 AM on Gumbert Field #2.

Westfield Wins Opening Game of Ridge Tournament

Westfield White recovered nicely from last night's sluggish effort by playing a very solid game against a very tough opponent in Basking Ridge.  Westfield won 4-3 despite the fact that they had a run erased on a very unusual call.

Chris Boutsikaris took the mound for the Blue Devils and he threw 3 solid innings on the hill.  Boutsikaris and Westfield escaped trouble in the 1st inning with some great defense.  With the bases loaded and one out, a Ridge batter hit a fly ball to shallow left field.  Shortstop Chris Rinaldi made a nice play to track the ball down and then he threw a strike to catcher Devin Anderson who caught the ball and applied the tag to the runner who attempted to tag up from 3rd base on the play.  Both players were awarded Blue Balls (defensive award) on the play.  Boutsikaris held the tough Ridge lineup to 3 runs on 4 hits.

Westfield trailed 1-0 in the 2nd when Devin Anderson stepped up to the plate with Vin Difilippo on 1st base. Anderson launched a long fly ball to deep left center field for a home run giving Westfield an apparent 2-1 lead.  Basking Ridge appealed to home plate saying that Difilippo never touched home plate before entering the dug out.  The umpire agreed with the fans and the Ridge coach who pointed it out and Difilippo was ruled out and the score was set back to 1-1.


Ridge took a 3-1 lead in the top of the 3rd, but Westfield scored 3 times in the bottom half of the 3rd to take a 4-3 lead.  Liam Heinbokel led off with a walk and advanced to 2nd on a ground out.  Hopper Murray followed with a single and advanced to 2nd on a steal to put runners on 2nd and 3rd with 2 outs.  Scott Tupper then stepped to the plate and continued his pattern of clutch hitting when he laced an 0-2 pitch into right field for a 2 RBI single.  Heinbokel and Murray scored to even the score at 3 and Tupper advanced to 2nd on the throw home.  Eric Varakian then hit a hard ground back up the middle for an RBI single and Tupper scored to put Westfield ahead 4-3.


Nick Mele relieved Boutsikaris and shut down the Ridge bats in the 4th and the 5th inning, allowing a single hit and striking out 2 in 2 innings of work.  Difilippo then took over pitching duties in the 6th and quickly recorded 3 outs to secure the win.

Next up for Westfield is Springfield on Friday at Gumbert #3 at 6:00 PM in a Central Jersey Baseball League game.

Westfield Drops CJBL Game to Florham Park

Westfield White lost a CJBL game 8-2 to Florham Park earlier tonight.  Westfield pitchers Hopper Murray, Chris Varano and Scott Tupper pitched well and kept Westfield in the game but the offense could not break through against the Florham Park pitchers.  The score was tied 2-2 all the way until two outs in the bottom of the 5th but at that point a combination of timely Florham Park hitting and a couple of Westfield defensive miscues put Florham Park ahead for good. 

Westfield opens play in the Basking Ridge tournament Thursday night at 7:45 PM against Basking Ridge.