Lance's recap of Monday's win

If it was a fight they would have stopped it.

The Westfield Blue U9 boys put up a 10 spot in the bottom of the 5^th last night, clubbing their way to a 16-7 rout of the Branchburg Bulldogs in a return match from last year’s semifinal game between the two teams.

Westfield sent 15 batters to the plate in the decisive 5^th inning, bludgeoning the Bulldogs into submission with a 12-hit flurry leaving their opponent like a battered boxer, crawling on the canvas looking for his mouthpiece.

This didn’t appear to be just another game for the team in blue and white. No, there seemed to be something else underpinning the 23-hit barrage Westfield inflicted upon their arch rivals last night. Perhaps it was 12 months of pent-up frustration from losing to the Bulldogs by a single run in last year’s epic playoff game. Whatever it was that inspired the boys, they certainly channeled their aggression into an impressive victory.

The Bulldogs, no slouch of a team themselves, came out swinging, looking for the early knockout. They plated 5 runs in the first two frames with very crisp hitting, jumping out to a quick 5-2 lead after two full innings of play. If not for, pitcher, Nick Mele’s tenacity on the mound and several solid defensive plays in the field, Westfield’s deficit could have been larger and, possibly, insurmountable.

But all good fighters not only know how to punch, they also know how to slip and evade blows when necessary. Throughout the game, Westfield flashed some leather in the field.

Chris Rinaldi, at shortstop early on, snagged a blistering line drive headed into center and promptly doubling up a base runner at first with a howitzer throw to Chris Boutsikaris (Boots), who made a graceful stretch and catch. With runners on first and second and no outs, Scott Tupper stabbed a sharply hit ball at third base for the force-out, saving a run. Brett Robertshaw made a sparkling running catch in right center field near the fence, holding onto the ball after a collision with Eric Varakian, who was also in position to make the play. Ethan Smith came up big late in the game with a nice catch of a hard-hit, sinking liner into left field, turning away yet another scoring opportunity for the Bulldogs.

It was a nip and tuck game entering the bottom of the 5^th with Westfield down 7-6. That’s when the Westfield boys decided enough was enough – it was time to put away their opponent.

The climactic half inning lasted 30-minutes, a brutal pummeling which left Branchburg dazed and confused. It featured a Mele single, his fourth hit of the game (he also hit 3 mammoth doubles and continues to tear up opposing pitching), two slugs by Rinaldi (a double and a triple), a Varakian triple, Devin Anderson’s second double of the game, Boot’s third single of the game, singles by Tupper and Robertshaw (second hits of the game for both), and Chris Varano’s frozen rope into left.

Everyone participated in last night’s thrashing. It seemed somewhat cathartic for the Westfield boys, who almost enjoyed watching their foes limp away from the field. Last night’s drubbing may have helped exorcise some of the painful memories from last season’s narrow playoff loss.

You almost have to pinch yourself when you watch these boys play. They don’t act like 9-year-old boys when they step between the white lines. You ask yourself if these are the same kids that you have to constantly remind to make their beds in the morning, brush their teeth, throw their clothes in the laundry basket, stop arguing with their siblings, etc.

The simple answer is, no. They’re more like mini gladiators of the diamond. They’ve been prepared and conditioned by a very fine coaching staff to play hard, aggressive baseball and capitalize on their opportunities. They play with the poise and confidence of adults and are fundamentally sound. One parent of a Hazlet player summed it up best the other day as we were leaving the Cranford Complex after an 11-3 conquering of that previously unbeaten squad: “Great job, Westfield. Good game, your team is very well-schooled.”

Coaches Rinaldi, Varano, Anderson, Varakian and Difilippo have done a terrific job honing the boys’ skills. They’re constantly instructing, positioning, tweaking the boys’ swings to perfection. And it shows on the playing field.

Last night’s game was more about inner toughness though than pure skill. The team got down early but didn’t get rattled. Sure, they’ve been down in games a few times already against Warren, Hazlet and Scotch Plains only to come back and win. In their only setback to date, they lost a close decision to Summit after falling behind early but you had the sense they were never really out of that game. They stormed back in that contest as well; they just ran out of time.

But this was big, bad Branchburg. The Bulldogs were throwing bombs and landing some squarely on the chin. It wasn’t supposed to happen this way, especially on Westfield’s home field. Unperturbed the boys seemed to shrug and say, “OK, is that your best shot? Now let’s show you what we’ve got.” And they dug in and started throwing their own bombs. Branchburg forgot to duck.

The Westfield Blues proved again that they’re resilient and a difficult team to beat. Other teams better be ready to battle to the last out. Branchburg learned that last night. There’s not a player on the Westfield team that knows how to take a step backwards. Each game a different player steps up and leads. You never know where the next punch is coming from. One game it could be Vin “Madman” Difilippo, or Matt Macik or Hopper Murray. They throw them in bunches from all angles.

In a way Coach Rinaldi is like Angelo Dundee handling a very talented boxer. He points the boys towards the opponent and says “Go get ‘em.” We all know there’s more to it than that. Rinaldi has shown he has a knack of pushing the right buttons to keep his team on the winning path. His biggest challenge will be keeping the boys fresh, motivated, hungry and humble (at least he doesn’t have to worry about the booze and the women). He’s also very much aware that there’s still plenty of baseball left to play this summer. There are many good teams yet to face, including a formidable opponent within the same town.

The boys are having a lot of fun. We see them goofing off during the day. We notice them riding each other mercilessly during the pre-game warm-ups and wrestling in the outfield once the game is over. Yes, those are the 9-year-old boys we recognize. But don’t let that fool you. When the umpire yells “Play Ball”, the Westfield Blue team acts like someone just yelled “Rumble.”

-- Lance