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Sports

Softball Game Features Rare Two Four Run Innings

Game allows for rarity.

In a well-pitched, well-fielded high school softball game, runs are very scarce.

When you see two pitchers get in a groove, you're thinking a 1-0 or 2-1 result will follow some 75 minutes or so later.

Wednesday afternoon's non-conference game between visiting Bridgewater-Raritan and host Westfield had that appearance going into the third inning.

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Both starting pitchers – junior right handers Nicki Schmeider of Westfield and Alicia Gonnella of BR – looked good through the first two innings, with Schmeider allowing no runs on two hits and Gonnella no runs on one hit.

The Panthers broke through for two runs in the top of the third, scoring one of them with the aid of a Westfield error.

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The score remained 2-0 until the bottom of the fifth when the first of two four-run innings – one by each team – was produced.

Westfield scored four runs in the bottom of the fifth to take the lead at 4-2.

BR scored four runs in the top of the seventh to take the lead back at 6-4 and then held on in the bottom of the seventh for a 6-4 triumph.

One four-run inning, let alone two, didn't seem possible the way both pitchers started out.

Here's a look at both:

Westfield four-run bottom of the fifth for 4-2 lead: No. 5 batter Emma Crossland led off and grounded out to second on a 1-0 pitch. Olivia Pecora followed with a single to short left on the first pitch she saw.

A sacrifice bunt that went from catcher to the second baseman at first moved Pecora to second with two outs. Pecora then advanced to third on a wild pitch.

At this point, Westfield had only two hits off Gonnella. Jess Mondon connected for the third, with her hit going just past the third baseman and into left field, with Pecora scoring on the play to pull Westfield to within 2-1.

Sara Connery followed with a ground ball hit to third that should have been the third out. However, the BR third baseman dropped the grounder, with Mondon reaching second and Connery first.

Unfortunately for Westfield, Mondon injured her left knee at second base and had to be taken out of the game. Senior Jackie LaSpata went in to pinch run for her.

Leadoff batter Katie Esler singled up the middle to load the bases.

Then Schmeider hit a fly ball to center that was dropped for a two-base error. LaSpata and Connery scored, giving Westfield its first lead at 3-2.

Nikki Aronson then walked on four pitches to load the bases again and then Meg Boersig walked on a 3-2 count for an RBI, with Westfield going ahead 4-2.

Three of the four runs Westfield scored were unearned because of the infield and outfield errors, but if you don't catch the ball, the other team is going to score.

Westfield was also beginning to hit Gonnella much harder and more consistently than in previous innings.

"We started to hit the ball harder and got a couple of breaks," Westfield second-year head coach Caitlin MacDonald said. "We hung in there and didn't give up."

After Schmeider didn't give up any runs in the top of the sixth despite allowing two hits – a huge play made by replacement second baseman Crossland to force a runner at second was key – Westfield tried to get some more insurance runs in the bottom of the sixth.

After Pecora and Criscuolo each walked on four pitches and were sacrificed to second and third, BR escaped with an inning-ending double play on a fly out to left and force at third.

BR top of the seventh to take the lead back at 6-4: No. 8 batter Caroline Dziak reached first on an error with the fielder off the bag. She then moved to second when pinch hitter Nicole Braun – on a 0-2 count – singled up the middle to put runners on first and second.

Leadoff, lefty batter Nikki Thomas then beat out a bunt for the third time, loading the bases with no outs. Katie Fanning followed with a two-run single to center, with runners moving to second and third on the throw home and still nobody out.

With the score now tied 4-4, Brianna Arenos hit a sacrifice fly to center for a 5-4 lead, but then another run scored on an infield throwing error, with BR now ahead 6-4.

Schmeider got the next two batters to ground out to short and pop up to first, but the damage had been done.

Again showing no quit, Westfield had the tying runs on base in the bottom of the seventh and the winning run up before BR got the last out for the victory.

Westfield will attempt to get back on the winning track Friday when it hosts conference arch rival Scotch Plains-Fanwood at 4 p.m., weather permitting.

The Blue Devils are then scheduled to play at non-conference foes South Plainfield Saturday morning at 11 and Roselle Park Monday at 4 before playing home again Tuesday against conference foe Plainfield at 4.

WESTFIELD BLUE DEVILS (2-3, 2-1)

RESULTS/schedule:

April 1 (H) Union 2, Westfield 1

April 8 (A) Westfield 9, Rahway 5 (8 inn.)

April 9 (A) Sayreville 4, Westfield 3

April 13 (A) Westfield 7, Linden 2

April 14 (H) Bridgewater-Raritan 6, Westfield 4

April 16 Scotch Plains, 4 p.m.

April 17 at South Plainfield, 11 a.m.

April 19 at Roselle Park, 4 p.m.

April 20 Gov. Livingston, 4 p.m.

April 22 Plainfield, 4 p.m.

April 27 at Elizabeth, 4 p.m.

April 28 at North Hunterdon, 4 p.m.

April 30 at Union, 4 p.m.

May 1 East Brunswick, 10 a.m.

May 4 Rahway, 4 p.m.

May 6 Linden, 4 p.m.

May 7 at Scotch Plains, 4 p.m.

May 11 at Plainfield, 4 p.m.

May 13 Elizabeth, 4 p.m.

May 18 Cranford, 4 p.m.

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