The Westfield softball team earned the 10th seed for the 35th annual Union County Tournament that will commence this week with four preliminary round games.
Westfield will go right to the first round this Saturday and play at seventh-seeded Union Catholic at 3 p.m. in Scotch Plains.
Union Catholic has a brand new field turf field and brand new dugouts.
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Westfield will begin the week at 4-10 and has two narrow conference losses to defending UCT champion Union, which earned the third seed.
Westfield lost to Union 2-1 at home on April 1 and on Friday fell to the Farmers 4-3 in Union, with the home team scoring the winning run in the bottom of the seventh.
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Westfield's fourth win of the year was a 12-0 Union County Conference-Watchung Division home triumph over Plainfield April 22. Senior Tara Criscuolo was 3-for-3, with two runs and three RBI, while senior Bridget Gallagher was 2-for-3, with one run and one RBI.
Westfield has two games scheduled for this week, beginning with a conference contest at home against Rahway Tuesday at 4 p.m.
When the teams played in Rahway back on April 8, Westfield won 9-5 in eight innings.
Westfield will then play at conference arch rival Scotch Plains Friday at 4 p.m.
Scotch Plains won the first conference game 16-7 at Westfield back on April 16.
Cranford earned the top seed for the third year in a row, with Governor Livingston receiving the second seed.
Cranford came back to beat GL 15-5 Friday night at Deerfield Middle School in Mountainside in UCC-Mountain Division play. After being down 5-0 after five innings, Cranford scored seven runs in the top of the sixth and eight in the top of the seventh.
Cranford also owns a 2-1 non-conference home win over Union, while GL was to play at Union in non-conference play last Monday, but the game was rained out.
As of Monday, May 3, both teams have only lost to each other in the county and each now have just one league loss in the race to win the UCC's Mountain Division.
GL was last the top seed in 2007, falling at home to Cranford 1-0 in the quarterfinals for its only loss in a 27-1 season that included the program's first state championship after the Highlanders captured Group 2 honors.
The championship game has been moved to Kean University's Cougar Field in Union, scheduled for May 22 at 2 p.m. The junior varsity championship game will be played first that day at Kean at noon.
The final had been annually contested at Linden's Memorial Field.
The quarterfinals and the semifinals will remain at Memorial Field, with the quarterfinals there for the second straight season after previously being held at the fields of the higher seeds.
With 20 teams seeded, four preliminary round games must be completed by this Thursday, May 6.
After this Saturday's eight first round games, the quarterfinals will be held at Linden's Memorial Field complex May 14, with two games at 6 p.m. and two at 8 p.m.
The semifinals will be May 15 at Memorial Field at 6 p.m. and 8 p.m.
In past years the semifinals took place at Memorial Field on a Friday night, with the championship game the next day on a Saturday night.
Union defeated Linden 3-1 in last year's championship game at Memorial Field, with the Farmers capturing their record 11th county crown and first since 2000.
Linden reached the championship game last year for the second time in three years after upsetting three-time defending champion and top-seeded Cranford 2-1 in 10 innings in the second semifinal.
Cranford won the most UCT titles in the decade of the 2000s, winning four. The Cougars won their first UCT crown in 2002 and then won again in 2006, 2007 and 2008.
Cranford senior right hander Kelly Hardman was the winning pitcher in the 2007 and 2008 UCT finals, while Union senior lefty Amanda Kardys was the winning pitcher in the 2009 title contest.
Both will be continuing their playing days in college on the Division 3 level, with Kardys to attend Emory University in Atlanta, Ga. and Hardman The College of New Jersey in Ewing Township.
35th ANNUAL SOFTBALL
UNION COUNTY TOURNAMENT
SEEDS: 1-Cranford. 2-Gov. Livingston. 3-Union. 4-Johnson.
5-Roselle Park. 6-Brearley. 7-Union Catholic. 8-Elizabeth.
9-Scotch Plains. 10-Westfield. 11-Rahway. 12-New Providence.
13-Linden. 14-Oak Knoll. 15-Dayton. 16-Kent Place.
17-Roselle Catholic. 18-Roselle. 19-Plainfield. 20-Hillside.
PRELIMINARY ROUND:
(games must be completed by Thursday, May 6)
20-Hillside at 13-Linden
19-Plainfield at 14-Oak Knoll
18-Roselle at 15-Dayton
17-Roselle Catholic at 16-Kent Place
FIRST ROUND:
Saturday, May 8, 3 p.m.
TOP SIDE OF THE BRACKET:
12-New Providence at 5-Roselle Park
Hillside/Linden at 4-Johnson
9-Scotch Plains at 8-Elizabeth
Roselle Catholic/Kent Place at 1-Cranford
BOTTOM SIDE OF THE BRACKET:
10-Westfield at 7-Union Catholic
Roselle/Dayton at 2-Gov. Livingston
11-Rahway at 6-Brearley
Plainfield/Oak Knoll at 3-Union
QUARTERFINALS:
Friday, May 14
At Linden's Memorial Field complex
2 games at 6 p.m. and 2 games at 8 p.m.
SEMIFINALS:
Saturday, May 15
At Linden's Memorial Field
Bottom side of the bracket semi, 6 p.m.
Top side of the bracket semi, 8 p.m.
FINALS:
Saturday, May 22
At Kean University's
Cougar Field in Union
Junior varsity: noon
Varsity: 2 p.m.
UCT CHAMPIONS
2009: Union
2008: Cranford
2007: Cranford
2006: Cranford
2005: Brearley
2004: Roselle Park
2003: Roselle Park
2002: Cranford
2001: Governor Livingston
2000: Union
1999: Governor Livingston
1998: Westfield
1997: Governor Livingston
1996: Union
1995: Union
1994: Union
1993: Union
1992: Union
1991: Union
1990: Westfield
1989: Union Catholic
1988: Union
1987: Union
1986: Westfield
1985: Westfield
1984: Westfield
1983: Union
1982: Roselle Park
1981: Johnson Regional
1980: Linden
1979: Johnson Regional
1978: Westfield
1977: Scotch Plains
1976: Westfield
Championships: Union (11), Westfield (7),
Cranford (4), Roselle Park (3), Gov. Livingston (3),
Johnson Regional (2), Scotch Plains (1), Linden (1),
Union Catholic (1), Brearley (1).
