Expectations were very good for the Westfield High School baseball team this season with the return of an entirely capable pitching staff plus an experienced batting order. The Blue Devils lived up to expectations and nearly took it to the limit by winning 12 of their first 13 games, competing in wild Union County Tournament (UCT) semifinal and championship games, advancing to the North Jersey, Section 2, Group 4 semifinals and finishing with a 19-7 record.

The key starting pitchers were seniors Jack Chavez, Tomas Cestero and Kevin Dowling, along with junior Grant Como. Senior Tommy Hyland and sophomore Logan Revock were the primary relievers although several others would receive some time on the mound. Chavez in 43.2 innings, allowed 33 hits, 22 runs (13 earned), 23 walks and six hit batters, while striking out 58 batters for a 2.08 ERA. Cestero, who was usually the starter in the key matchups, in 28.1 innings, permitted 19 hits, 16 runs (15 earned), 12 walks and seven hit batters, while recording 30 strikeouts for a 3.71 ERA.

Dowling was on the mound for 27.2 innings and yielded just 17 hits, 14 runs (6 earned), six walks and seven hit batters, while striking out 27 for a 1.52 ERA. Como in 30.1 innings, allowed 30 hits, 26 runs (16 earned), 32 walks and five hit batters, while recording 29 strikeouts for a 3.69 ERA. Hyland stepped forward in the late innings to close the door. In 14 innings, he allowed 14 hits, 11 runs (9 earned), nine walks and a hit batter, while striking out 14 for a 4.50 ERA. Revock in 10 innings, allowed 12 hits, seven earned runs, 10 walks and two hit batters, while striking out 13 for a 4.90 ERA.

The Blue Devils played in 10 games that were decided by one or two runs, beginning with a 7-6 win over Elizabeth. The Blue Devils beat Oratory, 7-5, and High Point, 5-3, but the first extra-inning game was a 5-4, eightinning victory over the Scotch Plains-Fanwood Raiders, who would finish with a 20-9 record. The Blue Devils’ first loss would be to Summit, 11-4.

In their first meeting with Cranford, the Cougars plated three runs in the top of the seventh inning but the Blue Devils answered with three runs to grab a 7-6 win. The second loss was to the New Providence Pioneers, 6-4, just before the beginning of the UCT when they shut out Roselle Catholic, 10-0. The Blue Devils got even with the Pioneers, 5-2, in the UCT quarterfinal.

The next two UCT games were incredibly wild ones. In the semifinal, the Cougars scored five runs in the top of the sixth inning to take a 5-3 lead but the Blue Devils scored twice in the bottom of the seventh to carry the game into extra innings where Cranford would score twice in the ninth to regain a 7-5 lead. However, the Blue Devils scored three to win, 8-7.

The UCT championship game was a pitchers’ duel for six innings and was going Governor Livingston’s way with a 3-0 lead. After adding seven runs in the top of the seventh to seize a 10-0 lead, it appeared to be a GL rout. The Blue Devils then scored eight runs, had runners on first and second with two outs and the potential winning run at the plate but GL hung on to win, 10-8.

The Blue Devils dropped another 2-1 squeaker to the SPF Raiders and 9-6 to Summit in the regular-season finale. The Blue Devils crunched Perth Amboy, 10-0, and nipped Phillipsburg, 2-1, in the sectionals before falling to Bridgewater-Raritan, 10-0, in the semifinal round.

Junior Braedan Trajkovski led the Blue Devils offensively with a .412 batting average (BA) going 35-for-85 with 24 RBI (led team), 19 runs, nine doubles (led team), two home runs, a triple, 11 walks, 2 hits by pitch (HP) and two stolen bases. Cestero finished .329 (28-for-85) with 20 runs scored, 14 RBI, seven doubles, triple, home run, nine walks, four HP and seven stolen bases. Junior JakeAlfano finished .321 (25-for-78) with 24 runs, 16 RBI, eight doubles, four home runs (led team), two triples, 19 walks, three HP and four stolen bases.

Junior Aaron Ives went .321 (18for-56) with 17 runs, 12 RBI, double, triple, five walks, six HP and five stolen bases. Senior Randy Davis had a .312 BA (25-for-80) with 20 runs, 12 RBI, seven doubles, two triples, 10 walks, four HP and three stolen bases. Senior Kellen Edwards was the “Chief Thief” with 10 stolen bases, went 21-for-70 for a .300 BA, 25 runs (led team), 18 RBI, five doubles, eight walks and four HP.

Senior Nic Labin was the most likely to be HP with eight to go with 16 walks and finished .286 (18-for-63) with 14 runs, 14 RBI, two doubles, a home run and two stolen bases. Sophomore catcher Liam Sullivan finished .258 with 16 hits (3 doubles), 16 RBI, six runs, seven walks, four HP and a stolen base.

With moderate plate time, senior Mikey Lynch had eight hits, including a home run and three doubles, nine RBI, eight runs, two walks, three HP and two stolen bases. Dowling (.345 BA) collected 10 hits and added five RBI, five runs, six walks, HP and five stolen bases. Como contributed four singles and a double, three RBI, three runs and three walks. Senior Brendan Scheper had a pair of singles, an RBI and a run scored.

The graduation of a wealth of talented seniors will swing the door wide open for new talent to fill the vacancies next year.