Class A champs
South softball shuts out WS East, wins fifth straight section crown

Williamsville South's Claire Gerlach slides into a base during the Lady Billies' 7-0 win over Iroquois in the Section VI Class A home quarterfinal win on Tuesday, May 29. South went on to beat Dunkirk, 3-0, in the semifinals and West Seneca East, 3-2, in the finals to win their fifth straight Section VI title. Photo by Joe Eberle Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Williamsville South, led by senior captains Chelsea Plimpton and Lisa Fronczak, helped the Lady Billies win the team's fifth consecutive Section VI Class A championship, shutting out seventh seed West Seneca East, 2-0 on Saturday, June 2 at Niagara Falls High School.

It was South's sixth sectional championship in the past eight years.

South met Section V's Victor in the Class A Far West Regional at Brockport State College on Tuesday, June 5 but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press.

"It's hard to imagine we're 27-1 but we continue to work on the little things that win games," said South coach Gerry Gentner. "It's all basic fundamental softball that has allowed us to advance."

Plimpton recorded 13 strikeouts, bringing her season total to 398 along with a 26-1 record. She holds the single-season state record for most strikeouts with 411.

South made the score 2-0 against West Seneca East in the top of the sixth inning when Fronczak doubled down the left field line, moved to third on a fielder's choice by Schaus and a wild pitch. Lauren Falzone, Devon Powers, and Elena Hozdic had hits for South along with a second hit by Fronczak.

South took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. Carolyn Schaus led off with a triple that rolled to the fence and scored on a groundout by Sam Strapason, who added two hits in the game.

The fourth inning proved pivotal. West Seneca East had a runner on second base with one out and cleanup hitter Michelle Lattner at bat. The Lady Trojans attempted to steal third but a great defensive combination between Hozdic, at shortstop, and Fronczak, at catcher, threw out the runner on the attempted steal.

"Throwing her out was the best thing that's happened to us," said Gentner. "We always practice those kinds of plays but have never been tested."

South had strong outfield play between Nicolette Neenos, Claire Gerlach, and Powers.

West Seneca East threatened in the seventh on two singles but Plimpton struck out two batters and Hozdic caught a line drive to end the threat and secure the championship for South.

Plimpton threw four shutouts during the championship run, setting a state record for career shutouts with 78 and recorded 56 strikeouts, increasing her career total to 1,418.

Two of her four other shutouts occurred earlier in the week. Plimpton threw 14 strikeouts and a one-hitter in a 7-0 victory over ninth-seed Iroquois in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, May 29 and fired her state-record 10th career perfect game and 16 strikeouts in blanking fourth-seed Dunkirk, 3-0, in the semifinals on Thursday, May 31.

Against Iroquois, South scored in the first inning when leadoff batter Falzone walked, was sacrificed to second by Claire Gerlach and scored when Iroquois misplayed a fly ball by Fronzcak. A great defensive play by an Iroquois center fielder robbed Strapason of a grand slam home run.

In the fourth, Powers hit a one-out triple and scored on a Falzone single.

Fronczak's leadoff home run in the fifth added South's third run.

Plimpton helped her own cause when she singled and pinch-runner Kate Kurchanski scored from first on a booming triple by Robin Donovan.

South completed its scoring in the seventh with three runs on singles by Falzone, a walk to Gerlach, and Fronczak's second hit of the game. Schaus also contributed a base hit.

Versus Dunkirk, Donovan provided South and Plimpton all of the offense when she launched a triple over the head of the Lady Marauder left fielder to score South's second run. Powers followed Donovan's triple with her own triple to add South's third run.

South broke a scoreless tie in the fourth when Falzone led off with a single, advanced to second on a Gerlach sacrifice, and scored on a Plimpton suicide squeeze. Donovan had her first hit in the third followed by the fifth inning triple.