Lady Billies post first league win of season

The Williamsville South softball team posted its first ECIC Division II victory of the season after defeating Iroquois, 12-7, on Monday, April 21 at South.

The Lady Billies scored three runs in the first inning on hits by Sam Strapason, Kate Kurzanski and Megan Hull.

South put the game out of reach in the second by scoring six runs on five hits. A Lauren Falzone home run sparked the offense. Hits that followed came from Danielle Giancarlo, a double by Devon Powers, several walks, and singles by Kurzanski and Hull.

Single runs were scored in the fifth, sixth and seventh inning on hits by Falzone, Powers, Kurzanski, Stephanie Shanin and Giancarlo.

South finished the game with 17 hits. Kurzanski had four singles. Falzone, Giancarlo, Hull and Shanin each hit two singles. Powers singled and doubled. Emma Markley also singled.

Elisa Frazier tossed a four-hitter with four strikeouts.

The Lady Billies dropped its other league games last week, falling to Sweet Home, 5-4, at Sweet Home on Tuesday, April 22 and West Seneca East, 6-2, last Wednesday at West Seneca East.

South scored against Sweet Home in the first inning when Falzone led off with a single and Strapason tripled her in.

South scored in the fourth on singles by Hull and Shanin and a RBI single by Giancarlo.

The Lady Billies took a 4-2 lead into the bottom of the fifth when they scored two runs on a two-out hit by Kurzanski, a double by Hull and a Nikki Karchensky single.

Sweet Home rebounded with single runs in the fifth, sixth and seventh to win a close game.

Frazier threw 10 strikeouts in a losing effort.

South had 10 hits in the game. Strapason singled and tripled, Hull doubled and singled and Falzone, Giancarlo, Powers, Kurzanski, Karchensky and Shanin all had singles.

West Seneca East avenged a loss to South in the Section VI Class A final. South's defense proved to be their downfall for the second day in a row.

The Lady Billies committed four errors and had various mental mistakes that led to four unearned runs.

South scored its two runs in the sixth on a hit by Falzone, several walks and a West Seneca East error.

Hull led South's offense with two hits. Markley and Shanin also hit.

The Lady Billies closed out the week by beating Sweet Home, 3-1, at the 25th North Tonawanda Varsity Invitational Softball Tournament on Saturday at the Edward Belbas Fields in North Tonawanda.

South scored in the first inning on a walk by Kyle Plimpton followed by a Powers sacrifice and a single by Strapason.

The Lady Billies managed two hits in the second by Markley and Karchensky but left both runners stranded.

South had a lone hit in the third inning by Plimpton but could not score.

In the fourth, a long home run by Kurzanski gave South a 2-0 lead.

In the bottom of the fourth, three walks and a base hit plated Sweet Home's only run.

South's third run came in the sixth on a triple by Strapason and a perfectly executed suicide squeeze by Markley.

Kurzanski made three outstanding catches in center field and Frazier provided clutch pitching to preserve the victory.

South also received good defensive plays from Falzone, Shanin and Kristen Lynett.

Strapason finished with two hits, including a triple and an RBI. Falzone, Plimpton, Markley, Karchensky and Shanin each recorded a hit.

South finished 2-1 at the NT tournament.

South plays Lake Shore at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and Hamburg at 5 p.m. on Friday. They play Lancaster at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday at Walden Pond in the 11th annual Wildcat Invitational Softball Tournament at Walden Pond.