East baseball loses key league game

Williamsville East's Josh DiMarco pitches to Hamburg's Ryan Browner during the Flames' 6-2 loss last Friday at East. Photo by Amy Krakowiak

The Williamsville East baseball team lost a critical game to Hamburg, 6-2, on Friday at East.

The loss put the Flames (3-3, 2-2) a game behind front-runners Hamburg and Iroquois in ECIC Division II.

East scored first when Gary Styn tripled and Josh DiMarco grounded out to second base in the first inning.

DiMarco was cruising along on the mound with nine strikeouts and only two hits when his lower back tightened up in the fifth. The Bulldogs took advantage with three hits and two hit batters and four runs.

Hamburg added one more run in the sixth and another in the seventh off three East pitchers.

The Flames made it 6-2 in the seventh when Dave Mernan tripled in Dan Tyx. Mernan also doubled to pace the Flames' five-hit attack.

Blake McLimans pitched a complete game for Hamburg, spacing five hits and striking out 13.

East went 3-1 in its other games last week. The Flames defeated Sweet Home, 14-10, on Monday, April 21, at Sweet Home; West Seneca East, 5-1, in eight innings on Tuesday, April 22, at West Seneca East; and West Seneca West, 8-7, last Thursday at East. East fell to Lake Shore, 9-3, last Wednesday at Lake Shore.

The Sweet Home victory was East's ECIC II opener. The Flames outhit the Panthers, 14-10, and saw their lead evaporate as Sweet Home plated seven runs over the last three innings. The only time East trailed was 2-1 after the first inning.

DiMarco worked the first four innings, giving up one hit and striking out three. DiMarco left the game with a 10-2 lead.

Chris Schiumo's three singles and Andrew Steel's two singles and a double paced East's 13-hit attack. Tyx also chipped in with two hits. Mike Collura added a pinch-hit triple.

Styn, Ari Goldberg, Tony Tirone, DiMarco and Nick Weigel combined for a five-hitter, striking out nine against West Seneca East.

The Flames gave up an unearned run in the second and trailed the Trojans, 1-0, going into the top of the seventh. East tied the score on a bases-loaded sacrifice fly by Tyx to tie the score.

West Seneca East threatened in the bottom half and had the winning run at second, but DiMarco put out the fire with a strikeout, sending the game to extra innings.

Styn led off the eighth on a hit by pitch and stole second. DiMarco moved Styn to third on an infield single. Sean Ricketts, pinch running for DiMarco, stole second and Schiumo was intentionally passed to load the bases. Mernan then smacked a hard-hit ball between third and short that was booted, scoring Styn to make it 2-1. Weigel followed with another hard-hit ball to the shortstop, scoring Ricketts. Steel then squeezed home Schiumo for another run. Justin Birzon was intentionally passed and Tyx drove in the fourth run of the inning.

Weigel struck out the side in the eighth to pick up the victory.

East never led West Seneca West but plated three runs in the bottom of the seventh.

Schiumo (.438) led off the seventh with a single. He raced to third on Weigel's (.438) hit to right field. Weigel then stole second and Steel was intentionally passed to load the bases. Tyx (.333) then delivered a two-run double to knot the score at 7-7.

Mernan pinch hit and was intentionally walked to load the bases again. East was unsuccessful on a squeeze attempt. With two outs, Styn lofted a bloop single to left to drive in Steel with the winning run.

Lake Shore outhit East, 9-6. East stranded 12 runners and trailed the entire game.

Jason Radwan and Kirby Driscoll paced the Eagles' attack with two hits each. Radwan hit a monster home run at approximately 400 feet in the sixth and had a single, scoring twice. Driscoll singled and tripled.

Weigel (.385) led East with a pair of singles.

East hosts Iroquois at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday and West Seneca East at 4:45 p.m. on Friday.