South baseball goes 3-0 in league games; Frontier needs extra innings to beat North
by PATRICK J. NAGY Reporter

Williamsville North's Mike Bova bunts to help his teammate gain a base during the Spartans' 5-4 non-league win over Williamsville South last Tuesday at North. Photo by Amy Krakowiak Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

All season the Williamsville South baseball team has been trying to prove they are not a young team.

Last week the Billies proved it.

South went 3-0 in ECIC Division II, defeating the two best teams in the league, Iroquois, 8-5 on Wednesday at South, and West Seneca East, 9-7, on Friday at West Seneca East.

South trailed in both games before scoring large chunks of runs to take leads.

South trailed Iroquois, 5-2, in the fifth inning before the Billies batted around the order for the first time all year and scored four runs.

Tom LiSacchi hit a sacrifice fly and scored Andy Esposito. With the bases loaded, Daren Powers singled to drive in Joe Ziemecki and Alex Walkowski. Zach Murray scored on a Phil Stasiak error.

The Billies were down 7-3 to West Seneca East when they scored six times in the sixth.

Williamsville South sophomore Daren Powers fires a pitch for the Billies against Williamsville North last Tuesday at Williamsville North. North won 5-4. The Billies went 3-0 in ECIC Division II games. Photo by Amy Krakowiak Purchase color photos at www.BeeNews.com

Powers singled to drive in Christian Krantz, Esposito singled in Stasiak, Esposito scored on a bases loaded walk to Walkowski and Austin White hit a one-out triple that brought home Ziemecki, LiSacchi and Walkowski.

White finished 2 for 4 with a single, triple and three RBIs. Walkowski went 1 for 2 with two walks and three runs scored. Stasiak went 2 for 4 with a single and double. Esposito finished 3 for 4 (three singles) and a run scored.

"The West Seneca East game was more of a statement game," said South coach Steve Delisanti. "We could have easily thrown in the towel in the sixth but we came roaring back. It was nice to see us capitalize on another team's mistakes. Earlier in the year, teams were capitalizing on our mistakes."

Three South pitchers combined for the win. Ryan Miller threw the first four innings and gave up four runs on six hits. Powers allowed three runs on four hits in the fifth and sixth. Nick Schuh recorded the save.

Defensively, Matt Minervini and Stasiak combined for eight putouts at third and shortstop.

Iroquois threatened in the sixth with the bases loaded and one out but Walkowski, at second base, tagged the runner out going to second and threw out their runner at first for a double play.

"It absolutely killed their rally," said Delisanti.

The Billies added two insurance runs when Walkowski hit a sacrifice fly to drive in Ziemecki (2 for 4, two runs scored) and White singled to plate LiSacchi. Walkowski walked three times and scored two runs.

South trailed 3-0 after the third inning but scored two in the fourth when Murray doubled to plate Walkowski and Powers (2 for 3, two RBIs) singled in Murray from third. Murray finished 2 for 4 with a double, single and two runs scored.

Murray allowed seven hits, two earned runs and struck out five.

Delisanti said Esposito and LiSacchi made huge catches in center and left field, respectively.

South scored three times in the sixth to beat Sweet Home, 3-0, on May 5 at Sweet Home. White doubled in Ziemecki and LiSacchi and Murray hit a ground ball to first that scored White.

LiSacchi went 2 for 4 with a run scored. Krantz hit 2 for 2 with a walk.

Minervini threw a complete game two-hitter and struck out five. Delisanti lauded the play of Stasiak at shortstop, White at catcher and the entire outfield.

Travis Denman singled and doubled and Brian Pappagallo doubled for Sweet Home's hits.

South led Williamsville North most of the way in their non-league tilt last Tuesday at North but the Spartans' Marc Kadish and Steve Barth scored in the seventh to lift North to a 5-4 victory.

South scored once in the first (Murray singled in White), two in the second (Evan Murphy walked and scored Krantz; Murray grounded out to second, and drove in Walkowski) and one in the fifth (pinch runner Jon Sherman scored on a Murphy base hit).

Krantz finished 2 for 3 with a walk and two runs scored.

Murphy hit 1 for 1 with two walks and had seven assists at shortstop. Murray batted 2 for 3 with two singles.

Delisanti lauded the defensive work of Ziemecki at second.

Powers struck out four in four innings, Andy Diakun pitched the fifth and sixth, and Schuh got the loss.

Austin Benshadle batted 3 for 4 with an RBI and two stolen bases for North.

Steve Barth hit 3 for 4 with a triple and two RBIs. Alex Barth batted 2 for 3 with an RBI. Ben Zwierzchowski allowed five hits and struck out four.

South (4-6, 5-7) hosted Lancaster on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They play on Wednesday at Williamsville East and at home against Lake Shore on Thursday and Amherst on May 19.

Williamsville North

Besides the South game, North had a busy week, losing to Frontier 13-11 in 11 innings on May 5 at North, pounding West Seneca West, 14-4, last Thursday at West Seneca West, and losing last Friday at Lancaster, 7-2, and to Section V's McQuaid on Saturday, 4-0.

North was down 9-2 going into the seventh against Frontier with two outs and two strikes and the Spartans scored seven runs to send it to extra innings.

In the seventh, Mike Bova tripled in Benshadle, Jeff Teplitsky singled to drive in James Nowicki and Bova, Kadish singled in Steve Barth and Teplitsky and Benshadle singled in Kadish and Alex Barth.

North tied the score again when Jordan Gust singled in Alex Barth in the tenth and added a run in the 11th when Alex Barth drove in Kadish.

Teplitsky gave up four hits in seven innings of relief.

North scored runs in the first and five in the fifth to cruise to victory over West Seneca West.

Steve Barth went 3 for 3 with four RBIs. Alex Barth hit 2 for 2 with two RBIs. Nowicki finished 2 for 3 with an RBI.

Scott Herberger threw a three-hitter with five strikeouts.

North led Lancaster, 1-0, in the first but Lancaster tied it at 1-1 in the third and scored four in the third.

North recorded only six hits. Alex Barth hit 2 for 3 with an RBI. Patrick O'Brien picked up the loss.

Zwierzchowski allowed five hits over seven innings in Game One against McQuaid but the North bats only could muster four hits.

North (3-8, 4-12) lost to Clarence, 10-5, on Monday. They played at Williamsville East on Tuesday but the result was unavailable before The Bee went to press. They host Jamestown at 5:15 p.m. on Friday.