The Williamsville South varsity baseball team provided early-season fireworks on Monday afternoon, defeating the Iroquois Chiefs 3-2 in a tense, eight-inning defensive battle. With temperatures hovering in the low 40s, both pitching staffs dominated the game, making runs incredibly difficult to come by.
The Billies were led by an outstanding pitching performance from senior ace Jackson Smith. Smith tossed 6.2 innings, allowing just two earned runs on four hits while striking out nine batters. His sweeping breaking ball kept the Iroquois hitters off-balance all afternoon, preventing any sustained offensive rallies.
Heading into the bottom of the seventh trailing 2-1, Williamsville South managed to tie the game when senior shortstop Leo Martinez laced a double down the left-field line, eventually scoring on a wild pitch to force extra innings.
In the bottom of the eighth, with a runner on second and two outs, sophomore catcher Tyler Jones stepped to the plate. After falling behind 0-2 in the count, Jones shortened his swing and poked a fast ball the opposite way into shallow right field. The base hit allowed the winning run to cross the plate, sending the Williamsville South dugout rushing the field in celebration.