Heading into a key ECIC II matchup on Saturday with crosstown rival Sweet Home, the Williamsville East Flames were at a slight disadvantage.
Without catcher Joe Mack – perhaps the Flames’ best player – in their lineup, coach Jerry Gasz had to reconfigure his team in order to get the best possible result. By moving all of his players up one spot in the Flames’ batting order, the team was able to emerge victorious over the Panthers by a score of 3-0.
“It’s pretty tough to play without your best player, and I think Mack is the best player in Western New York, in my opinion,” Gasz said. “I didn’t know what to expect out of the boys today…. We didn’t hit the ball like when we scored 11 runs on Friday, but we still got some timely hitting and also got a great performance out of Dylan Moorhouse. He pitched a very good game.”
That he did. With the help of some run support – particularly a pair of RBI singles from infielder Colin Fryling off of Panthers pitchers Ethan Prosser and Austin Romanowski – and three hits from Dillon Lobdell, Moorhouse yielded just two hits from Sweet Home heading into the seventh inning. He finished his outing with a complete-game shutout.
“Dylan had some good command on his breaking stuff – his slider and his curveball – and he used that to spot his fastball,” Gasz said. “I thought he pitched a whale of a game for us.”
The Flames, who are looking to win their fourth straight ECIC II title, are also aiming to make it to regionals this year and possibly reach the state tournament.
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