Twenty-four up, 24 down.
Williamsville East is still three wins away from achieving state softball championship immortality, but being 24-0 right now is a rewarding experience for coach Chris Durr’s Flames.
Williamsville East maintained its flawless record and kept its dream season intact by defeating Class A-2 champion Iroquois, 2-0, in the overall Section VI Class A final Monday afternoon before an estimated 600 fans at Williamsville North High School.
The Class A-1 champion Flames pushed across a run in the first inning and another in the third, then relied on pitching and defense to close out a Chiefs team that blocked their path to the New York State Public High Schools Athletic Association tournament a year ago.
Sophomore pitcher Summer Clark tossed the complete-game three-hitter with five strikeouts for East, and classmate Abbie Stellrecht went 3-for-3 with a run scored for the No. 1-ranked team in the state.
Williamsville East advances to its second Far West Regional in history as it will face the Section V champion at 1:30 p.m. Saturday at SUNY Brockport.
“That was awesome,” said senior shortstop Christy Mack, who went 1-for-2 with an RBI walk. “We were in the same spot last year. It wasn’t fun when we got knocked out. We were kind of looking for revenge. We worked hard and now we’re back here and we all just kept the same game we’ve been playing. We put it together and we won. It’s just a great feeling.
“It’s not what our final goal is. We’re still looking for states and stuff, but it was a good game all around.”
Clark received all the run support she needed in the bottom of the first. With two outs and Stellrecht at first, eighth-grade catcher Ella Wesolowski drove her home with a double down the left-field line on a 3-2 count.
“It was a great hit down the line,” Durr said. “We brought her up as a seventh-grader last year. We knew she was going to be something special. She’s been huge player for us all year. I don’t think anyone’s stole a base on her all year. They didn’t even attempt to run on her today.”
The Flames had a chance to perhaps break the game open with a big inning in the third. Iroquois pitcher Madison Hoeflich almost worked out of the frame unscathed after the first three reached via wind-aided double, an error and hit batsman. But Mack, a Hartford signee and one of several holdovers from the Flames’ state runner-up team in 2017, drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs on a 3-2 pitch to make it 2-0.
The loss ends a fine run for Iroquois, which reached the state final last season and followed that by going 19-3 despite replacing five players lost to graduation, including standout pitcher Brooke Plonka.
“Back to back sectional titles ... it’s been a fantastic run,” Iroquois coach Aaron Vanderlip said.
Regarding 24-0, Durr is still amazed the Flames have beaten all comers considering the difficult schedule they have played this season.
“This team doesn’t play like it’s 24-0. They’re very humble,” Durr said. “I’m just kind of along for the ride with this group. They’re just so impressive in every aspect of the game and everything else.”
