By PAUL GOTHAM
WEBSTER — Jack Willard has the pitching-in-the-cold thing down pat.
For the second time in as many starts, Willard has gone deep into a game. Wednesday, the Webster Schroeder starter picked up the win.
Willard hurled six solid innings at a chilly Basket Road Field on Wednesday, and the Webster Schroeder Warriors downed their crosstown rival Webster Thomas Titans, 9-3 in Monroe County Division II action.
The junior allowed one run on three hits for his first win of the season. He struck out eight and walked two as Schroeder improved to 4-0 on the season and kept pace with Irondequoit atop the division.
“I had a good feel on all my pitches,” he said. “I was pounding the zone and hitting my spots.”
Eight days prior he let up a run on three hits and three walks and left with the lead after six innings in a game the Warriors won in extra innings. Wednesday, the right-hander set down the last 13 faced and allowed only three balls out of the infield over the last four innings.
“They couldn’t time him up,” Schroeder coach Matt Knight said. “It was hard to dial into what he was throwing. He was changing speeds. He was locating, getting ground balls when he needed it or guys were out in front hitting fly balls. He did a good job of keeping batters off a little bit.”
Schroeder’s offense wasted little time getting on the scoreboard.
Tommy Winn tripled to left center bringing home Tommy Baxter with the game’s first run in the bottom of the first. Familiarity with opposing starter, Devin Mulcahy played a role for Winn.
“I’ve faced him a lot throughout high school,” Winn noted. “I knew the fastball was coming. Just sat on it and drove it.”
Nick Vogt followed with an RBI double down the left field line, and Ben Conrow made it a 3-0 game with an infield single.
Baxter led the game with a walk. Willard followed with a sacrifice bunt, and five of the next six Warriors reached base.
“It set the tone for the game,” Knight stated. “Came out and we did a little small ball. Then we had some timely hits. Definitely a great way to start the game.”
Peter Smith tripled and scored in a two-run third, and the Warriors took advantage of walk, hit by pitch and two wild pitches to take a 7-1 lead after the fourth inning.
“It really helped me settle in,” Willard said of the offensive production. “I knew we had a lead, and I just wanted to protect it.”
As for withstanding the 38-degree temperature?
“Two long sleeves, a thermal, a jersey and a coat in between innings,” Willard said of his garb to protect him from the elements. “And hand warmers, too.”
Baxter finished the day 3-for-4, with two runs scored. Winn was 2-for-3 with a walk and two runs scored.
“It always feels good to beat them,” Winn said of the victory over Thomas. “That’s not our goal in the season, but we always love to beat them.”
Nick Vogt reached base four times with two hits, a walk and a hit by pitch. He scored twice. Smith had two hits in four at bats. Corey Spooner was 1-for-3 with a walk.
Caden Hahn walked and scored on a Ryan Hill two-out single in the second to pull Thomas within two at 3-1.
Justin LaLoggia singled and scored on a Jadon Massucci RBI groundout in the Thomas seventh. Ethan Maltman doubled and came around to score on a Derek Ogi ground ball also in the Titans final at bat.
Thomas fell to 2-2 on the season and is 1-2 in divisional play.
Schroeder is 3-0 in the division and remained tied with Irondequoit which beat Spencerport on Wednesday.
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