Williamsport won the first night game at its new stadium, but both it and Jersey Shore made a mark in a contest defined by clutch pitching, some impressive power hitting and superb defense. Grant Viello threw five stellar innings of three-hit baseball, Kellen Jackson went 3 for 3 with a home run and two RBIs and Wyatt Bair closed the game with a strikeout as Williamsport edged Jersey Shore, 4-3.

The Millionaires (6-5, 5-3) avenged a previous 4-2 loss against the Bulldogs and rallied from an early 2-0 deficit, while making their first night game a memorable one.

“There was a lot of energy in the dugout, and it was overall a good team win. Everyone played quality baseball,” Viello said after improving to 2-0 and allowing just one earned run. “There was never any drop-off in energy. Everyone had faith in each other.”

“It was a great atmosphere and we came to play,” Jackson said after falling a triple shy of hitting for the cycle. “That’s what we should be doing every game.”

Kellen Jackson of Williamsport flips the bat as he rounds the bases on a home run against Jersey Shore in the 3rd inning Wednesday evening in Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Williamsport won its second game in three days and has won three of its last four. This one was especially impressive, coming against a good Jersey Shore team which entered riding a three-game winning streak. Gage Martzall walloped a two-run home run and Jerrin Loomis scattered three hits in five innings of excellent relief pitching, but Williamsport did just enough to fight its way past the pesky Bulldogs.

Martzall drew a two-out walk in the seventh and took second on a wild pitch but Bair quickly put out the fire and earned the save, closing the game with a strikeout.

“That was just a good baseball game. I’m glad it turned out way because it could have definitely gone the other way if some of our hits didn’t fall,” Williamsport coach Kyle Schneider said. “Guys stepped up when they needed to. They showed up to play and they showed up when they needed to.”

“That was a playoff atmosphere and a great game by both sides. I tip my cap to them,” Jersey Shore coach Joe Dunn said. “We were fortunate to split with them this year, but that’s one of the better high school games I’ve been a part of in a long time.”

It looked like a potential slugfest early with Martzall crushing a two-run home run and putting Jersey Shore up 2-0 in the top of the first before Williamsport answered with three in the bottom half and went ahead to stay. Viello, Indigo Koch and Bair combined on a three-hitter and Koch stranded two runners in the sixth after Viello reached his pitch limit when he left two on in the fifth.

Viello stifled that rally with his eighth strikeout and was dialed in following Martzall’s home run. The left-hander struck out four of the next five batters he faced, fanned the side in the second inning and let just one runner move past second following the first inning.

One of several underclassmen emerging during their first full seasons on the mound, Viello often worked backward, effectively spotting his curveball early in counts. He kept Jersey Shore (8-5, 5-3) off-balance with his mix and location and followed up Ryan Schur’s masterpiece at Shamokin two days ago with one of his own.

“Grant threw an absolute gem,” Schneider said. “Grant wanted that game. He was ready to go and he did a great job.”

“I felt confident and calm out there,” Viello said. “I had a great defense behind me, so I felt like if I gave up a hit that, that they could make plays or turn double plays and that I wasn’t done for. They were big for me.”

So was Williamsport immediately answering in the bottom of the first and sending Viello back out in the second with a one-run lead. The Millionaires produced four hits, three doubles, and came thundering back against a strong pitching staff.

Camden March of Williamsport turns the double play in the 3rd inning as Brady Depasqua of Jersey Shore is forced out at second base in the 3rd inning Wednesday evening in Williamsport. DAVE KENNEDY/Sun-Gazette

Lucas Naughton hit a lead-off double, Cole Shuler singled and Jackson belted an RBI double off the center-field wall to make it a one-run game. Cayden Robertson tied the game with a sacrifice fly to deep left field and Coen Britton scorched a two-out, RBI double that put Williamsport ahead, 3-2.

“They came out strong got up in the first inning and what we had to do was come back and hit them harder,” Jackson said. “We struggled with that the first couple games but today we showed we can do that.”

Jackson continues showing what he can do. The junior first baseman is doing quite a lot and enjoying a breakout season after starting throughout his sophomore campaign. Jackson is hitting .481 and smashed his third home run in the fourth inning, giving Williamsport a 4-2 lead.

Facing a full count, Jackson unloaded and drilled a towering shot well over the left field fence. That was a crucial long ball, too, since it ended up making the difference by game’s end.

“I had a two-strike approach,” Jackson said. “I was just up there looking to stroke the ball and put something in play. I got on the plate and just trusted myself.”

Martzall did as well two innings earlier. The senior first baseman will play at Lock Haven next spring and showed why when he crushed his two-run home run over the fence in the deepest part of center field while giving Jersey Shore a 2-0 lead. He also made some impressive defensive plays, showcasing his range.

“Gage needed that. We had Senior night the other night and he was sick and made it out there with his parents and got an at-bat, but had to come off the field, so it was nice to see him get that,” Dunn said. “He’s a great hitter and great defensively, too.”

Both teams showcased their defense throughout Wednesday’s game. Gio White played well in center field after Deacon Brown exited in the first inning and smoked what looked like a sure single in the fifth inning. Instead, Zach Myers went Brooks Robinson at third base and made a spectacular diving catch. Right fielder Dathan Tyson ended a sixth inning threat when he made an excellent throw to Myers who applied the tag for the third out.

Naughton gave Williamsport a measure of revenge in the seventh inning when the third baseman dove, stretched out as far as he could go and stopped a Hunter Enders smash headed toward left field, before popping up and making a snap throw. Shuler made an equally sensational play in the fourth inning, diving near the right-field line and robbing Landon Welshans of a sure RBI single and possibly more with his acrobatic catch.

“People were talking about our defense after the last few games, but today showed we can come to play and play well,” Viello said. “It shows we can play Williamsport baseball.

Jersey Shore 200 001 0–3 3 1

Williamsport 301 000 x –4 7 1

Hunter Enders, Jerrin Loomis (2) and Gideon Dapp. Grant Viello, Indigo Koch (6), Wyatt Bair (7) and Caiden Helmrich. W–Viello. L–Enders. SV–Bair.

Top Jersey Shore hitters: Gage Martzall 1-3, HR, 2 RBIs; Loomis 1-3, BB; Zach Myers 1-3. Top Williamsport hitters: Kellen Jackson 3-3, HR, 2B, 2 RBIs, 2 runs ; Coen Britton 1-3, 2B, RBI; Cole Shuler 1-3, 2B, run; Lucas Naughton 1-3, 2B; Helmrich 1-3.

Records: Williamsport (6-5, 5-3 HAC-I), Jersey Shore (8-5, 5-3).