James Varela's strong pitching leads Division to Class A title
Division players celebrate their 10-1 championship victory against North Shore in a Nassau Class A baseball final on Wednesday, June 3, 2015. Credit: Kathleen Malone-Van Dyke
Division pitcher James Varela was dominant Wednesday in leading his team to a 10-1 victory over North Shore in Game 2 for the Nassau Class A baseball title at Farmingdale State. Varela threw a five-hitter with eight strikeouts for the Blue Dragons.
"Man, he was lights out today," Division coach Tom Tuttle said. "Once he gets his three pitches going, his knuckle-drop, his changeup, his fastball, he's really hard to hit, as you can see today. His strongest pitch today, believe it or not, was his changeup and knuckle-drop. He got ahead with his fastball, but got good strikeouts with his knuckle-drop and change."
The No. 1 Blue Dragons (25-4) were supercharged early by Anthony Papa's two-run triple in the first inning. They scored three more runs in the fourth.
Varela, a 6-1, 210 pound senior, said he felt comfortable because of the offensive cushion provided by his teammates. Said Varela: "You never expect a game to be like that. You hope for the best; you want to win."
North Shore finished 20-6.
Sarra Sounds Off, Season 3, Ep 3: Top football teams in action, fantasy update and plays of the week Gregg Sarra sounds off on the Northport and Half Hollow Hills East matchup, plus Tess Ferguson has an update on the high school fantasy football standings and Jared Vailuzzi has the plays of the week.
Sarra Sounds Off, Season 3, Ep 3: Top football teams in action, fantasy update and plays of the week Gregg Sarra sounds off on the Northport and Half Hollow Hills East matchup, plus Tess Ferguson has an update on the high school fantasy football standings and Jared Vailuzzi has the plays of the week.
