James Sill pitches his third shutout in a row for Division
Division starting pitcher James Sill throws to the plate against Bethpage on Monday. Credit: Dawn McCormick
James Sill is the leader of a three-headed Blue Dragon in Division’s starting rotation.
The senior has pitched three shutouts in as many outings to start the season. The latest came Monday as he struck out nine batters while allowing two hits in six innings to lead Division to a 10-0 win over Bethpage in Nassau Conference A-III baseball.
Christian Varela and Matt Marino will start the remaining two games of the series for Division (7-0). The trio has allowed just one combined run this season.
“They’re all able to throw any pitch in any count,” coach Tom Tuttle said. “We emphasize working fast, throwing strikes and changing speeds. If they accomplish that, we believe we’ll be all right.”
Sill checked all three boxes in front of his home crowd. He relied mostly on his fastball, but mixed in a sharp slider and issued no walks, all while working as if a pitch clock was being enforced.
“It’s mostly a confidence thing,” Sill said. “If I throw a ball, I’m not worried about it. Even if I throw a strike, I’m always focused on the next pitch and working quickly.”
Christian Considine and Mike Tierno each picked up a hit for Bethpage (5-2), which had two hits taken away by Division shortstop Isiah Marino.
On a hard ground ball up the middle, Marino fielded it behind second base and made a backhanded flip to second baseman Ryan Klass for the final out of the third inning. Marino made a similar play to end the fifth inning, except he made the throw to first base.
“It’s comforting to know that if there are hard hits up the middle, he’s going to get to them,” Sill said.
Marino also went 3-for-3, including a two-run double on a high-and-inside fastball to leftfield to give the Blue Dragons a 3-0 lead in the second inning.
“I like swinging at high pitches, which is a bad habit that I’m trying to get out of, but I got my hands through it quickly,” the sophomore said.
Marino’s second hit loaded the bases for Klass, who drove in two runs with a single through the left side. Matt Bolton brought Marino home with a sacrifice fly, and Sill laced a two-run double to right-centerfield to cap the five-run fifth inning.
Chris Clune walked in all three of his plate appearances and scored three runs. That discipline has helped Division score 95 runs in seven games.
“We haven’t been chasing pitches out of the zone,” Tuttle said. “When pitchers fall behind on us, we’re doing a really good job of putting the ball in play.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
