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Mostly Cloudy Calhoun sweeps to Class AA championship
Colts win second title in three years
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The Colts were all smiles after sweeping MacArthur for the Nassau Class AA title.
Jeff Wilson/Herald
MacArthur had been in more than its fair share of games ending in shutouts this season, 10 to be exact, with nine of them wins and another a scoreless tie. That perfect streak came to a halt, however, with Calhoun senior Alex Vargas pitching a three-hitter and going the distance in the Colts 3-0 win that clinched their second Nassau County Class AA baseball championship in three seasons at Farmingdale State College last night.
After tap dancing out of trouble in the top of the first, Vargas, who issued five walks but none after the fourth inning, got stronger as the game went on. He had all three of his strikeouts in the final two innings with the last one his biggest. He whiffed MacArthur’s No. 2 hitter, Will Cheshire, to end the game with runners on first and third. “Once that adrenaline starts you start throwing harder,” Vargas said. “It was a whole team effort.”
No. 4 Calhoun (22-3 overall) ran its winning streak to 13 games and advanced to the Long Island Championship on Tuesday at Farmingdale State against Connetquot at 4 p.m.
The Generals, who had lost just once in their first 22 games, suffered two losses in a span of barely 24 hours to Calhoun. Their Game 2 starter, Frank Ziegler, like Vargas, struggled with his command in the first inning, opening up with consecutive walks before getting out of trouble. Ziegler was his own worst enemy in the second as well, when he threw senior Tommy Murphy’s comebacker to the mound into centerfield while trying to start a double play.
Colts senior Robbie Rosen, on second after opening the inning with a walk and advancing to second on senior Alex Rodriguez’s single, came around to score on Ziegler’s miscue. Senior Zach Goldstein then hit the next pitch into left scoring Rodriguez and giving Vargas all the runs he would need. Senior Frank Trimarco drove in Goldstein with a bloop single to left in the fourth to complete the scoring.
“I was hoping to get just one run and take over after that,” Vargas said.
After tap dancing out of trouble in the top of the first, Vargas, who issued five walks but none after the fourth inning, got stronger as the game went on. He had all three of his strikeouts in the final two innings with the last one his biggest. He whiffed MacArthur’s No. 2 hitter, Will Cheshire, to end the game with runners on first and third. “Once that adrenaline starts you start throwing harder,” Vargas said. “It was a whole team effort.”
No. 4 Calhoun (22-3 overall) ran its winning streak to 13 games and advanced to the Long Island Championship on Tuesday at Farmingdale State against Connetquot at 4 p.m.
The Generals, who had lost just once in their first 22 games, suffered two losses in a span of barely 24 hours to Calhoun. Their Game 2 starter, Frank Ziegler, like Vargas, struggled with his command in the first inning, opening up with consecutive walks before getting out of trouble. Ziegler was his own worst enemy in the second as well, when he threw senior Tommy Murphy’s comebacker to the mound into centerfield while trying to start a double play.
Colts senior Robbie Rosen, on second after opening the inning with a walk and advancing to second on senior Alex Rodriguez’s single, came around to score on Ziegler’s miscue. Senior Zach Goldstein then hit the next pitch into left scoring Rodriguez and giving Vargas all the runs he would need. Senior Frank Trimarco drove in Goldstein with a bloop single to left in the fourth to complete the scoring.
“I was hoping to get just one run and take over after that,” Vargas said.
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