Sports

Hawks take home county crown

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The Valley Stream Baseball League has a new addition to its trophy case after the Valley Stream Hawks captured the Nassau County Youth Baseball League’s championship for players 11 and younger.

“I really just am so impressed by how much this team grew,” coach Bob Inzerillo said. “I told them at the start of the season that this team had a lot of talent and a lot of potential, and if we worked hard and were disciplined, that we would have a chance to win this whole thing. They really held up their end of that bargain and we were able to win the title.”

The Hawks, also coached by Ben Hart and John Doncell, clinched the crown on Nov. 8 at Mitchell Field with an 11-2 victory over the East Williston Wildcats, who finished first during the regular season with an undefeated 9-0 record. The Hawks finished second in the regular season standings with an 8-1 record. The Wildcats defeated them in the first game of the season. Inzerillo said he knew his team would have a chance to avenge the loss.

“After we lost that first game to East Williston I told our team that we would see those guys again,” Inzerillo said. “It was obvious they had a really talented team and a great chance to be in the championship. I told my guys after the game we have to improve, we have to practice, we have to work hard, and if we do that we’ll have another chance to beat these guys at the end of the season when it really counts, and we did just that.”

Hawks pitcher Nicholas Inzerillo led the way in the championship contest, pitching into the fifth inning and striking out 10 batters, the fist six consecutively. He also led the team’s offense, driving in four runs on a pair of doubles. Leadoff hitter Jayden Mendoza provided a key spark in the victory with a double to kick off the game.

Catcher Anthony Ulrich was sharp behind the plate, catching a Wildcat base-runner attempting to steal second to help extinguish a third inning rally. Pither Pete Talierico finished the game, striking out four batters in two innings while driving in two runs as part of the Hawks seven-run third inning.

After the victory, Inzerillo told his team their hard work would continue to pay off. “After we won the championship I told them, ‘look what you guys were able to do. You worked hard, you played hard and you were able to grow into a really good team,” Inzerillo said. “If you guys keep working like this you can win not just this title, but you can do a lot of different things.”