BROOKVILLE, N.Y. – It was a record-setting day for junior pitcher James Varela as the Pioneers took down Molloy College 13-4 in the opener of a four-game set in East Coast Conference play April 27.
 
Varela earned his 10th victory of the year on the mound, setting a new LIU Post program record for most wins in a single-season. The junior right-hander also set a new single-season record for strikeouts with eight on the day, giving him 102 on the campaign. The previous mark stood for 53 years when Steve Drummond struck out 96 batters in 1964.
 
The Pioneers helped Varela early and often on the offensive end, plating 10 runs through the first three innings. Following a scoreless first, junior Anthony Vaglica led off the second with a solo home run down the left field line for the game's first run, sparking a five-run inning for the Green and Gold. Senior Rob Andreoli added a two-run double during the frame to help LIU Post jump out to a 5-0 lead
 
The offense continued to roll in the bottom of the third, scoring five runs for the second consecutive stanza. Junior Joe Piscitelli started the rally with an RBI-single before senior Ramger Iglesias roped a triple down the right-field line to plate two more Pioneer runs. Senior Joe Spitaleri and junior Dave Brehm capped off the inning with RBI-singles to give LIU Post a 10-0 advantage through three innings.
 
Varela surrendered a run in the fourth inning but limited the damage by stranding two runners on base as he continued to dominate on the mound. The only mistake of the day came in the top of the seventh inning when Angelo Navetta tagged a fastball for a three-run home run to right field, but it was not enough to overcome the early 10-run deficit.
 
Sophomores Pat McCabe and Mike Lazos combined for two scoreless innings the rest of the way and the Pioneers tacked on three more runs in the bottom of the eighth to earn a convincing win in the series opener, 13-4.
 
At the plate, Iglesias and Brehm notched three hits apiece while also driving in two runs each. Spitaleri, Vaglica, and Piscitelli also added multi-hit games as all nine starters reached base safely during the win.
 
The Pioneers return to action tomorrow for games two and three during a doubleheader on the road against the Lions. First pitch of game one is scheduled for 12:00 p.m.