OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – Senior James Varela's list of accomplishments grew even longer Saturday afternoon as he broke the LIU Post baseball team's all-time career strikeout record against the New York Institute of Technology at Angelo Lorenzo Memorial Field. LIU Post split the doubleheader, dropping game one 6-4 then bouncing back with a 4-2 win in game two.
 
With 10 strikeouts in game one, Varela brought his career total to 298 and now stands as the Pioneers' all-time leader. The previous record of 291 was held by Pete Budkevics, who was a member of the program from 2006-2010 and went on to play three seasons of professional baseball.
 
Along with Varela, junior Noah Lorenzo also had a strong day on the mound. He earned the win game two, throwing his sixth game of the season and only allowing two earned runs, five hits along with striking out four.
 
Sophomore Christopher Wasson led LIU Post with four hits and three RBI while senior Dave Brehm finished with three hits and three RBI. Senior Jimmy Mendyk and freshman David Franchi both had three hits. Also making an impact at the plate was senior Anthony Vaglica, finishing with two hits and two RBI.
 
Game One – NYIT 6, LIU Post 4
The Pioneers got off to a strong start in game one, taking a 2-0 lead in the top of the first after an RBI single to center field by Brehm and an RBI single to left field by Vaglica.
 
In the top of the second the Pioneers took a 3-0 lead after Mendyk grounded out to second base and Fritz scored. However, the Bears responded by making it a 3-3 game in the bottom of the third.
 
The bottom of the third also saw Varela record three strikeouts, including his fourth of the game that saw him become the program's all-time leader.
 
The Pioneers took a 4-3 lead in the top of the fourth after Brehm's RBI single to third base but the Bears responded by taking a 6-4 lead in the bottom of the fourth, a lead they held onto for the rest of the game.
 
Game Two – LIU Post 4, NYIT 2
While the Bears scored first and took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second, LIU Post leveled the score 1-1 in the top of the third after freshman Giovanni Ciaccio scored following an error at shortstop by NYIT.
 
The Bears then took a 2-1 lead in the bottom of the third but a two RBI single to left field by Wasson in the top of the fourth gave LIU Post a 3-2 advantage. The Pioneers further built their lead in the top of the fourth, as an RBI single to third base by Brehm saw LIU Post jump ahead 4-2.
 
Lorenzo would strike out two batters and keep NYIT scoreless for the remainder of the contest as the Pioneers held on for the 4-2 triumph.
 
Up Next
LIU Post hosts NYIT tomorrow in a doubleheader at the LIU Post Baseball Stadium at 12:00 p.m.