by Trevor Dugan
The 15u champions caught up with Axcess after their victory at Medford Sports Complex @liboysofsummer pic.twitter.com/R4LePwgjRR
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 17, 2024
The LI Elite Prospects Cuomo met with the MXE Academy Giac Squad Friday night to determine the 15u Boys of Summer National Division champion.
The Elite sent out Christian Vascellaro to start on the mound, and he was lights out from the very beginning. He struck out two MXE batters in a 1-2-3 top of the first.
Joe Arlia took the ball to start the game for MXE. He answered Vascellaro with a scoreless inning of his own in the bottom of the first.
In the top of the second, Vascellaro struck out the first two MXE batters. The next batter, Jack Lyke, drew a walk, only to be thrown out by Elite catcher Dom Peluso while attempting to steal second base to end the top of the second.
Peluso then drove in the first run of the game for the Elite on an RBI groundout. Arlia was able to limit the damage to just one run, however, but the Elite led 1-0 heading into the third inning.
It was more of the same from Vascellaro in the third. After a leadoff walk, he struck out the next two batters before forcing a flyout to end the inning. Vas, as his teammates call him, had six strikeouts and no hits allowed through three innings of work.
Three more runs would come across in the bottom of the third for the Elite. Matthew Mianulli drove in two of those runs with an RBI single to right field. His two RBI were a championship game high. The Elite led 4-0 after three.
MXE was able to muster a run against Vascellaro in the fourth inning despite not recording a hit. With a runner on third, Vascellaro balked to bring in MXE’s first run of the game. He avoided further trouble, but the Elite lead had been cut to 4-1 heading into the bottom of the fourth.
Jefferson Biener had entered to pitch for MXE in relief of Arlia by the bottom of the fourth inning. Matt Waters drove in the fifth run of the game for the Elite off the MXE reliever with an RBI triple. Biener struck out the last two batters of the inning, but the Elite now led 5-1.
There would be next to no offense for the remainder of this championship game. Vascellaro continued to dominate, and ended up with nine strikeouts and no hits allowed.
The Elite went on to win 5-1, and after a hard fought summer season, they are the champions of the Boys of Summer 15u National Division.
Christian Vascellaro spoke to Axcess after his championship winning no-hitter. When asked about his dominant performance, he gave all the credit to the rest of his team.
The 15u champions caught up with Axcess after their victory at Medford Sports Complex @liboysofsummer pic.twitter.com/R4LePwgjRR
— Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 17, 2024
“Our offense has been working the whole year, our defense has been great, and I can’t do anything without my teammates,” Vascellaro said postgame. “I want to thank my main man Anthony Muscatelli and also Sill man (Coach James Sill) for all the support.”
The LI Elite Prospects Cuomo finish the summer season 20-2-2. MXE finishes with a record of 10-12.
