Defeats Northern Dutchess Rebels, 12-3

By Skip Pearlman

The Beacon Bulldogs travel baseball team for players ages 10 and younger closed out its summer season last week, picking up a 12-3 win over the Northern Dutchess Rebels on Sunday (July 21) after dropping a 9-3 decision to the Marlboro Marlins the previous Friday evening in Milton.

The Bulldogs compete in the Greater Hudson Valley Baseball League, which includes players from ages 8 to 23. There are 37 teams in its league.

In Sunday’s win over the Rebels, Connor Varricchio started for the Bulldogs and went three innings on the mound to pick up the victory. Julian Rivers pitched the last three frames.

“Both of them did a great job for us,” said Manager Jed Varricchio. “They made pitches and kept their composure on a hot day. Both grinded it out and did well staying loose. They didn’t let anything bother them.”

Nolan Varricchio went 3-for-4 with one RBI, Jayden Concepción was 3-for-4 with two RBI, Hudson Fontaine and Jayden Lassiter each drove in two runs, and Aiden Heaton went 2-for-3 with one RBI.

“Aiden had two stolen bases and a real nice game,” Varricchio said. “Hudson also ran the bases well, and so did Justin Buchman. I was happy with our defense. We limited our errors, and our offense woke up and hit the ball.”

The Bulldogs (4-5) came up on the short end against Milton, with Heaton taking the loss on the mound.

Varricchio went 3-for-4 with two RBI, and Parker White drove in a run. “We played good defense, but the Marlins hit the ball,” Varricchio said. “And they threw a lefty [pitcher] at us, which we sometimes struggle with.”

Nonetheless, the coach said he was happy with the team’s progress.

“We are a team of 9-year-olds in a 10-year-old division, and we still won a bunch of games” against talented teams, he said.

The Bulldogs and a few other teams in the league opted not to compete in the playoffs. The Beacon Maulers, a squad of 12-year-olds who finished 5-6, were upset in the first round of their league tournament by Ossining.

Photos by Skip Pearlman

Behind The Story

Type: News

News: Based on facts, either observed and verified directly by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources.

Pearlman, a native of Carmel, was the sports editor of the Putnam County Courier in Carmel for 14 years and for the North County News in Yorktown Heights for 13 years. Location: Cold Spring. Languages: English. Area of expertise: Sports