Red Dragons wrap up AAC White Tier title

Niles wins twice at Eastwood Field to improve to 22-2

By Steve ruman

sports @vindy.com

NILES

Niles baseball coach Mike Guarnieri knew there were high expectations for his Red Dragons as they entered the 2016 season.

Guarnieri also knew that living up to such expectations can often be present added challenges and pressure, even for the most veteran of squads.

“With our solid core of seniors and with the way this team worked through the off-season, we definitely felt good about ourselves” Guarnieri said. “But baseball is a funny game and it’s a tough game. Sometimes it’s tough for athletes to live up to the hype. That’s true at every level.

“On any given day, anything can happen. So more than anything, we stressed the importance of remaining focused and only concentrating on the task at hand.”

Thursday at Eastwood Field, the task was simple for the Red Dragons — defeat Lakeview and claim an outright conference championship.

The Dragons passed their latest challenge with flying colors.

Niles scored three runs in the top of the first inning, then tacked on additional runs in four of the next six frames in an 11-1 victory over the Bulldogs. With the win, the Dragons upped their All-American Conference (White Tier) record to a perfect 10-0.

Then for good measure, the Red Dragons returned to the diamond and defeated Champion 6-3 in a non-league affair. The unique doubleheader lifts the Dragons’ record to 22-2. Since losing to Poland in mid-April, Niles has won 11 consecutive games.

“This was huge, because the first goal every year for every team is to win a league title,” Guarnieri said. “I’m really proud of our seniors, and especially proud of the work they put in. Sometimes they make it look easy, but they have earned every win. They work extremely hard and they don’t take anything for granted.”

Against Lakeview (5-11), Niles wasted no time cracking the scoreboard. Senior shortstop Gino Barricella was hit by a pitch to lead off the game, then came around to score on a Jaret Johnson RBI sacrifice fly. Later in the inning, Tyler Srbinovich drove in a pair of runs with a single, giving the Red Dragons all the offense they would need.

The Dragons pounded out 14 hits, with Srbinovich and Johnson collecting two RBI apiece. Five other players each plated single runs.

Meanwhile, Srbinovich pitched a complete game, allowing just two hits and no earned runs while striking out six.

“We like to preach early and often, hoping to give our pitcher a lead and allowing him to settle in,” Guarnieri said. “It’s a good feeling putting up runs early and seeing Tyler on the mound. He’s been real solid all year long.”

Against Champion (14-2), Marco DeFalco, Rich Limongi and Srbinovich each collected a pair of hits to lead the Dragons’ attack.

“Our whole offseason was geared toward winning a league title and going far in the tournament,” Barricella said. “Our coaches do a great job of getting us prepared and making sure we stay focused.

“We had a great start to the season winning four games in Myrtle Beach against some great out-of-state programs. I think that showed us that we had the opportunity to make this a memorable season if we kept working hard.”

Niles is seeded second behind Poland in the Division II tournament,

“We’d love a rematch with [Poland], that’s something in the back of our minds,” Barricella said. “Honestly, we don’t care who we play. We are always just concerned with taking care of business, but yeah, it would be nice to have another shot at Poland.”