The Eastchester baseball team came into last week’s two-game series against Pelham looking for a bit of retribution after dropping two games to the Pelicans in 2023. On April 10, the Eagles made good, earning a regular-season sweep with a victory that may well spell out the team’s blueprint for success this year.
Behind an impressive complete-game performance from senior Jason Ugalde—who struck out five batters and allowed just four hits—the Eagles topped Pelham 2-1 at home on Thursday to piggyback off a 4-0 victory over their league foes two days earlier.
According to Ugalde, the Eagles came into the season hoping to erase last year’s sweep at the Pelican’s hands.
“It’s definitely a rivalry and we went 0-2 against them last year, so this was big,” said Ugalde. “I think it shows us what we can do this year.”
And what they can do—as evidenced by this two game stretch—is limit opposing offenses while finding well-timed hits, a clear key to success.
The Eagles’ stellar defense was on display, especially late in the game, as they were able to make big plays—including a few put-outs at home plate—to keep their one-run lead intact.
“These guys have been there, and I have so much confidence in them, defensively,” said Ugalde. “That confidence allows me to just go out and pitch and not worry about trying to do too much because I know they will make the plays.”
Offensively, Kieran McCloskey led the Eagles’ two-run second inning with an RBI, but head coach Jesse Waters believes that the teams’ approach at the plate against a tough Pelham left-hander in Silvio Morovic.
“We had a few hits taken away, and I thought we did a pretty good job at the plate today, overall,” said Waters. “We had a few guys thrown out and probably could have had a few more runs, but I think we’re definitely coming around at the plate.”
The ability to score runs will be especially important for the Eagles this year, as the team was dealt a blow after losing sophomore hurler Jojo Deljivic for the year right after the season began. But Waters has confidence in both Ugalde and Jake Warnock—who blanked the Pelicans in a 4-0 outing earlier in the week—to give the team a fearsome 1-2 punch at the top of the rotation.
“Jason and Jake are our aces and they’ve pitched really well for us so far and we’re expecting a lot from them this year,” said Waters. “Behind them, we’re going to need guys like Justin Mylenski to step up and fill that role, and we have confidence in his ability to do that.”
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