Clarke rolls into tough stretch

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Clarke’s softball team enters its biggest stretch of the season riding a five-game winning streak against Conference AB-I rivals, with its most-recent victory coming last Friday at home over Garden City, 14-1.

Senior Selena Ruiz and sophomore Kirstin Cox combined for nine hits and drove in two runs apiece to back the pitching of junior Sarah Cornell, who struck out 13 as the Lady Rams upped their record to 8-2. Ruiz went 5-for-5, while Cox went 4-for-5. They opened the game with back-to-back triples.

“Sarah’s consistency keeps us in every game,” Clarke coach Rachel Barry said of Cornell, who averages more than a dozen strikeouts per outing. “Our offense has been more consistent of late, which is a good sign.

“Kirstin is primarily a slapper in the leadoff spot, but she’s starting to realize she can stand in there and hit,” Barry added. “Selena follows and has a plan if Kirstin’s on base. If not, Selena becomes our leadoff hitter.”

Clarke’s offense has totaled 57 runs during a winning streak that started April 8 with a 7-2 win at Seaford. “It was 30 degrees and nobody could feel their fingers,” Barry said. “We came out strong defensively and slowly started to tack on some runs.”

Junior Brooke Scherer gave the Lady Rams some breathing room in the top of the fifth when she smacked a two-run homer, scoring sophomore Sabrina Caputo in front of her, for a 5-2 lead. Cornell scattered five hits and four walks and struck out 12.

The next morning, Cornell and junior Holly Romeo homered, and Caputo went 4-for-4 to lead a 15-1 victory over Bethpage. Scherer had five RBIs in a 16-2 triumph at Mineola on April 13, and Cornell had a one-hit shutout with 14 strikeouts and helped her own cause with a homer in a 5-0 win over Glen Cove on April 15. “Glen Cove challenged us,” Barry said. “Their pitcher kept us off-balance at times.”

Over its next four games, Clarke will try to avenge losses to defending Nassau Class A champion Carey, as well as Island Trees. The Lady Rams also have rematches with New Hyde Park and Division, which it defeated 3-1 and 1-0, respectively, in extra innings the first time around.

“We’re in a good spot,” Barry said. “We’ve spent a lot of time talking about the difference between the first half of the season and the second half. I think everyone is excited for what’s ahead.”

Carey, which sits in first place with a record of 9-1, one game ahead of both Clarke and Island Trees, didn’t face Cornell on April 2 and Barry was expecting a much closer game at home on Wednesday, after press time. Cornell’s two-run double in the ninth beat New Hyde Park, which visits this Saturday at 10:30 a.m., and Scherer had a walk-off hit in the eight to edge Division, which hosts the rematch next Tuesday at 4:45 p.m.

“A huge part of the season is coming up,” Barry said. “We need to be as relaxed and as confident as possible.”