Clarke hits stride down stretch

An unknown heading into the spring, Clarke’s pitching staff has rapidly developed into an area of strength. The Rams (10-5 in Conference A-IV) completed a three-game sweep of Seaford with an 8-1 victory on April 24, thanks to a complete-game effort from senior Mike Turton who struck out six and didn’t walk any Vikings. 

The ace of the staff, Turton has lived up to that billing, allowing just nine walks in 39 innings pitched with a 4-2 mark that includes a pair of hard-luck losses. Junior Tyler Constantine was active at the plate and on the bases, netting a pair of hits in three at bats with two stolen bases and a run scored. He also had two runs batted in. “We knew he was our No. 1,” coach Tom Abruscato said of Turton. “He peppers the strike zone at 83-85 miles per hour and throws three pitches for strikes.”

The arms behind Turton have provided just as much spark—Seaford scored just once in each of the three games—and the bullpen has been equally as effective. In the second game of the Vikings’ series, junior Joe Truono came on early in relief and pitched four and two-thirds innings without allowing a run and striking out five. Senior Peter Falgiano’s two-run double in the sixth provided all the runs Clarke needed in a 2-1 win. For Truono, that performance upped his scoreless streak to 12 innings, a stretch that also includes three appearances where he entered the game with no outs or one out and didn’t allow a single run. “It’s uncommon for someone to [throw] 12 innings of relief at the high school level,” Abruscato said. “But any time a guy struggles we’ve been able to go to him.”

After struggling at the plate over the course of a five-game losing streak, Clarke got back to basics in the opener with Seaford on April 21, thanks in part to senior Jesse Russo’s 3-for-4 day that included four RBIs and three hits and three RBIs from senior Austin Ceris. “When we hit that losing streak, our approach at the plate [was off],” Abruscato said. “Against Seaford we finally went back to Clarke baseball, Clarke hitting and what we teach.”

Junior Ray Winans got the win on the mound in the opener, and along with junior Hasan Deljanin, who has pitched five scoreless innings in two of his three starts, has been a pleasant surprise on the mound.

The sweep against Seaford couldn’t come at a better time for the Rams, who had last week off before one more three-game set to close out the regular season. Following the games with Cold Spring Harbor that concludes on Thursday at 4:30 p.m., Clarke is looking to once again be slotted for a place in the Nassau County Class A baseball playoffs after slugging it out in a conference that includes three teams from last season’s final four.

“[The Seaford wins] put us in a good position,” Abruscato said of his team, which still had a shot to win the regular season Conference A-IV crown. “They’re a great team and well-coached. Coming off of the tough losses, the kids showed a lot of character.”