Clarke looking to snap skid

It’s been a tale of two seasons wrapped into one for Clarke’s softball team, but the Lady Rams are hoping a return to Conference ABC-II play will lead to another round of success. 

Clarke (6-6 overall, 5-6 in conference) won five of its first six conference games, no easy task for a team with just one senior on a roster that includes seven sophomores.

But after running out to a fast start, the Lady Rams have slumped during the crossover portion of their schedule that included six games against Conference ABC-I opponents. The last of the games, a 4-0 defeat to Floral Park last Saturday, extended the team’s losing streak to five games. “We lost a lot of the games by one [or two] runs,” coach Chrissy DeMott said of the skid, which includes three defeats by one or two runs. “It was just a matter of a key play or a key hit.”

Simply staying close to foes that are in a higher conference is a testament to the grit of the youthful Lady Rams and outstanding pitching by sophomore Brooke Wood, a first-year varsity starter. After seeing spot action in three games last season, Wood stepped into the ace’s role and looked every bit the part. The full-year softball player sported a 1.70 earned run average after 11 games despite being a contact pitcher more than a strikeout artist.

“She has more movement than power,” DeMott said. “She induces a lot of pop outs and ground balls.”

The defense behind Wood is led by senior shortstop Angela Carmine, sophomore second baseman Aly Smith and sophomore third baseman Alyssa Colletti. As a unit, Clarke has made just six errors and is kept on its toes with Wood in the circle. Sophomore center fielder Demi Shanahan has made several diving catches to help Wood’s cause. Flanking Shanahan are sophomore McHaela Rotundo in right field and junior Nicole Vevante in left. Junior Ashley Aleffi has also logged time in the outfield, while junior Ann-marie Zaccheo and sophomore Jennifer Raichal help shore up the infield. Junior Vicki Kakareko has seen work behind the plate.

“The girls know they always have a chance to make a big play and expect the ball to come to them,” DeMott said. “It works well for all of them.”

Wood’s best performance to date was a 1-0 victory over Sewanhaka in the Lady Rams first crossover game on April 13. She pitched a complete game, five-hitter with three walks and struck out nine.

The biggest area in need of improvement for Clarke upon its return to Conference ABC-II action is the rebound of an offense that hasn’t scored more than nine runs in any game. Colletti and junior Evelyn Yeung are starting to get on base and set the table for the meat of the order, which includes sophomore first basemen Danielle Ferrara, Carmine, Wood and junior catcher Maria Ruiz.