Clarke rolls into conference play

The weather hasn’t cooperated much for any baseball team in Nassau County, but the Clarke Rams haven’t let the long-lasting winter chill cool off their hot bats or arms on the mound.

Clarke (6-1) kept rolling with a 10-2 victory at Lynbrook last Monday with senior John Fogarty and junior Mike Gismondi each driving in four runs. Gismondi’s second-inning homer, a three-run shot and his second in three games, gave Clarke an early 8-0 edge to back junior Mike Seelinger on the mound. “We were swinging hot bats today,” coach Tom Abruscato said. “We were having good at bats.”

The victory was No. 302 for Abruscato during his 14-plus seasons on the sidelines, a total that works out to an average of more than 20 per spring. That’s a hefty total considering most teams don’t top the 30-game mark often. But for Abruscato, who’s won games at an 82-percent clip, the win total is less about himself and more about the players and coaches that have been a part of the success that has the Rams annually ranking among the best teams in Nassau. “The consistency is what it represents,” he said. “To do that you got to have a lot of dedicated [assistant] coaches and a lot of dedicated kids year-in and year-out.”

The win over the Owls came on the heels of a 7-3 loss to Division on April 11, the Rams only defeat through the first seven games. The season-opening five-game win streak was highlighted by Abruscato’s 300th career win, a 9-1 victory on the road against Manhasset on April 8. Seelinger allowed just two hits in six innings of work on the mound, with junior Kevin Lada and senior Joe Fusco each hitting home runs. As much as the Rams have been led by the likes of Fogarty and Fusco, it’s the tough at bats by players like Lada that help keep the offense clicking. “He’s been a pleasant surprise and played his way in [to the lineup],” Abruscato said of his second baseman.

Clarke followed up the win with another one the next day, hammering out a 14-1 decision over Lawrence with Fusco the pitcher of record. “Seelinger and Fusco have really won the 1-2 jobs [in the rotation,” Abruscato said, noting that the No. 3 slot in the rotation is still up in the air among a group of talented hurlers still trying to separate from the pack. “We have a lot of guys in the mix and someone needs to step up.”

Holding a slim one-game lead over Seaford in Conference A-VI with just one crossover game remaining after presstime, Clarke opens up a three-game set with a road game at Valley Stream North on Monday at 4:45 p.m. “Seaford is playing well,” Abruscato said. “They’re young but they’re playing great baseball and well-coached.”