Clarke repeats as L.I. Class A softball champions

With the right arm of Sarah Cornell leading the way, Clarke won its second straight Long Island Class A softball championship last Friday afternoon, beating Mount Sinai, 7-1, at Hofstra.

Cornell allowed just two hits, both in the fifth inning, walked only one and struck out 14 as the Lady Rams built a comfortable lead after three innings on the way to winning a rematch from a year ago. Sophomore Victoria Sferazza drove in a run in each of the first two innings, while junior Kirstin Cox and sophomore Emily Widmaier both scored twice to lead an offense averaging seven runs per game in the postseason.

“It’s just amazing,” said Cornell, who last week was named Gatorade’s New York State Player of the Year. “My teammates are amazing. We knew Mount Sinai wanted this just as much as we did. We’ve had a target on our backs the whole year and we’re excited to go to states again.”

Clarke (18-3) will try to complete some unfinished business from 2015 when it competes in the state tournament this Saturday at Moreau Park in Glens Falls. The Lady Rams lost the Class A state title game in extra innings last spring.

“Getting back upstate and winning it all has been a goal since practice started in March,” Clarke coach Rachel Barry said. “I printed out a copy of last year’s state championship bracket that shows us losing to Averill Park. Then I printed out a blank 2016 state bracket and wrote ‘Why Not Us?’ on it.

“The girls have worked really hard all season and they know what it takes to win,” she added.

Against Mount Sinai, Cornell got all the run support she’d need in the bottom of the first when Cox set the tone with a leadoff walk, went to second on a wild pitch, advanced to third on a passed ball and scored on a Sferazza single. One out later, Sferazza scored on junior Sabrina Caputo’s single.

Clarke tacked on four runs in the second to build a 6-0 cushion. Sophomore Ally Koustagiannis and Widmaier sandwiched singles around a walk to senior Christina Fracchioni to load the bases with no outs. Cox reached on an error as Koustagiannis scored, and following a pitching change Sferazza walked to force in a run. Widmaier scored on a wild pitch, and another Mount Sinai error allowed Cox race home.

Widmaier singled and scored in the third for a 7-0 advantage. Cornell, who struck out 10 and hadn’t allowed a hit through four innings, got her two biggest strikeouts in the fifth after the Lady Mustangs managed two hits, one run and loaded the bases with one out.

Cornell retired the side in order in each of the last two innings and ended the game with a strikeout.

“It was another great performance by Sarah,” Barry said. “We know we’re in every game with her. We just have to keep the bats going upstate.”