By Steve Siniski
Suffolk County champion Miller Place (18-9) loaded the bases with nobody out in the top of the fifth inning, and No. 2 hitter Andy Lipski, the fourth batter of the frame, ran the count to 3-0. The Rams (26-2), who had seemed in control, leading 3-1, were in danger of seeing their lead evaporate.
Following a brief conference at the mound, Stewart battled back to strike out Lipski with his fastball and two of the next three batters with his signature curveball to get out of the jam. He allowed just one run in the inning on a single by cleanup hitter Mike Newell, keeping Clarke in front, 3-2.
³Once I got the first out, I knew I had it,² said Stewart, who ranks second on Clarke¹s all-time strikeout list. ³It was the biggest out of the game.²
The offense took over after that, hammering out an 11-2 victory and propelling the Rams to their second Long Island championship in four years. They advanced to the semifinal round of the New York state tournament, where they¹ll face either Williamsville East or Pittsford-Sutherland in Binghamton on June 4, after press time. The first pitch is scheduled for 9 a.m. A victory would move Clarke into the championship round later that day, at 5 p.m. Clarke is aiming for its second New York state championship in four years, having last won in 2002.
³To come back from 3-1 with the bases loaded and nobody out when they had a chance to blow it open, that changed the momentum,² Rams coach Tom Abruscato said. ³This is the best-hitting team we¹ve faced.
³He had to get his breaking ball over. We went with curves early and then they were sitting on them. So we changed [to more] fastballs and busted them inside.²
Stewart¹s catcher, Adam Kamen, was the initial source of power for Clarke, blasting solo home runs in the fourth and sixth innings. His first homer, a monstrous shot that left the field and stopped traffic on an adjoining street, gave Clarke a 3-1 lead. His second was more damaging to Miller Place¹s title hopes. It came after Stewart extinguished the fifth-inning threat, opening up a 5-2 lead. Josh Cuozzo drove in Clarke¹s fourth run with an infield single to short after fouling off three consecutive pitches with two strikes.
³The pressure went down so much,² Stewart said after the one-run lead was extended. ³I felt better, and it was a lot easier [to pitch].²
What had been a pitcher¹s duel for five innings between Stewart and the Panthers¹ Henry Striegl quickly became a rout in the sixth. Matt Weingartner and pinch hitter Jon Knorr followed Kamen¹s second homer with consecutive singles. One out later, sophomore Bryan Russo crushed a three-run blast to left, opening up a 7-2 lead.
And then the wheels fell off for Miller Place. Three consecutive errors plated the eighth and ninth runs, and Weingartner scored pinch runner Tommy Hyun with his fourth hit of the game. When the smoke cleared, the Rams had sent 12 batters to the plate in the inning, scoring seven runs.
³[Striegl] threw a heavy ball and turned it over,² Abruscato said. ³But he got behind in the count, and we¹re a good enough hitting team [to take advantage].²
Kamen and Weingartner, the seventh and eighth hitters in the lineup, were a perfect 7 for 7 at the plate, with two home runs, five runs batted in and five runs. Stewart, meanwhile, scattered six hits and four walks, striking out nine in the complete-game win.
Stewart is slated to start the opener in Binghamton, while Corey Kirsh, who closed out the clinching victory in the Nassau County championship against Glen Cove (4-3 on May 24), would pitch the second game. The Rams swept Glen Cove in the a best-of-three series on the strength of Cuozzo¹s leadoff homer in the sixth inning of game two and a solid performance on the mound by junior Eddie Luft.
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