By STEVE SINISKI
If the Rams (12-5-1 overall, 8-5-1 in Conference ABC-I) sweep, they'd earn the title and the top seed in the Nassau Class A playoffs starting this Saturday. Taking two of three would tie them atop the standings with Division or Seaford. The first game, slated for last Monday, was rained out, slowing down a Rams charge that included seven victories in nine games.
"You want to play well going into the playoffs," coach Tom Abruscato said, noting that the quality of play, not quantity of wins was most important. "If you're playing well it doesn't matter who you're playing."
Clarke took the nail-biter route in winning three of four games against Garden City last week. Senior Mike Jungen's grand slam propelled the Rams to a 10-4 decision in the final game last Saturday, giving junior Rocco Zaino his second consecutive victory. It was a comfortable ending to a series in which the first three games were all decided in the final at bat.
Junior Kris Guy smacked a game-winning single to the gap, ending the third game in the Rams' favor, 6-5, last Thursday. The hit scored senior John Gould and senior pinch runner Tyler Ryall, who came all the way around from first and hit home plate after an error by the Trojans. The two-out, extra-inning rally started with Gould's single and continued when Jungen legged out a pinch-hit infield single.
Just three days prior to scoring the tying run in the third game, Gould helped Clarke take the series opener, 5-4, in stunning fashion. Trailing 4-0 in the bottom of the seventh and down to their last out, the Rams bats woke up. "For about six innings you would have thought we were taking two strikes before we were allowed to swing," Abruscato said, noting a lack of aggressiveness at the plate. "But we kept harping on it and they started to swing the bats. We got in good counts and put the ball in play."
Gould drove in Ryan Mackey with the winning run, driving a 1-0 pitch after Mackey put himself in scoring position with a steal of second. Senior Travis Kakareko's two-run single plated juniors Rob Iovino and John Schilt. Junior Brian Sundberg earned the victory.
Despite a switch to ability grouping by Nassau County on the diamond, Schilt has proven he deserves to be mentioned with the best, boasting a 6-0 record heading into the final series. "He's been a horse," Abruscato said. "He's going against the top 10 and been very consistent. He's done an outstanding job for us."
Kakareko, meanwhile, continues to improve as the season wears on, throwing one of his best games in the Garden City series. "We were happy with his performance the other day," Abruscato said. "He's throwing strikes and spotting the ball better. He's showing good movement on the corners."
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