By STEVE SINISKI
Being a part of one no-hitter is a rarity few players or coaches ever experience. What transpired for the Clarke Rams on May 2 and 3 is along the same lines of getting struck by lightening - twice within 24 hours.
Mickey Rogers pitched the first no-hitter of his career in a 13-0 victory over Carle Place on May 2, the program's first since the 2003 season. Teammate Sam Braverman followed that outstanding effort with a no-hitter of his own the very next day, leading the Rams (11-0 in Conference A-IV play) to a 9-0 victory over Bethpage.
"It's special," Rogers said of being part of consecutive no-hitters. "It's a big team memory that I'll never forget about."
The results were the same for Rogers and Braverman, and even their pitching lines were eerily similar. Both struck out 10 batters, allowing just two walks. Rogers allowed his free passes in the third and sixth innings against Carle Place, while Braverman walked single batters in the second and sixth innings against Bethpage.
"He had a [Mickey] Rogers' [type of] game - he just struck out more than normal," Clarke coach Tom Abruscato said. "His slider was good and they chased [his pitches]."
But as dominating as the two hurlers were, it was the play of the Clarke defense that sealed the no-hitters with several fielding gems. None may have been bigger than a running catch by Christian Lavery with two outs in the seventh inning to secure Braverman's win. With the infield in to guard against a potential bunt, Braverman jammed the batter at the plate, only to have the ball take a path directly into no-man's land between third base, shortstop and left field. Enter a hard-charging Lavery, who corralled the ball and sent a mob of teammates to the mound to congratulate the pitcher for the second straight day.
"We couldn't have done any of it without our teammates," Braverman said, singling out the six assists by second baseman Joe Krauss in the win over Bethpage. "Everyone played solid defense. Without them, we wouldn't have been able to do it."
Rogers also needed a spectacular running grab, and centerfielder Ryan Macke was up to the task, as he started the seventh inning against Carle Place by chasing down a fly ball. Rogers ended the drama with a pair of strikeouts, including the final one in typical fashion - the batter was left looking at a fastball on the corner of the plate.
"I didn't even realize [the potential for a no-hitter] until the sixth when I was going through the game in my head," Rogers said.
"They've been throwing well, hopefully they'll keep it up." Abruscato said of his pitching staff, which also led the way in a 5-2 win over Plainedge last Friday at Baseball Heaven in Yaphank. Bryan Russo, Andrew Stern and Travis Kakareko combined on that victory, the third non-league win for the Rams last week.
