Clarke beginning to taste success

Fourth-inning homers off the bats of senior Kirsten Cox and junior Ally Koutsogiannis and a strong pitching performance from junior Lizzy Belfiore lifted Clarke to a 3-1 victory over visiting Seaford in a Conference ABC-I softball matchup last Friday.

“The game went so fast,” Clarke coach Rachel Barry said. “Both teams put the ball in play and the defense was clean. We squeezed it out.”

The Rams, who lost 10-1 at Seaford on March 29, got the offense going early in the rematch when senior Sabrina Caputo singled home Cox with two outs in the bottom of the first. A couple of blasts over the fence provided Belfiore will all the support she’d need. Seaford’s lone run was a homer by Julianne Hilcken.

“Lizzy’s goal right now is to limit walks,” Barry said. “She’s gaining confidence in the defense and her catcher.”

Sophomore Leanne Tallon, who served as Belfiore’s receiver at the JV level in 2016, has emerged as the starting catcher over the past few weeks. “They’ve both come a long way,” Barry said. “They’re recognizing situations and asking questions. They’ve become a nice tandem.”

Defensively, Barry said the two-time defending Nassau and Long Island Class A champion Rams (4-5 in ABC-I) have taken “10 steps forward” but must continue to make better decisions along with routine plays. Cox anchors the infield at shortstop, and junior Erin Connelly has been solid at third base along with freshmen Alex Karavias and Arianna Fracchione. Koutsogiannis (first base) and junior Sabrina Richards handle the right side.

Barry is hopeful Fracchione, who has been limited to pinch hitting, can return to action full time this week after dealing with a knee injury. She and Karavias are capable of giving Belfiore a breather in the circle.

The win over Seaford was Clarke’s fifth game in as many days. The only blip on the Rams’ radar since they opened with three straight losses was a 16-6 setback at Carey on April 20. “The Carey game is the only puzzle piece that doesn’t fit,” Barry said. “We hit the ball OK, but not like they did.”

An interesting doubleheader on April 17 kicked off last week’s action. Belfiore went the distance in both games — an 11-4 win over New Hyde Park at home and a 10-8 extra-innings victory at Plainedge. The games started at 11:30 a.m. and 4 p.m., respectively. “It was different, but half of our girls play travel ball and are used to playing as many as three games in a day,” Barry explained. “We had a lunch as a team in between games, got on a bus and toughed it out.”

Koutsogiannis (five) and Caputo combined for nine RBIs against New Hyde Park, and Cox’s two-run homer proved the difference at Plainedge. Two days later, Clarke lost a well-played 4-3 decision at MacArthur, the defending county and L.I. Class AA champions now part of the Class A picture.

“It wasn’t a flipped result, but it was a flipped game,” said Barry, whose team lost the season opener to MacArthur, 8-3.