Clarke reaps benefits of balance

Clarke continued to run through opponents in Conference A-VI baseball, making it 12-for-12 (14-0 overall) with a 6-3 win over Valley Stream North last Monday.

Junior Joe Fusco blasted a pair of home runs in support of senior pitcher Chris Appell, who struck out eight and allowed just five hits in a complete game performance. “Our pitchers have been giving us a lot of strikes on off-speed stuff,” Rams coach Tom Abruscato said. “We can go out there each game with confidence and know what our pitchers are going to give us.”

Fusco provided some pop at the plate in the series opener against the Spartans, giving him seven RBIs over two games. He drove in three runs as part of a 2-for-4 day at the plate in a 6-0 win over Seaford on April 25 that gave the Rams a sweep of the three-game series. Junior Matt Seelinger pitched a three-hitter in the win and struck out seven Vikings. Fusco, who recently fine-tuned his mechanics on the mound, was the pitcher of record in the second game of the series, a 13-3 win on April 24. Appel, now 5-0 as a starter, blanked Seaford in the opener, a 14-0 decision the previous day.

“They’re very organized, very focused and very detailed,” Abruscato said of his team. “They’re focused on playing good baseball.”

Even with 14 straight victories, Clarke has had to overcome its share of nicks and bruises, including what could have been a big loss behind the plate when senior catcher Joe Buffolino went down with a shoulder injury two weeks ago. But in the six games since, the Rams haven’t missed a beat either in front of or behind the plate with sophomore Peter Falgiano taking the reins after a call-up from JV. “He’s been outstanding,” Abruscato said. “He does it all and is well ahead of his age mentally and physically.”

The all-hands-on-deck approach has been a common theme for the Rams, who’ve not only gotten outstanding leadership according to Abruscato, but also numerous contributions from players up and down the roster. “Each day it’s a different [player],” Abruscato said. “There’s no one guy that we say has to carry us. We’ve had guys stepping in off the bench coming up with some key hits and steals.”

Though several players have flashed their long-ball potential, including Fusco, Appell and senior Joe Calabrese, the Rams potent offense is centered around getting runners on base and a having a keen eye in the batter’s box to keep opposing pitchers busy. “Our walks are way up and our strikeouts are way down,” Abruscato said. “And we’ve done a good job putting the ball in play.”

The Rams are home for the opener of a three-game series with Mineola on Monday with the first pitch scheduled for 4:30 p.m. Following a matchup the next day on the road, the teams conclude the regular season at Clarke on Wednesday.