Clarke
Nick Berasti, Clarke Cruise to 7-0 Win Over Lynbrook
by Eddie Lennon Today’s Axcess Baseball Player of the Game powered by @GCsports is Clarke’s winning pitcher Nick Berasti. He struck out 5 over 5 and only allowed 3 hits. He secured the 7-0 shutout win for the Rams. pic.twitter.com/YnSTKQgzJx — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 28, 2023 Clarke, the 2022 Nassau County Class A runner-ups, improved to 2-0 on the season after a dominant 7-0 win against Lynbrook. Clarke struck early and kept their offense consistent throughout the same, complimenting a tremendous pitching performance by junior Nick Berasti. Berasti got the start for Clarke and Brian Mansfield was on the hill for Lynbrook. Clarke took no time to get on the scoreboard. Right fielder AJ Cumbo got his day started by getting on base with an infield single. He would soon scor...
Clarke Returns Several Key Players From County Finalist Team
.801. That’s the winning percentage (474-118) of Clarke HS since Tom Abruscato took over in 1999. They have been the model of consistency in Nassau County and last year was yet another deep playoff run. Including winning the 2019 Nassau County A Championship, they have appeared in the County Finals in each of the past 3 seasons. They were defeated in a best-of-three by Calhoun at Farmingdale State College. From that team, they graduated three All-County players; Sean Welsh (Molloy), Nick Giardino (Miseridcordia) and catcher Jacob Dandic. That will be difficult to replace. Welsh was the Conference MVP – he batted .489 which included 46 hits. That number is second in program history for a single season. Giardino notched 40 hits – which was fifth all-time. They also graduate...
Q & A With JJ Palumbo
The phrases “it’s a grind” and “putting in work” often get overused. But when it comes to an athlete on Long Island that embodies what it means to be committed to improving, look no further than Clarke senior JJ Palumbo. The catcher/infielder transformed his body in just over a year – losing fat and putting on muscle – and turning himself into an impact player on Clarke’s team that played in the county finals this season – even knocking the game-winning hit in one of the games against Calhoun. Here is the go-ahead hit by Palumbo. Clarke is 3 outs away and have ace Sean Welsh warming up pic.twitter.com/8KYITmI95B — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 29, 2022 This past week, Palumbo announced his commitment to SUNY Purchase. While m...
JJ Palumbo’s Huge Day Gives Clarke Game 1 Victory Over Calhoun
Postgame interview with JJ Palumbo who went 3-for-4 with the go-ahead 2-R double in the 3-1 victory for Clarke pic.twitter.com/Rn6rnlCJtW — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 29, 2022 Sometimes when you face an ace, you have to tip your cap and hope to bounce back the next day. Other times, you can overcame a late game deficit with a clutch, two-run double to steal a playoff game and go up 1-0 in a best-of-three. Fortunately for the Clarke Rams, it was the latter. They were trailing 1-0 against Calhoun with ace and Diamond Award favorite Brian Chin on the mound. After squandering plenty of opportunities throughout the game including getting a runner thrown out at the plate in the 1st inning, they were able to pull through in a big way in the sixth inning. Designated hitter JJ Palumbo...
Nick Berasti, Clarke Hold off Plainedge, 8-5
By: Daniel Lopes Clarke Head Coach Tom Abruscato speaks after his teams 8-5 victory over Plainedge on Friday. pic.twitter.com/8glinAsSzK — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) April 22, 2022 In a tight battle between Nassau Conference A-IV division rivals Clarke and Plainedge, Clarke came out on top with an 8-5 victory at home on Friday morning. Nick Berasti and Ben Ellenport started on the mound for Clarke and Plainedge, respectively, with Berasti earning the victory. After a scoreless top of the first inning, Clarke wasted no time getting on the board, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first inning within the first three batters. After Nick Giardino and Zaim Deljanin drew walks to start the innings, Sean Welsh found a gap in the opposite field and legged out a two-run triple to give ...
Sean Welsh Strikes Out 9, Goes 3-for-4 in Clarke’s Opening Day Victory Over Island Trees
Final: Clarke 5, Island Trees 2 WP: Sean Welsh S: Nick Giardino pic.twitter.com/OHFVwJvoJK — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) March 31, 2022 This was the very site of plenty of great battles last season between two high-octane Conference V rivals. After plenty of jostling throughout the regular season and one blowout playoff game, Island Trees took two critical games at Clarke, with their backs firmly against the wall. They were unable to continue that magic from 2021, as the Clarke Rams defeated Island Trees, 5-2, on opening day of the 2022 season after two consecutive cancellations to start the week. Th conditions were awful for pitchers and fielders despite the 57 degree temperatures due to winds gusting at 40+ MPH. A few fly balls were overrun and pitchers struggled with command &#...
Despite Graduating the Diamond Award Winner, Clarke Ready to Compete in Nassau A4
Sean Welsh again ! This time a grand slam opens up a 7-0 lead for Clarke in the second inning 😧 pic.twitter.com/f3F3H3hWid — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 12, 2021 It was a typically strong season for the Clarke Rams who finished with a record of 16-4 and a share of their 37th league championship and 19th final four appearance. They also added another Diamond Award winner to their growing list. In a way, though, the season was not quite satisfying. They began with throwing no-hitters in three of their first five games of the season thanks in large part to the aforementioned Diamond Award winner, Tyler Cox. They were head & shoulders above their competition for most of the season. Just prior to the postseason, it was announced that Nassau Conference V would have their own pl...
Up Next Powered by the Yard Sports: Nick Berasti
This is the fourth installment of the popular series “Up Next” Powered by the Yard Sports Academy in which we highlight the top underclassmen on Long Island. Previously, we featured Centereach OF Logan Norman, Garden City LHP Gabe Beschloss and Connetquot INF Ryan Kiendle. Make sure to check out the Yard Sports Academy here. For whatever reason, some programs on Long Island are powerhouses. Clarke is at the top tier. Their list of accomplishments reads like the the villains in a 1990s film – 35-time Conference Champs, 18 Final Four appearances, 11-time County Champs, three-time Long Island champs and two-time NY State Champs. This past year, they got an All-American caliber season by OF/RHP Tyler Cox who will be receiving the Axcess Silver Slugger Award this week. But fan...
Recap of Nassau County Semifinals
Yesterday was Game 1 of the Nassau County semifinals for each Conference. I won’t say it was filled with thrilling games (because three of them were run-rules), but it was certainly filled with outstanding individual performances. I bounced around like a mad man from Massapequa to Island Trees to Division. It took until my third stop to find a competitive game so I’m thankful I continued to search. Here’s a breakdown of each: Massapequa 10, Oceanside 0 Carter DeSousa with a walk-off single as Massapequa wins via run-rule 10-0 over Oceanside in Game 1 of the Nassau Conference I semifinals. They’ll be back at it tomorrow for Game 2 pic.twitter.com/zbgu3SYQlc — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 12, 2021 This one was over in the first inning when Massapequa knoc...
What’s Going On With Nassau Conference V
This year was bizarre from the jump – so I understand that a lot of decisions had to be made for the first time. That much is true. That still doesn’t mean that common sense doesn’t apply. So when Nassau and Suffolk each switched up their conference formats for this season, there was going to be a decision that needed to be made. At the most basic level, Nassau had five conference and Suffolk had six. That would be fine if there was no Long Island Championship involved, but once they decided that June 20th would be the Long Island Championship day – they needed a way to even it out. According to my source, the conventional wisdom would suggest that Nassau Conference V would play a playoff like the other leagues – top 2 get byes, 3 v 6 and 4 v 5 in the first ro...
Island Trees Bulldogs Edge Clarke Rams, 3-1, in Battle of Nassau’s Undefeateds
by Andrew Connors Here’s the final out and post-game celebration! pic.twitter.com/MPDxEPpRNM — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 20, 2021 Two Nassau powerhouses met at Island Trees’ High School on Thursday afternoon, both looking to continue their undefeated seasons. The Island Trees Bulldogs came into this game knowing that the Clarke Rams had a similar goal in mind, but Coach Joe D’Auria was confident in his squad, saying “we knew coming into the game that we’ve been getting away with sloppy play, but we’ve been gearing our guys up for this game and this series…we’ve had a lot of battles over the years and I’m looking forward to this one as well.” The Bulldogs and Rams are usually a matchup to watch, as both coaches admitted that whenever they see each other on ...
Clarke Looks To Defend Their Crown Led by Preseason Player of the Year
FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE 2013, THE CLARKE RAMS ARE COUNTY CHAMPIONS!!!! FINAL: Clarke 7 Division 0 pic.twitter.com/pWdOtzXJB7 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 3, 2019 Despite consistently having the lowest number of students of all the Nassau Class A schools, Clarke has consistently won championships. Since the time head coach Tom Abruscato took over in 1999, the Rams captured County Championships in 2002, 2003, 2005, 2009, 2013 and most recently, 2019. Additionally, they captured the New York State Championships in 2002 and 2005. During the years 2007-2009, they made it to the County Finals but were knocked out the first two years. No matter how you slice it, the Rams have been one of the premier programs on Long Island for the past two decades. In 2019, they defeated Division ...
