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 score on a double from catcher JJ Palumbo, which would be Cumbo’s first of three runs scored in the game. Palumbo stole third and then scored on an overthrow by the catcher. This gave Berasti a 2-0 lead before he even got started, which definitely helped with his confidence on the mound.
Berasti was dominant with both the location of his fastball and the use of his effective breaking pitch. Even if he got himself into a jam with runners on, he would find a way out of it, striking batters out to end the inning and strand runners. He did that in the first and the fifth, striking out the last batter of the inning to keep Lynbrook scoreless. Berasti went five innings, striking out five, while only allowing three hits.
Cumbo was a huge spark plug for the Rams as he was a run-scoring machine from the leadoff spot. He went 3-3 with a double, an RBI sac fly and three runs scored.
This marks Clarke’s second win in a row to open up the season. They look to remain undefeated as they take on Lynbrook in the final game of the series on Thursday.
