Clarke
After Stepping Away from Baseball for a Year, JJ Palumbo Ready for Return
You never know what someone is going through. Sometimes even people with a tough exterior can be enduring some type of personal trauma that impacts their day-to-day. JJ Palumbo, a 2023 graduate of Clarke HS and an All-Conference player (.388 AVG, 1.068 OPS, 22 RBIs) was riding high in the summer of 2023. Mid 6: JJ Palumbo rips a go-ahead 2-R double to left field and Clarke leads 3-1 pic.twitter.com/GW8GytCoOt — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 29, 2022 He had just helped lead his team into the Nassau County Class A County Finals where his go-ahead RBI double helped them win Game 1 at Farmingdale State College. Over the summer, he hit the game-tying RBI double to help his team win the LI Boys of Summer College Division Championship at Holy Trinity HS. He was prepared to begin his co...
GAME RECAP: Bats Lead LI Central Rams to Double Header Sweep
by Joe Bello The Central LI Rams took on Dodger Nation in a LI Boys of Summer 17/18u Varsity division double header on Wednesday evening. The Rams, led by the excellent play all day long of Giancarlo Rengifo, took both games against the Dodgers. Giancarlo Rengifo following game one of today’s double header. Went 2/2 with 2 doubles, a walk and an RBI in the 6-4 victory. pic.twitter.com/tyjTQhuCNa — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 3, 2024 Game 1 Matt Kurz pitched a complete game in game one of the double header. He was very good, only running into trouble in the 7th inning. He pitched 7 innings, allowing 6 hits, 2 walks and 3 earned runs, while having 7 strikeouts. The offense was headlined by Rengifo, who went 2 for 2 with 2 doubles, a walk and an RBI. “Just simplifying things.” R...
Ken Kortright State Farm Game of the Week: Nick Berasti Goes the Distance, Clarke Reclaims Class A Title
by Tucker Terranova (Photo: Catherine Scarantino) Nick Berasti delivered a performance for the ages today for Clarke. He broke down what worked for him in a postgame interview with Axcess Baseball. pic.twitter.com/NxseFThmYA — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 28, 2024 In the bottom of the seventh inning, with the bases loaded and one out, the Clarke Rams fell just short of stealing a win, losing the first game of their best-of-three series against the Wantagh Warriors by a narrow 4-3 margin, facing the brink of elimination. Such a devastating playoff loss might have broken most teams, but Clarke’s dugout remained resilient. They bounced back in Game 2 with a decisive 7-3 victory, setting the stage for a thrilling Game 3 that was the only fitting way to conclude this back-and...
GAME RECAP: Christian Danzilo Slams Door in 4-3 Game 1 Win for Wantagh
by Tucker Terranova (Photo: Catherine Scarantino) The final Saturday game of our coverage of the Nassau County Championships featured a pitching duel between A-1 #1 Wantagh and A-2 #1 Clarke in the opening game of their best-of-three set. Christian Danzilo describes his gutsy save to lock down a 4-3 win for Wantagh. pic.twitter.com/s2cKMy3zyW — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 25, 2024 How they got here: After winning their division with a 20-3-1 record, Wantagh has taken care of business in the playoffs, currently possessing a 4-1 record in postseason play while defeating North Shore and Plainedge. Also winning their division with a 20-3 record, Clarke’s playoff run can only be described using one word: domination. Possessing a +35 run differential coming into game 1 and only allo...
GAME RECAP: Garret Gates Fans 11, North Shore Upsets Clarke, 4-3
by Max Edelman FINAL: North Shore 4 – Clarke 3 In a darkness shortened game, the Vikings pull off a huge upset win on the road. Taking down the now 11-2 Clarke Rams. pic.twitter.com/rI3LC76SQo — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 7, 2024 In shocking fashion, the North Shore Vikings went on the road and shocked the Clarke Rams 4-3 in a shortened six-inning game. Entering the game with an 11-1 league record, this may have looked like another win for legendary head coach Tom Abruscato’s team. However, starting pitcher Garret Gates and the Vikings had other ideas. After six innings of a game that took nearly three hours to complete, the umpires were forced to call the game due to impending darkness. The length of the game was due in large part to the numerous walks in the game, as ...
Clarke Head Coach Tom Abruscato Wins Game No. 500
The head coach of Team Long Island in the 2023 Leiderman Cup will be Tom Abruscato of Clarke HS! pic.twitter.com/jUF2HpKWYU — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) July 24, 2023 It’s not supposed to be that easy, but Clarke baseball has certainly made winning look routine over the past 25 years since Tom Abruscato took over as the varsity head coach in 1999. This past weekend, Tom Abruscato won his 500th career game in a 7-0 victory over Cold Spring Harbor. They have averaged 20 wins per season for more than 2 decades – despite only 19 regular season games and have won at an .801 clip. If it sounds insane, that’s because it is. It is an unprecedented amount of winning. They have captured New York State Championships in 2002 and 2005 as well as Long Island Championships in ...
Coming Off Another Conference Championship, Clarke May Lean on Younger Core
by Max Edelman Special thanks to Metamorphosis Landscape Design for sponsoring this year’s season preview series. Clarke 12, Wantagh 6 Clarke captures the Nassau A-IV Crown JJ Palumbo: 3-for-4, 4 RBIs Tom Roche and Dylan Vikara each had 2 hits and 2 RBI AJ Bardi hit a grand slam for Wantagh pic.twitter.com/TyhR3cNUn6 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 11, 2023 In his 25 years as head coach of the Clarke Rams, head coach Tom Abruscato has been league champion 23 times and compiled an .800 winning percentage. And 2023 was no different. But as sweet as last season was, the goal is always to win the county – as they last did in 2019. “We won the conference.” Abruscato said. “We won the conference for the 23rd time in 25 years. So that was good. We’re in a very competitive l...
GAME RECAP: Plainedge Erupts for 5 Runs in First Inning, Eliminate Clarke With 11-1 Win
Final: Plainedge 11, Clarke 1 WP: Dom Pannitti (1.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 3 Ks) Zach Rosenzweig: 3-for-4, 3 RBIs, 1 Run Plainedge eliminates Clarke and will face Mepham tomorrow pic.twitter.com/b5ol2TJbt5 — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 18, 2023 Fifth time’s a charm. Plainedge, having been swept by rival Clarke during the regular season and lost early in the week during the playoffs, finally got their revenge and eliminated the Nassau powerhouse on Thursday by the score of 11-1. The game was uncharacteristic of Clarke, who suffered some defensive miscues including two costly ones in the first inning that allowed the inning to be extended and Plainedge batted around scoring 5 runs. The inning started with back-to-back well-struck doubles by Nick Gerardi and Zach Rosenzweig, both na...
Ken Kortright State Farm Game of the Week: Gritty Clarke Overcomes 3-0 Deficit, Improves to 14-1-1 On the Season
Final: Clarke 4, Mineola 3 WP: Jarret Sarrantonio Zaim Deljanin: 2-for-3, go-ahead RBI single in fifth Clarke improved to 14-1-1 pic.twitter.com/phxiPgmxQx — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) May 4, 2023 If you’re going to beat Clarke, you have to take an early lead and continue to pile on and not allow them the chance to build momentum and mount a comeback as they are always capable of. Looking to salvage Game 3 of a crucial three-game series, Mineola took an early 3-0 lead on the road, but were unable to add any insurance runs which allowed the Clarke offense to overcome and ultimately complete the three-game sweep with a 4-3 win. George Neofitidis got the start for the Rams and he got into some early trouble. After retiring the first batter, Mike Duda singled to left field, and...
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...
