Clarke
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 ...
Tyler Cox: What Christmas Means To Me
(Editor’s Note: Tyler Cox is a 2021 graduate of Clarke HS. He helped Clarke capture the Nassau County Class A Championship in a thrilling series win over Division. In November 2019, he announced his verbal commitment to West Virginia of the Big-12. He is among the elite hitters in the 2021 class. The following words are his own.) Christmas to me isn’t as much about the presents I receive and the week off from school, but more about the time I get to spend with family and friends. Every Christmas my family and I take the time to open presents and spend the day together, but I feel like the holiday is most enjoyable because of the people I am able to spend my time with. This Christmas I was able to throw with one of my teammates from our county championship team last year, Brendan Turton, w...
Nick Giardino, Dodgers Nation Roll To 7-1 Victory
Final: Dodgers Nation 7, Black Diamonds 1 WP: Nick Giardino @liboysofsummer pic.twitter.com/YKSYtzM8MC — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) August 5, 2020 When you pitch at a highly-successful program like Clarke HS, you need to utilize the summers to improve your command and repertoire of pitches. Rising junior Nick Giardino, younger brother of Chris, has been doing just that this summer while playing for Dodgers Nation 16U in the Boys of Summer. That was on display this afternoon in a 7-1 victory over the Black Diamonds. He was very effective, going five innings with his only blemish coming on a solo HR to left field in the third inning by Matt Marmo. “I was feeling great today,” he said. “I just wanted to hit my spots because I have a great defense behind me,” ...
OTD: The Greatest Dogpile in History Follows Brock Murtha’s No-Hitter
Brock Murtha’s no-hitter sends Sayville to the N.Y. state championship for the first time in program history! pic.twitter.com/HOYA7iindr — Axcess Baseball LI (@axcessbaseball) June 9, 2019 f you watched the Class AA Long Island Championship earlier in the day at St. Joseph’s, you were fortunate to watch a game filled with high drama, intensity, scoring changing and ultimately, a three-peat. The Class A Championship was just as intense but for the opposite reasons. Brock Murtha, Notre Dame-commit and consensus top player in the 2020 class on Long Island, struck out nine in a no-hitter to deliver Sayville their first Class A LIC in program history. They defeated Clarke (23-3-1) by a score of 1-0 with the lone run scoring in the top of the seventh with two outs on an RBI single by Jack Davis....
OTD: Clarke Captures First County Championship Since 2013
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 For the first time since 2013, the Clarke Rams are Class A County Champions. On Monday afternoon, Clarke blanked Division, 7-0, in the do-or-die game three. From the start of this game, it was never really close. Judging by the atmosphere on both sides of the stands and the pitching match up, it seemed this was going to be a close game. However, it never was. Colin Diez was handed the ball for Division and Chris Lydon got the start for Clarke. In the bottom of the 1st, Matt DeStefano gave Clarke an early 1-0 lead on a sacrifice fly to left field. Chris Lydon helped himself out, driving in a run in the bottom of the...
