Clarke's Emily Brown hands MacArthur its first loss of season to open Nassau Class A final
Emily Brown of Clarke celebrates an out in the fifth inning against MacArthur in their Nassau softball final on Saturday, May 27, 2023. Credit: NEIL MILLER
Clarke had faced MacArthur twice this season before Saturday. The Rams lost both times, but the second game which was a one run loss, showed them they could compete with anyone.
“We’ve realized that we can hit anyone in our conference and anyone we face,” Emily Brown said. “The bottom part of the lineup has also started to get comfortable against them. The more we see their pitcher, the better we’ve hit her.”
Brown allowed no earned runs and struck out nine as No. 2 Clarke defeated No. 1 MacArthur 5-1, in Game 1 of the Nassau Class A final. The Rams handed MacArthur (23-1) its first loss of the season.
Brown tossed a gem in the circle, but shifted the tone of the game in the third inning with her bat. She launched a two-run home run to left field, giving Clarke a 3-0 lead.
“That let me come back to the dugout and try to show my teammates that the pitcher is off her game now and we can get to her,” Brown said. “That gave us a lot of momentum and now all of a sudden everyone wants to go out there and hit.”
In the fifth and sixth innings MacArthur worked the bases loaded with two outs. Clarke got out unscathed in the fifth and surrendered one run on an error in the sixth.
“Emily has been our work horse and she’s at her best when she works with our catcher Amanda Chavarria,” Clarke coach Rachel Barry said. “Sometimes we need to slow Emily down and just help her remember that there’s no one better than her in the circle.’
Clarke’s defense was strong all game behind Brown, even without its starting shortstop. Freshman Kate Welsh filled in at the position laying down a sacrifice bunt and scoring a run.
“I was pretty nervous, but I knew I just needed to have confidence,” Welsh said. “Coming off the bench isn’t the most fun, but I’m ready to do whatever the team needs at any time.”
Clarke (15-8) will face MacArthur on Monday at 11:30 a.m. in Game 2, with a chance to clinch the county title.
“We were not a county contender in the beginning of the year,” Barry said. “At this point, this is a different Clark Rams team.”
Christopher Matias covers high school sports for Newsday after spending time in Athletic Facilities and Operation at St. John’s and in Sports Information at CUNY York college.
