It was as close to a no-doubt home run as there is in high-school softball without a fence. Sophomore shortstop Krystle Roldan crushed a Kaitlyn Klein offering deep to left field that was sure to give Cardozo a victory. That didn’t stop Judges coach Larry Alberts from screaming his lungs out as she rounded the bases, though.
“She hit this ball a ton,” he said. “It would have gone out of a lot of parks. It was a shot, but I yelled for her running the whole time. What a way to end the game.”
When Roldan touched home plate, she had a walk-off two-run home run and Cardozo had a 5-4 win over rival Bayside in PSAL Queens A-I softball Monday. The Judges (8-3) were down 4-1 in the sixth before rallying and eventually picking up their second close victory over the Commodores (6-4) and their fourth straight tight win over them overall. Cardozo beat Bayside, 1-0, in a tiebreaker for the division title last spring before advancing to the PSAL Class A semifinals.
“[Bayside coach] Steve [Piorkowski] told the umpires it’s gonna be a one-run game,” Alberts said. “You watch. It’ll be great game. The rivalry we’ve had, the winning, the losing, it’s been great.”
Roldan had a pair of hits, Kelly Phillips was 2-for-3 and Stephanie Stathopolous had a big bunt single, but Alberts called it a complete team effort. Sophomore pitcher Shelby Yacovone walked eight, but struck out 12. Alberts credited Klein with an “awesome” effort, but Roldan’s homer ended up being the difference.
“They definitely have heart,” the coach said of his girls. “They work very hard. We’re not [an upper] class team yet, but we’re getting there.”
After two straight trips to the semifinals, including Alberts’ first in more than 20 years on the bench, Cardozo graduated seven starters. The Judges were supposed to take a significant step back with a team that has 13 freshmen and sophomores, but so far they are ahead of schedule.
“I’m totally thrilled,” Alberts said. “I figured this would be a rebuilding year. I figured we’d somehow make the playoffs. Anytime you beat Bayside twice is great.”