Marino, Pardo lead Kellenberg to title

Jacqueline Marino believed she was going to have a big day right after her first at-bat, an RBI single up the middle in the bottom of the first inning.

"The first ground ball I knew I was in the zone," she said. "I went out there and just swung to hit the ball."

Marino went 2-for-3 with a double, three RBIs and a run scored and Susan Pardo threw a three-hit shutout with eight strikeouts to lead top-seeded Kellenberg over No. 2 St. Anthony's, 6-0, in the Nassau-Suffolk CHSAA softball final Tuesday at Hofstra. Kellenberg (23-3) earned its first league title in 10 years and advances to the state CHSAA semifinals, where it will play the Brooklyn-Queens winner at 2 p.m. Tuesday at the College of Staten Island.

Kellenberg coach Ken Conrade said he had no doubt his senior second baseman was going to come through in the clutch. "Jackie brings a quiet and fun confidence to the team," Conrade said. "No one was surprised that she would be somebody that would cherish that moment and she would be good in that moment."

After reaching second base in the first inning, Marino relayed pitch locations to her teammates, a move of gamesmanship clearly not appreciated by the Friars (15-6). The first pitches in her next two at-bats, an RBI double to deep left-centerfield in the bottom of the third and a sac fly to left in the bottom of the fourth, were high and inside.

While Marino and Sam Trotta, who went 2-for-4 with a double and a run scored, supplied most of the offense for the Firebirds, Pardo threw another gem.

Pardo set the tone early with four strikeouts in the first two innings and did not allow a runner past first base after the third inning. Her three-hitter came just three days after she held the Friars to two hits in the semifinals, losing a no-hitter in the top of the seventh.

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"I hit my spots and I let my infield do the work for me," said Pardo, who was named MVP of the finals and pitcher of the year. "I was definitely looser in my motions, mechanics were cleaner. I focused really hard. I didn't let this no-hitter thing go to my head."

Christine Cleary went 2-for-3 for St. Anthony's, which defeated No. 3 Our Lady of Mercy, 5-2, in a semifinal prior to the final.

Kellenberg's Alexandra Pisciotta was named NSCHSAA Player of the Year.