Pardo leads Kellenberg to CHSAA final

Kellenberg's Susan Pardo was three outs away from throwing a no-hitter when Michelle Carbone hit a fly ball into no man's land in shallow rightfield.

The ball dropped between the second baseman and rightfielder to give St. Anthony's its first hit of the game and the Friars got another to put the tying run on base, shifting Pardo's focus from the no-hitter to closing out the game.

"I was thinking about it in the last inning," Pardo said of the no-hitter. "I think that's why I gave up those two hits but I still pitched well. I really felt the pressure not to let those runs cross the plate."

She retired the next three hitters on ground balls to close out a two-hit shutout as top-seeded Kellenberg defeated No. 2 St. Anthony's, 2-0, Saturday in a CHSAA softball semifinal at Our Lady of Mercy.

Kellenberg coach Ken Conrade said he was unaware that Pardo, who struck out three and issued three walks, was going for a no-no.

"Embarrassingly I'm so concentrated on the team game I didn't know it until my assistant coach said 'that's the first hit of the game,' " Conrade said.

Kellenberg (19-0) earned its first trip to the finals in eight years and is trying to win its first league title since 2001. The Firebirds will play the winner of St. Anthony's and No. 3 OLMA in the final at 5 p.m. Tuesday at Hofstra. Should the Firebirds lose Tuesday, there will be a rematch at 4:30 p.m. Wednesday at Hofstra because the playoffs are double-elimination.

SEE PHOTOSKellenberg 2, St. Anthony's 0

After stranding runners in scoring position in the second and third innings, the Firebirds looked as if they were going to break through in the fourth but back-to-back two-out singles went for naught when a baserunning error ended their scoring threat.

"We're going to make mistakes, make errors," Conrade said. "I wasn't thinking anything other than we probably blew an opportunity but I knew we'd get another one."

Sam Trotta put Kellenberg on the board in the bottom of the fifth when she lined a one-out, two-run triple to leftfield.

"I'm just thinking I got to do my job, put the bat to the ball and let my runners and the rest of my team help me out the rest of the way," said Trotta, who made two good defensive plays in leftfield as well.

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Trotta made a shoestring catch to close out the top of the first and a running grab on a line drive for the first out in the second.

Pardo said her aggressiveness from the circle was due in part to her defense.

"I have the confidence to let [St. Anthony's] hit the ball [and] not walk as many hitters because my defense is really good," she said.

OLMA (12-8) won, 9-3, over No. 4 St. John the Baptist (9-11) in a semifinal. Kellenberg defeated SJB, 12-2, in six innings and St. Anthony's defeated OLMA, 11-1, in another semifinal.