Riverhead softball's Madison Saladino hits go-ahead single in 5th to help deliver ninth straight victory
Riverhead’s Madison Saladino makes contact against Longwood in a softball game on Saturday, May 9, 2026, at Riverhead High School. Credit: Kathy M Helgeson
Madison Saladino is a good granddaughter.
The Riverhead junior walked to the plate with one out and a runner on second in the fifth inning of a tie game. All she heard was her grandmother, Roseanne Berezny, cheering her on in the crowd.
“Tomorrow is Mother’s Day and I would do anything to make her smile,” Saladino said. “In my head, I was like, ‘I’ve got to get a hit for my grandma.’”
Saladino grounded a single to right field to plate Adriana Martinez for the go-ahead run in Riverhead’s 6-1 win over visiting Longwood in Suffolk League I softball on Saturday. The Blue Waves have won nine straight since their 9-7 loss to Longwood on April 16.
Amber Farruggia hit a sacrifice fly and Madeline Burns added an RBI single later in the inning to give the Blue Waves a 4-1 lead.
Sophia Viola tied the score at 1 in the fourth inning, when she scored from second on a sacrifice bunt by Farruggia.
“I saw that the catcher picked up the ball and threw it and there was no one covering the plate,” Viola said. “I was like, ‘I’m just going to keep running,’ and I scored.”
Most of Riverhead’s offensive production this season has come from senior Jordyn Kwasna, who has seven home runs and 49 RBIs. Kwasna walked on four pitches in each of her first three plate appearances and fouled out to third base in the sixth inning. The reigning Suffolk Class AAA champions showed that they can score even when their biggest bat doesn’t get many pitches to hit.
“We knew to stay away from [Kwasna]. That’s a testament to what a great player she is,” Longwood coach John Davide said. “She crushes the ball. If you make a mistake, she’s going to hit it a mile.”
Saladino, a catcher, went 2-for-4 with a triple, two RBIs and two runs scored and caught three runners stealing second. Martinez went 3-for-4 with a double, triple and two runs scored and Viola went 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Farruggia struck out three and allowed one run in a complete game for Riverhead (14-4, 12-4).
Olivia Thomas went 2-for-3 with a double and an RBI and Madison Vargas went 2-for-3 for Longwood (10-8, 10-6). The Lions clinched a playoff berth for the first time since 2022 with a walk-off win over Half Hollow Hills on Thursday. They finished 9-9 last year, missing the postseason by one win.
“I wish we could’ve gotten there last year for the seniors on that team, but I’m happy these girls get a taste of the playoffs,” Davide said. “We’re not going into the playoffs like, ‘Hey, we made it.’ Let’s see if we can make some noise.”
Matt Lindsay is a high school sports reporter who joined Newsday in 2022 after graduating from Stony Brook University.
