Tottenville and Tara Gallo will look to advance to the semis against Staten Island rival Petrides. (Damion Reid)
The Post’s PSAL softball beat writer Marc Raimondi takes a look at the Class A quarterfinals, set for Friday at the home sites of the higher seeds.
SCHEDULE
2:30 p.m. – No. 7 Riverdale/Kingsbridge @ No. 2 James Madison
4 p.m. – No. 25 Petrides @ No. 1 Tottenville
4 p.m. – No. 6 Bayside @ No. 3 Susan Wagner
4 p.m. – No. 12 Francis Lewis @ No. 4 Cardozo
No. 2 James Madison Knights
Head coach: Jeff Meltzer
Record: 16-1
Player to watch: Brittany O’Brien
No. 7 Riverdale/Kingsbridge Tigers
Head coach: Bob Finz
Record: 13-2
Player to watch: Zanovia Pierce
Outlook: Madison cannot come in overconfident against Riverdale/Kingsbridge. The Knights might not know much about the Tigers, but they can’t take them lightly. RKA can hit and the middle of the order might get to either Kayla Hill or Marie Oneto, whichever pitcher coach Jeff Meltzer decides to throw. That means Madison needs to put some runs up against Zanovia Pierce, a sophomore who improves every time out.
The Tigers are underrated, because they play in The Bronx and they had a late-season loss to Lehman. But make no mistake: RKA is one of the best hitting teams in the PSAL. Shortstop Nelyssa Rosario is a serious run producer and catcher Jane Witkowski can also mash. Madison can’t play games with those two or things could get very interesting.
No. 1 Tottenville Pirates
Head coach: Cathy Morano
Record: 19-0
Player to watch: Tara Gallo
No. 25 Petrides Panthers
Head coach: Kim Caccese
Record: 7-12
Player to watch: Jackie DiBello
Outlook: There isn’t a hotter team in New York City than Petrides, which reeled off major upsets in the first two rounds of the playoffs, beating No. 8 Bryant and No. 9 Environmental Studies. The Panthers had never even made the postseason before this year and now they’re the in the quarterfinals. They are the only below-.500 team remaining and the lowest seed still playing. It’s been an incredible story for the players and coach Kim Caccese, who did a similar thing with the school’s girls soccer program, taking it the furthest it had ever been: the quarterfinals two years in a row.
Of course, the harsh reality now is that Petrides has to meet Tottenville for the third time this season. If the Panthers might be on fire, the Pirates might as well by fire extinguishers. Tottenville won both games this year by a combined 33-1. Now, Petrides has gotten much better, but will it be enough to shock the six-time defending champion and best team in the PSAL?
No. 3 Susan Wagner Falcons
Head coach: Marco Altieri
Record: 17-2
Player to watch: Taylor Sarcone
No. 6 Bayside Commodores
Head coach: Steve Piorkowski
Record: 13-2
Player to watch: Cheska Mauban
Outlook: Wagner had a bit of a scare in a 6-5 win against Bushwick in the second round. Nothing seemed to go right for the Falcons in that game. Pitcher Taylor Sarcone was battling through a wrist injury, center fielder Danielle Locke fouled a ball off right under her chin and there were way too many errors. Momentum-wise, it wasn’t a good way to go into the quarterfinals.
Bayside will be looking to take advantage Friday. The Commodores have a deep lineup that is hitting better than it has all season. Just ask Port Richmond, the team it beat 10-0 in five innings in the second round. Of course, Wagner beat Port Richmond, 9-0, in the regular season. This game figures to be one of the better ones of the quarterfinals and the winner has a shot to go even deeper.
No. 4 Cardozo Judges
Head coach: Larry Alberts
Record: 14-2
Player to watch: Sandy Tomasik
No. 12 Francis Lewis Patriots
Head coach: Bryan Brown
Record: 9-6
Player to watch: Priscilla Lallave
Outlook: Lewis is one of the best stories of the quarterfinals. The Patriots had an absolutely heartbreaking year, coming within one or two plays of beating teams like Cardozo, Bayside and Construction, but always falling short. They finished the regular season just one game above .500. But in the second round against Construction, Lewis put it all together, scored early and pulled off the victory it has been waiting for since March.
One of those teams the Patriots almost beat this year was Cardozo. The Judges came back from a four-run deficit in the fifth inning against their division rival last time they met. The biggest difference between these two teams is experience – Cardozo has it and Lewis does not. The Judges are a seasoned, hungry bunch that is looking to make their second straight semifinals. Expect a war in those one between two teams that really don’t like each other.
