By Phil Corso
They are the champions.
The Sacred Heart of Jesus Cardinals of Bayside earned the title of CYO Baseball Diocesan champions Saturday when they shut out the St. Margaret’s Dragons of Middle Village in a close victory.
Under the direction of the Rev. Thomas Brosnan and team manager Billy Sakatis, the fourth-grade boys’ team rallied behind pitcher Aidan Ciarniello’s performance, allowing for closer Nicholas Perez to seal the deal by the game’s end with a score of 2-0.
“These boys were certainly flying high,” said parent Steven Perez.
Sacred Heart Principal Dennis Farrell also made his way to the field Saturday to be a part of the excitement.
And according to Perez, each enthusiastic and cheering parent acted as an additional assistant coach in their own ways.
Parents Tom Dullahan, Andrew Ciarniello, Steve Lerner and Carl Bayer rocked the stands as they cheered on their Cardinals as they went on to the championship game.
After the win, the team went on to celebrate at Cascarino’s Pizzeria of Bayside, at 39-17 Bell Blvd., courtesy of the coach and his family. The festivities were followed by a celebration well into the night as teammates swam off the victory at a nearby pool party.
Players on the championship team also included Christopher Bayer, Blaze Conlan, Michael Devine, Matthew Dullahan, Declan Feeny, Nicholas Kammera, Jackson Lerner, Nicholas Pafitis, Nicholas Sakatis, Luke Sharkey and Liam Smith.
“Congratulations Sacred Heart Cardinals! You’ve earned it,” Perez said.
Sacred Heart is a parochial school at 216-01 38th Ave. in Bayside and is part of the Sacred Heart Parish. The co-ed Roman Catholic school services more than 550 students from pre-kindergarten through eighth-grade.
Reach reporter Phil Corso by e-mail at pcorso@cnglocal.com or by phone at 718-260-4573.
