Behind the standout performance of a talented freshman and the help of her many teammates, the Yorktown Patriots made history in girls softball.
The high-school team won the Liberty District tournament for the first time when the third-seeded Patriots edged the host and top-seed Langley Saxons, 2-1 in extra innings, in the May 28 championship game.
During the regular season, Yorktown lost two close games to Langley — one also in 10 innings, just like the district final.
For Langley, the defeat snapped its eight-game winning streak and was the first loss to a district rival all season.
Yorktown last won a district-tournament softball championship in 2011, when the Patriots played in the National District. Last spring, Yorktown finished second in the Liberty tourney as the second seed.
The Patriots enter the 6D North Region tournament this week with a 15-5 overall record, a seven-game winning streak and have won 12 of their last 14 contests.
Success in 2026 came despite the team losing seven key players from a year.
“It took a while this season for everyone to be bought in. But the players kept practicing hard, and I think they see how that paid off,” new coach Chris Cardinale told ARLnow.
The squad has counted on freshman Kaya Randall to do the bulk of the pitching this spring.
Randall has answered the call and handled the pressure. She owns a 15-5 pitching record and was 3-0 in the district tournament, allowing just one run. For her efforts this season, she was chosen both first-team all-district and all-region.
“Kaya has been outstanding and has been a bulldog right from the start all season,” Cardinale said.
In the district-championship game, Randall was the winning pitcher, throwing all 10 innings and 170 pitches with seven strikeouts. She pitched out of jams all game long, causing Langley to strand 13 runners.
Randall was helped by a strong defense and some key plays, three made by senior catcher Kaiya Ovando. She picked off two runners and threw out another trying to steal.
“Kaiya and our defense was superb,” Cardinale said.
With the bat, Randall smacked the game-winning solo home run in the top of the 10th inning, giving Yorktown a 2-1 lead.
Ovando was a second-team all-district selection. She has belted eight homers this spring and while also throwing the shot put and discus for Yorktown’s girls outdoor track-and-field team during the spring. She will participate in track and field at the College of William and Mary.
Yorktown’s other run in the district final came in the top of the third inning, when senior and first-team all-district player Beth Panza hit a solo homer. It was her third against district teams this season.
The Patriots had four hits in the final against Langley pitcher Norah Jacques, who threw all 10 innings and struck out 23 with no walks.
Randall threw shutouts in Yorktown’s first two district-tournament games, a 9-0 win over the Washington-Liberty Generals in the quarterfinals, then 5-0 over the Marshall Statesmen in the semifinals.
She threw a no-hitter with 12 strikeouts and two walks against Marshall. Randall allowed two hits and fanned 13 against W-L.
Among the leading hitters with multiple hits in those two wins were Ovando, Randall, Panza, sophomore and first-team all-district selection Annabelle Wolff and senior and second-team all-district player Sara Evans. Ovando hit a three-run homer against W-L.
Others leading the offense were sophomore Kiersten Pawluk, junior Noa Kammerman, senior Rylee Grant, freshman Kiran Lee, junior Sejal Lee, sophomore Jana Young, junior Samantha White, junior Tess Riordan and freshman Amelia Brooks.
Senior Chloe Ellis was one of the team captains along with Evans and Ovando, but faced injuries most of the season.
“Chloe continued to be a big leader for us,” said Cardinale, who gave much credit for success in his first season to his three assistant coaches: Brittney Wieland, Joey Potts and pitching coach Becky Forbush, a former player at George Mason University.
