The Everett High softball team, which had made a strong surge in the final two weeks of the season to qualify for the Division 1 state tournament, played a pair of outstanding, one-run games in tourney play this past week, defeating Billerica 1-0 and then dropping a 3-2 contest to second-seeded Concord-Carlisle.
In the Billerica contest last Thursday, Everett star pitcher Sydnee Bessler was immense against an opponent that was seeded 15th in the D-1 North with a 13-7 record. Sydnee allowed just three hits and fanned 14 enemy batters over the course of the seven innings.
Everett scored the only run of the contest in the fourth. Nicole Sylvester singled, moved to second on sacrifice bunt by Bessler, and then to third on another sac bunt by Talia Riccioli before racing home on a passed ball.
Everett had the bases loaded in the fifth inning, but could not produce a hit, leaving matters in the hands of Bessler to stymie the opposition.
“Sydnee pitches best when she is mad at herself,” said Poste. “She came back and struck out the three batters she faced in the bottom of the fifth.”
Billerica had a chance to score in the second inning, but Everett got the runner out in a rundown for the second out and then Bessler struck out the next batter.
“The girls gave their best efforts and came out on top,” noted Poste. “Patty Higgins, Billerica’s coach, has always had a disciplined program, so it was nice to play a team from outside the GBL and beat them.”
Mariana McCarthy and Sophia Marchant both went 2-for-3 for the Lady Crimson Tide.
Two days later the Lady Crimson traveled to Concord-Carlisle, the second seed in the D-1 North with a 17-3 record, and fell just short of pulling off the upset of the tourney in a 3-2 loss.
Concord-Carlisle grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening inning on a passed ball and added two more in the second thanks to a pair of Everett errors, but Bessler (three hits and one earned run with five strikeouts) and the Lady Crimson Tide defense clamped down the rest of the way.
However, the Everett bats were silent until the seventh and final inning when the Lady Crimson Tide mounted a valiant comeback effort that just fell short. Nicole Sylvester started off with a single, followed by a double by Bessler. With runners at second and third, Nicole stole home on a passed ball. When the catcher tried to throw to make a play to the pitcher covering the plate, there was an error and Bessler scored to close the gap to 3-2.
Talia Riccioli then reached first on an error and moved to second on a fielder’s choice with the tying run. The last out was made on a line drive off the bat of Erica Ginepra to the second baseman who made a great catch to end the game.
“If Erica’s liner was hit just two inches more inches to the second baseman’s left, we may have tied the game,” noted Poste.
“Overall, this season has been full of surprises,” continued Poste, whose squad finished with a 12-8 record and was seeded 18th in the 24-team D-1 North Sectional. “These girls stepped up their game in the last part of the season. The coaches are so proud of what they have accomplished, beating teams like Lexington, playing close to Masconomet, beating Billerica, and being right there with Concord-Carlisle. They proved that they can do it and play with the best teams. I cannot say enough about this team in terms of how we started and how we ended. They showed what it means to play as a team and not individually. This entire team returns next season and I know they will have improved their game.”
Three Lady Crimson Tide named to GBL all-star team
Three members of the Everett High softball team have been named to the Greater Boston League all-star team: Pitcher Sydnee Bessler, catcher Nicole Sylvester, and Talia Mirra.
Speaking of her all-star trio, EHS head coach Stacy Poste noted, “Sydnee and Nicole have such a great connection and it spreads throughout the entire team. When Sydnee is on, there is no stopping her. She ended the season with 234 strike outs and only giving up 24 earned runs for an ERA of 1.10. Nicole has always called the game for her and did an amazing job behind the plate supporting Sydnee, calming her down when she may start to lose control of the ball. Talia Mirra struggled a bit at the plate, but came through when needed with some clutch hits to help win games.”
EHS baseball team falls in tourney, 6-1
The Everett High baseball team dropped a 6-1 decision at Billerica last Thursday in the opening round of the Division 1 North state baseball tournament. The Crimson Tide entered the contest as the 14th seed with a 10-10 record. Billerica was the number three seed with a 13-5 mark.
Crimson Tide ace pitcher Lawrence Falter turned in a fine job on the mound, allowing just five hits in his six innings of work, but some fielding miscues behind him allowed Billerica to push across three runs in the second frame. Everett got one back in the third on base hits by Tom Woodward, Ken DeLorey, and Brian Bessler, but that would prove to be as close as the Crimson Tide would get. Billerica added an extra insurance tally in the fourth and two more in the fifth for the 6-1 finale.
Despite the loss, EHS head coach Joe Lento was upbeat about his team’s performance this season.
“This team came a long way from where we started,” said Lento. “We had a very young and green team that got better with every game we played, especially in the last part of the season. We had a tough schedule and we showed we could play with anybody,” added the coach, noting that among the teams his squad defeated this season were Cambridge, the number two seed in the D-1 North, No. 4 Medford, No. 8 Andover, and No. 10 Methuen.
Although the Crimson Tide will be losing captain Michael Rossi, catcher Tom Woodward, and third baseman Stephen Faia to graduation, the other six starters will be returning next year.
‘We had a good year this season, and we have a lot to look forward to next year,” said Lento.
Falter named co-MVP, Johnson named all-star
Two members of the Everett High baseball team received post-season accolades at a meeting of the coaches of the Greater Boston League last week.
Junior Lawrence Falter, Everett’s ace pitcher throughout the season, was named the co-MVP of the GBL and teammate Justin Johnson was named to the league all-star team.
EHS girls 4 x 100 relay competes at State Meet
The Everett High girls 4 x 100 relay team of Djenny Lorjuste, Laurynns Joseph, Sheryl Steeves, and Sabrina Moreta competed at the State Division 1 Meet Sunday and turned in a season-best time of 54.02 seconds.
“We had a few meets over the season where the handoffs weren’t as smooth as they could have been and over the last two weeks, correcting that issue was the focus,” said EHS head coach Shelanda Irish.
“Sheryl provided great leadership for this relay team all season,” continued Irish. “She has been a steady force running the third leg for us. Although we are losing this captain next year, the other three girls are all returning. Sabrina, who is a freshman, definitely had a strong season this year and there’s no question that she will continue to do really well over the next few years. “
Both Steeves and Lorjuste, a sophomore, were voted as GBL-All Stars last week for their performances on the track this season.