Softball Team Wins Four Contests, Now 5–0
The Everett High softball team won four contests in the past week, topping Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Lynn Classical, Lynn English, and Somerville and non-league opponent O’Bryant High of Boston.
Last Tuesday the Lady Crimson Tide trekked to Breed Field in Lynn and blasted Classical, perennially one of the top teams in the GBL, by a score of 16-8. Peyton Warren tossed all seven innings, yielding six earned runs on nine hits while striking out nine Lady Rams and walking only two.
Everett got off to a quick start, scoring three runs in the top of the first. Emma Longmore doubled and Emilia Maria-Babcock bunted, drawing an overthrow at first, allowing Longmore to score with Emilia moving to third. Alexa Uga singled into the outfield, bringing in Maria-Babcock. After Ashley Seward reached first on a fielder’s choice, Bryanna Mason doubled with two outs, knocking in Seward.
Classical got one back with an unearned run in the bottom of the inning and Everett responded with a solo marker in the second, but the Lady Rams scored three in their second to draw even at 4-4.
The Lady Crimson Tide regained the lead with three runs in the third, the key blows coming on doubles by Seward and Bryanna Mason and a home run by Arabela Cvitkusic over the fence.
Everett added two more runs in the fourth to make it 9-4 and scored again in the fifth on doubles by Gianna Masucci and Alexa Uga. However, the sequence proved costly for the Tide, who lost Alexa to a knee injury when she was getting back to second on a base hit by Ashley Seward.
Classical scored three of its own in the bottom of the fifth to close the gap to 10-7, but the Tide put the game away with a six-run eruption in the sixth. The inning began with Jayla Davila drawing a walk, Longmore being hit by a pitch, and both advancing on a passed ball.
A base hit by Emilia Maria-Babcock up the middle brought in two runs and another hit by Gianna Masucci hit up the middle scored Maria-Babcock.
After Ashley Seward drew a walk. Bryanna Mason singled to score Maria-Babcock and with Seward moved to third. Both advanced on a passed ball, on which Seward scored. Arabella Cvitkusic then walked and Peyton Warren singled, knocking in Mason, leaving matters at 16-6.
The final line showed the hitting leaders to be Emma Longmore (3-for-4), Gianna Masucci (3-for-6 with two RBI), Alexa Uga (who later was diagnosed with a dislocated knee ) 3-for-4, and Ashley Seward (3-for-5).
“This was such a great game against Classical,” said EHS head coach Stacy Schiavo. “They hung in with us until the sixth inning when our bats all came out. I knew we had to play great defense the next two innings because this is a team that can come back with their best batters at the top of their lineup.
“Peyton did an amazing job on the mound and never lost that tough mentality,” added Schiavo. “She had her defense backing her up and when we were up at bat, we hit the ball hard and where it was needed.”
The following day, the Tide were back at Breed to take on Lynn English and prevailed by a score of 7-6.
The Lady Crimson Tide took a 1-0 in the opening inning when Olivia Dressler singled, moved to second on a passed ball, and raced home when English misplayed a pop-up by Ashley Seward.
The Lady Crimson Tide made it 3-0 in the third when Dressler doubled and scored on another error on a ball hit by Seward. Ashley then scored on a double by Bryanna Mason.
The English half of the inning proved scary for the Tide when Warren was hit on her arm by a line drive back to the pitcher’s circle and had to leave the game. Freshman Mia Allen came on with the bases loaded and one out. After walking the first batter she faced, forcing in a run, Mia fanned the next two Lady Bulldogs, their #3 and #4 hitters (the latter on a change-up) to end the inning.
However, English forged into the lead with four runs in the fifth to make it 5-3. Everett tied the game in the sixth thanks to successful bunts that brought in the two runs.
English retook the lead in the sixth when a Lady Bulldog was hit by a pitch, moved to second on a wild pitch, and then was awarded home on a steal on a wild pitch which turned into a dead ball ruling.
The next English hitter drew a walk and moved to second on a groundout, but at that point the Lady Crimson Tide played some great defense to keep matters at a one-run deficit. The Lady Bulldog runner on second tried to score on a base hit into the outfield, but centerfielder Davila threw a perfect relay to Maria-Babcock, who in turn fired home to Foster who applied the tag.
English continued to threaten when their #3 and #4 hitters singled with two outs to put runners at the corners, but Foster picked off the runner at third to end the inning.
That set the stage for the Lady Crimson Tide comeback in the top of the seventh with a dramatic, two-out rally. Gianna Masucci doubled and then scored on a base hit by Seward. After moving to second on a passed ball, Ashley scored the go-ahead run on a triple by Mason for a 7-6 Everett lead.
The English seventh began with a grounder to Dressler at third for the first out. After the next Lady Bulldog was hit by a pitch and moved to second on a ground out to second-baseman Longmore, Allen ended the game by striking out the final Lady Bulldog to preserve the victory.
“I was so proud of these girls in these two wins,” said Schiavo. “They watched one teammate get hurt against Classical and taken out of the game and then another one again the next day at the same field. They knew what they had to do and they got the job done.
“The defense supported Mia and wanted this win for both of their injured teammates. They played with heart and that is what this game is about,” said Schiavo. “This was Mia’s first game pitching for varsity. Coming in with the bases loaded, that is a lot to be thrown into. She got out of that inning and saved more runs from scoring. This was the second game a starting player got hurt and had to leave the game. The mood of the game changed, but they never gave up.”
Last Friday Everett made the most of their trip to non-league foe O’Bryant High in Boston and returned home with a 16-8 victory. This past Monday, the Lady Crimson Tide cruised past Somerville, 12-1.
Schiavo and her crew, who have scored 80 runs in their first five games, are scheduled to host GBL foe Revere today (Wednesday) at Glendale at 10:00 and will travel to always-tough Medford on Monday for a key GBL match-up. They will return home to entertain GBL opponent Malden next Wednesday.
EHS Volleyball Team Stands at 3-2
The Everett High boys volleyball team split its two matches this past week, falling to Greater Boston League rival Lynn Classical last Monday by a score of 3-2, but rebounding with a 3-0 shutout over GBL foe Lynn English last Wednesday.
“Lynn Classical is another GBL team that has improved so much in just their second year,” said EHS head coach Michael Fineran. “We came out a little flat. Our passing was off, we couldn’t sustain any momentum (none of our players served more than two in a row), and Classical’s consistent outside hitting led to a 25-17 loss in the first set.
“We put up a better fight in the second set,” said Fineran, “with six players recording kills, including two apiece from juniors Caleb Jackson and Henrique Franca. Caleb also served three in a row, before three more from junior Mateus Queiroz tied the set at 24. But that’s as close as we would get, falling 26-24, and into a 2-0 hole.”
However, the Crimson Tide refused to give up and battled back by winning the third set in dominant fashion. Sophomore setter Noel Lopez served seven in a row to open things, and junior Steve Flores had a run of eight service points to push the lead to 22-10. Franca added four kills in the 25-12 win.
The Tide then forced a fifth game by getting stronger defense at the net. Jackson, Franca, and senior Kalleb Miranda combined for five blocks. Senior Nischal Tamang served six in a row to put Everett ahead 18-14, en route to a 25-20 win.
The teams battled evenly in the third set’s race to 15. Flores had two kills, and Miranda and Franca each had a kill, but Everett missed serves while trailing, 12-11 and 13-12, and wound up on the losing end, 15-13.
“We knew that it would be a tight contest, and we did not make enough plays to win,” said Fineran, whose squad’s two losses both have been five-set contests. “We were close, but that does not make any of us feel better. We know we need to play better and earn everything.”
Fineran’s crew took a step in the right direction two days later when they hosted Lynn English and swept to a 3-0 win.
Franca was a force in the opening set, hammering home seven kills and an ace. Junior Bryan Soares had a pair of kills, as did Miranda. Senior captain Hyan Soares had an ace in six serves and Jackson added two aces in the 25-15 win.
In set two, Queiroz and fellow junior Jefferson Umana each had three kills, Miranda added a pair, and sophomore libero Christian Ramirez served six times in another 25-15 victory.
Junior Donald Vo scored his first varsity kill in the third set. Lopez, Umana, and Flores had kills and Franca aced the final point, ending the match, 25-21.
“We need 10 wins to qualify for the state tournament, and there will be a battle for the top spot in the GBL, but our focus is on playing better volleyball,” added Fineran. “Last year we missed out because of some close, early-season losses. If we get our serves in, keep our passes off of the net, and stay aggressive swinging, I like our chances.”
Fineran and his crew travel to GBL rival Revere today (Wednesday) and will entertain Medford on Monday. They will make the short trip to Malden next Wednesday.
McKenzie, Eveillard Shine for Boys Track
Although the Everett High boys outdoor track and field team came up short in its season-opening meets with Greater Boston League (GBL) rivals Revere and Medford last week by scores of 81-54 and 77-58 respectively, a number of Crimson Tide athletes turned in superb performances.
Senior captain Shane MacKenzie tossed the discus a personal record (PR) distance of 125’-0” to take first first-place against both rivals. Shane also grabbed first place in the javelin vs. Revere and second vs. Medford with a throw of 126’-8”
Sophomore Kayshaun Eveillard picked up where he left off in the indoor season, outracing all opponents in the 400 dash with a time of 54.1. Kayshaun also took second place vs. both rivals in the 200 dash with a sprint of 24.0.
Additional first-place finishers vs. Medford were: senior Dawens Germain in the 400 hurdles in a time of 1:08.5, which was good for second vs. Revere; senior captain Donald Michel in the 110 hurdles with a time of 18.1 that also captured second vs. Revere; and junior Fabrice Michaud in the shot-put with a toss of 37’-11” (which was third vs. Revere).
Khang Nguyen’s long jump of 18’-10.5” gave him a first-place finish vs. Revere and a second vs. Medford.
Second-place finishers vs. Medford were: junior Luvens Hector in the 400 hurdles (third vs. Revere); junior Jayshaun Coggins in the 100 dash (third vs. Revere); sophomore Jeremy Whitlow in the mile in 5:45.8 (second vs. Revere); sophomore Lucas Nunez in the 800 in 2:20.2 (third vs. Revere); senior captain Jalen Jones in the triple jump; and senior Jason Stark in the shot.
Scoring single-points for the Tide vs. Medford with third-place finishes were: Anthony Whitlow in the two-mile (third vs. Revere); sophomore Adrien Reyes in the 800; junior Luvens Hector in the 200 dash (third vs. Revere); Michel in the high jump (second vs. Revere); Germain in the triple jump; and sophomore Jonathan Goes in the javelin.
Adding third place-points vs. Revere were sophomore Carlos Pagao Landeo in the mile, Kawan Medeiros in the long jump, Germain in the triple jump, and Fabrice Michaud in the discus.
Coach Jehu Cimea and his squad were scheduled to travel to Malden yesterday (Tuesday).
EHS Girls Edged by Medford, 69-64
The Everett High girls outdoor track and field team dropped a closely-contested, 69-64 decision to Greater Boston League rival Medford in their season-opening meet last week.
Senior captain Malaica Guillaume led the Lady Crimson Tide with 15 points, winning three events vs. the Lady Mustangs: the 400 hurdles in a clocking of 1:27.9; the long jump with a leap of 13’-10.5”; and the triple jump with a final landing of 31’-8”.
Other first-place finishers for Everett vs. the Lady Mustangs were senior Kaesta Sandy with a personal record (PR) throw of 89’-9” in the javelin (Kaesta also finished second in the 100 dash), senior captain Darryn Desrameaux in the discus with a spin of 83’-5”, senior captain Layla Betancur Cardona in the shot-put with a toss of 29’-11” (Layla also took second in the discus), and senior captain Nicole Brandao in the 100 hurdles in a clocking of 19.3 (Nicole also took a third in the shot-put).
Adding three points to the Everett scoresheet with second-place efforts were senior captain Suzanne Maharjan in the two-mile, sophomore Casey Martinez in the mile, junior DeVonnie Gomez-Walrond in the 100 hurdles, junior Milena Antonio in the 800, sophomore Isabella Pimenta in the 200 dash, and junior Angelina Papa in the javelin.
Contributing single points to the Everett tally with third-place performances were senior Victoria Macao in both the javelin and in the 400 dash, junior Zyelle Cannon-Matthias in the 200, and junior Sonia Flores in the 800.
The girls also competed in the meet in a make-up vs. Revere, the defending indoor GBL champion, and came up short by a score of 90-45. First-place finishers for the Lady Crimson Tide vs. the Lady Patriots were Sandy in the javelin and in the 100 dash in a sprint of 13.5, Betancur-Cardona in the shot, and Desrameaux in the discus.
Second-place points came from Betancur-Cardona in the discus, Brandao in the shot and the 100 hurdles, Guillaume in the triple jump and long jump, Pimenta in the 200, and Maharjan in the two-mile.
Third-place points vs. Revere were scored by Cannon-Matthias in the 200, Antonio in the 800, Gomez-Walrond in the 100 hurdles, and Guillaume in the 400 hurdles.
The Lady Crimson Tide took on GBL foe Malden yesterday (Tuesday).