EHS softball team wins two contests to raise record to 8-2
The Everett High softball team won two of its three games this past week, defeating non-league opponents Westford Academy and Winchester, but falling to Greater Boston League archival Malden.
In Friday’s nail-biting 1-0 triumph over Westford at Glendale Park, EHS pitcher Sydnee Bessler struck out a season-high 14 opponents en route to the victory. The lone run of the contest crossed the plate in the second inning when Samantha Uga singled, advanced to second on a ground-out, and then scooted home on a double by Erica Ginepra.
Westford mounted a couple of scoring threats against Bessler, but Sydnee was more than equal to the task on both occasions. In the first frame, a Westford runner got as far as third base with one out (thanks to an error, a dead ball, and a passed ball), but Bessler fanned the next two Westford hitters to end the inning. In the third, Westford placed runners at first and second with two out, but once again Bessler turned to her strikeout pitch to get a “K” for the final out.
“Sydnee got stronger as the game went on,” said EHS head coach Stacy Poste. “(Catcher) Nicole Sylvester calls her pitches and everything seemed to be working this game. Our defense played very well, but we left too many runners on base and can’t do that.”
The Lady Crimson Tide returned to the Glendale diamond the following day against Winchester, but unlike the previous day’s razor-thin margin of victory, the final score of 21-4 reflected a proverbial walk-in-the-park for Poste and her crew.
Everett put the game away with a 12 run outburst in the bottom of the first and never looked back. Talia Mirra and Sophia Marchant socked three-run homers, Bessler came through with an RBI double, and Ginepra added an RBI base hit to account for most of the run production.
Bessler started the game and pitched a scoreless first frame with two strikeouts, but then yielded the pitcher’s circle to teammate Talia Mirra, who went the rest of the way for the Lady Crimson Tide.
Everett continued its offensive onslaught in the third frame, marking seven more runs into the scorebook. Sylvester, Bessler, Hailey Powers, and Mariana McCarthy provided the key base hits. In a fourth-inning rally, Ginepra and Uga wielded the heavy lumber (or aluminum) for Everett.
“We hit the ball well, and I hope this boosts our confidence at the plate,” said Poste.
The lone setback for Everett came last Monday with a 3-0 loss at Malden in a key battle between the Greater Boston League rivals. Malden took a 1-0 lead in the first inning, thanks primarily to some Everett fielding miscues, and then added two more markers in the fifth, again with the aid of some poor fielding by the Lady Crimson Tide. Bessler tossed all six frames, striking out nine, walking none, and allowing only three hits.
However, it was the lack of offense that proved fatal to the Everett cause. “We just didn’t hit this game,” said Poste, whose squad mustered only three hits. “We are a better hitting team, but it just didn’t show — and if we aren’t getting our bats on the ball, we can’t afford to make errors.”
Poste and her crew, who now stand at 8-2 overall at the halfway mark of the season, are tied with Malden and Medford for first place in the GBL. All three teams have 2-1 league records (Everett beat Medford, 2-1, last week and Medford beat Malden 9-0, in those teams’ season-opener).
EHS baseball team overcomes 6-0 deficit to beat Somerville
The Everett High baseball team spotted Somerville a six run lead after two innings, but then parlayed four innings of one-hit relief work by freshman Jalil Marinez (in his first varsity pitching assignment) and some powerful offense to come away with a 9-6 triumph under the lights on their home field Monday evening.
“Jalil gave a us a huge lift,” said EHS head coach Joe Lento. “He came in and shut the door on Somerville and gave us the opportunity to come back and eventually win the game.”
Crimson Tide ace Lawrence Falter came on in the seventh and fanned all three Somerville batters he faced to earn the save.
The Everett bats meanwhile, were silent through the first four frames, managing just one hit. However, the Crimson Tide rallied for three runs in the fifth to slice the Somerville lead in half and then exploded for six markers in the sixth to assume control of the contest. John Uga banged a key 2-RBI triple and R.J. Fialli had a double and a single to drive in three runs. EHS captain Justin Johnson and Bryan Bessler also contributed RBI-producing base hits.
Last Tuesday the Crimson Tide edged Malden, 2-1, in a key Greater Boston League contest. Everett’s reigning GBL Most Valuable Player, Lawrence Falter, turned in one of the most brilliant performances in his brilliant career, fanning 17 Malden batters, while yielding just two hits and a one walk in a route-going effort.
The Crimson Tide scored a run in the opening frame on a triple by Johnson and a base hit by Bessler. Malden knotted matters with an unearned run in the sixth, but Everett responded in the bottom of the inning on a drive over the centerfielder’s head by Ken Delory that rolled all the way to the fence and allowed the speedy Delory to motor around the bases for the go-ahead tally.
Everett’s third win of the week came via a 7-3 triumph over Revere Friday evening under the lights at Glendale. After falling behind early 1-0, the Crimson Tide score four runs in the third, added two in the fourth, and tacked on another in the sixth. Uga had three hits and Bessler and Evan Reynolds had two hits apiece to pace the Everett attack. P.J. Mulligan went the first five frames and Falter came on to close out the game in the final two innings.
Everett’s lone setback came Thursday with a tough 8-7 loss to Winthrop in extra innings. The contest followed a familiar pattern for Everett, with the Tide falling behind early, 5-0, before they settled down. The Tide evened the count at 6-6 after five innings and the teams traded runs in the sixth. But Winthrop prevailed with a marker in the eighth.
“We need to be more consistent at the plate and in the field from the start,” said EHS head coach Joe Lento. “We have to stop falling behind early.” Lento and his crew, who now are 7-5 overall and 3-1 in the GBL, travel to Marblehead for a non-league game tomorrow (Thursday) and will host Lowell under the lights Friday night. They play at Medford Monday and then at Malden Wednesday.
EHS Baseball in action
The Everett High School baseball team faced off against Malden in a home game at Glendale Park last week on Tuesday, May 5, and took the game by a score of 2-1. The team turned around on Thursday, May 7, and lost a close contest to Winthrop by a score of 8-7 at home in Glendale Park.
MAYOR AND CITY RECOGNIZE EVERETT CRIMSON TIDE UNLIMITED DIVISION FOOTBALL TEAM
Mayor Carlo DeMaria and the City recently held a congratulatory celebration for the Everett Crimson Tide Unlimited Division football team. The celebration was in recognition of going undefeated and winning the national title during the national tournament held in Florida.
Festivities included a reception for the coaches, players and their families at the Connolly Center. The celebration also included Mayor DeMaria and the City Council presenting plaques and citations to the members of the team.
“It was my honor to offer my most sincere congratulations to head coach, Dennis Willcox, the coaching staff, and players of the Everett Crimson Tide Unlimited Division Football Team for going undefeated and winning the National Title,” states Mayor DeMaria, “I am extremely proud of their dedication, commitment, and success. The City of Everett could not be more proud.”