EHS Softball Team Blanks Malden, 7-0 Behind Fuccillo No-Hitter
The Everett High softball team opened its 2022 season on a winning note with a 7-0 victory over Greater Boston League (GBL) rival Malden at Glendale Park this past Monday.
Senior Celeste Fuccillo tossed seven innings of no-hit softball, fanning 12 Lady Golden Tornado opponents and walking only three.
The Lady Crimson Tide grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the opening inning. Lead-off batter Jayla Davila reached second on an overthrow at first and sophomore Emma Longmore followed by earning a base on balls.
After both runners advanced on a passed ball, Davila scored on a sacrifice fly by freshman Gianna Masucci, with Longmore moving to third. Everett’s clean-up batter, junior Kayley Rossi, then earned an RBI when she brought Longmore across the plate on a fielder’s choice.
Fuccillo breezed through the next three frames. She fanned the Malden clean-up hitter to start the second inning and made two assists for the next two outs. In the third, she whiffed two more Lady Golden Tornadoes and sophomore first baseman Bryana Mason made the final put-out unassisted.
In the fourth, after Celeste fanned the lead-off hitter, freshman third baseman Alexa Uga handled a grounder and made the play to first.
Fuccillo then fielded another bouncer back to the mound and tossed to first for the out after the ball hit her in the finger.
Everett added to its advantage in the bottom of the fourth. Freshman Emilia Maria-Babcock singled into the outfield with one out, stole second, and then raced home on a base hit into the outfield by Mason. Bryana, who took second on the throw home, then crossed the plate thanks to a hit into the outfield by Davila to make it 4-0.
The Everett defense preserved the no-hitter in the fifth when shortstop Masucci made an amazing stop and Mason stretched to grab the throw. Fuccillo closed out the inning with two more Ks.
In the Malden sixth, Celeste struck out the first batter, followed by an out on a grounder to Longmore at first, unassisted, and Fuccillo struck out the third Malden batter.
The Lady Crimson Tide put the game away in the bottom of the sixth. Junior Kristi Skane earned a walk, but was out on a fielder’s choice to second on a grounder by Babcock, who reached first. Emilia stole second and moved to third on a hit by Mason. Fuccilo delivered Babcock on a fielder’s choice to first and Mason scored on an error, with Davila reaching first. After Jayla stole second, she scored on a hit by Longmore for the seventh Everett run.
Fuccillo completed her pitching masterpiece in the seventh, striking out the Malden lead-off hitter and, after walking the next batter, fanning another Lady Golden Tornado. Third baseman Uga made the final out on a grounder and throw to first.
“I am really proud of how the girls came out to get this win,” said EHS head coach Stacy Schiavo. “We have not had a long time to practice and only had one scrimmage, but they stepped up.
“Defensively, they showed a lot of talent, but we do need to work on our hitting,” Schiavo added. “We need a strong line-up from batters 1-9. We have two great pitchers and catchers, our infield is strong, and our outfield has speed to get to the balls.”
Poste and her crew were scheduled to meet GBL foe Chelsea yesterday (Tuesday) and will host non-league opponent Latin Academy on Saturday at Glendale Park at 11:00. They will entertain Lynn Classical at Glendale on Monday and trek to Lynn English next Wednesday.
EHS Baseball Team Blows Away Tornadoes in Season-Opener
The Everett High baseball team opened its 2022 season in resounding fashion with an 11-1 rout of the Golden Tornadoes of Malden Monday afternoon.
Crimson Tide starting pitcher Justin Longmore tossed six innings of nearly-flawless baseball, allowing just three hits and one run, while fanning eight Golden Tornado hitters.
Leading the way for the Tide offensively with key hits early on were Matt Turilli with two hits and four RBI; Longmore, who helped his own cause with three RBI; Frankie Velasquez with two RBI; Brian Gibbs, who had two hits and scored three runs; and Enrico Vega, who had a hit, two runs scored, and two stolen bases.
“It was a great team win where everyone contributed,” said EHS head coach Joel Levine. “We had great pitching, played great defense, and had timely hitting, which is always a recipe for a win.”
Levine and his crew were scheduled to meet Chelsea yesterday (Tuesday). They will travel to Lynn Classical this coming Monday and will entertain Lynn English next Wednesday at Glendale.
EHS Boys Volleyball Wins Season-Opener
Everett High’s revived boys’ volleyball team won its first match of the season last Tuesday, downing host Pioneer Charter School of Science, 3-2.
After being down 16-7 in the first set, senior Derrick Sands served Everett back to a draw, before the Crimson Tide eventually dropped the opener, 25-22.
“Our nerves and inexperience got the best of us early on,” said EHS head coach Mike Fineran. “Credit Pioneer’s athletes, too. They served strong and kept the pressure on us. Luckily, we relaxed and started playing as a team.”
Everett took the next two sets, 25-23 and 25-17, led by their captains, Caio Santos and Brandon Ho. Santos had 14 service points and five aces to go along with more than a dozen assists. Ho had five aces, four kills, and a block.
Senior middle hitter Marcilio Melo ruled the middle, with five kills and three blocks.
“Our seniors have been tremendous, on and off the court,” said Fineran. “Some of them played when they were freshmen, the last time we had a boys’ team, and they’re the ones who lobbied the school to add the sport this spring.”
Everett looked to close out the match in the fourth set, but could not capitalize on a 23-18 lead, dropping the set 25-23, sending the match to a fifth-set tie breaker, which Everett captured 15-7.
“It was an exciting match, back and forth all five sets, and I’m glad we pulled out the win,” said Fineran. “It was a good learning opportunity for us as well: if you want to win, you have to play together, play smart, and play until the very end.”
Fineran praised freshman outside hitter Henrique Franca, who had three kills and four aces, and junior Dimitar Dimitrov, who had two kills, a key dig in the fifth set, and 13 service points.
Junior Said Soaib chipped in with a block and a kill. Sophomore Hyan Soares served an ace and senior David Gutierrez had a kill. Junior Philip Fonseca was a calming presence in the back row, and Sands made a number of key passes to set up the front row attack.
“It wasn’t perfect,” said Fineran. “But it was fun to be a part of.”
The Crimson Tide JV squad also won, 2-0, winning the first set 25-23 and the second 25-22. Sophomore Dawens Germain had three kills, two blocks, and two aces. Freshmen Dantae Bauer and Bryan Soares Gomes combined for 16 service points in the two sets.
Fineran and his crew traveled to Chelsea this past Monday and will travel to Malden next Wednesday.
Boys Tennis Team Opens 2022 Season
Although the Everett High boys tennis team came out on the short end of a 5-0 decision to Greater Boston League rival Medford in the season-opener last week, EHS head coach Greg Bluestein saw some positive signs from his squad that will bode well for the coming season.
“We lost the first match to Medford, but played with great improvement and positive energy in comparison to how we played last year,” said Bluestein. “There were some close sets that, as long as we all continue to work hard, could go our way in the future.”
Leading the way for the Crimson Tide in 2022 will be captain Dat Vu. Other members of the varsity squad are Atlan Linford, Johnny Pham, Landon Le, Jakob Teixeira, Mark Phan, Aleksandr Mustacchia, Ricardo Contreras, Carlos Munguia, Gabriel Ponce, and Shishir Pokhrel.
Bluestein and his crew have a busy week on tap: They will host Somerville today (Wednesday) at the Rosetti Park courts; travel to Revere on Friday; and entertain Lynn Classical on Monday and Lynn English next Wednesday.