EHS Roundup
EHS baseball team throttles Medford, 8-0
The Everett High baseball team recorded its biggest win in the past few seasons with an 8-0 triumph over Greater Boston League rival Medford, the defending GBL champion, Monday afternoon on the latter’s home field at Playstead Park.
There were many heroes for the Crimson Tide, but chief among them was freshman Jalil Marinez, who drew the starting assignment on the pitcher’s mound from EHS head coach Joe Lento. Jalil tossed the first five innings, allowing just six hits and walking only two. EHS captain Lawrence Falter, the GBL co-MVP last year, came on in the final two frames, fanning four Mustang batters, to nail down the big victory.
Everett grabbed a 2-0 lead in the third thanks to a two-RBI base hit by John Uga that delivered R.J. Fialli (who had walked) and Justin Johnson (who had singled) after both had advanced into scoring position on a double steal.
The Crimson Tide rallied for four more markers in the fifth when they chased Medford’s top pitcher, Mike Center (Falter’s GBL co-MVP), from the game. Base hits by Bryan Bessler and Uga and a walk to Evan Reynolds loaded the bases for Ken DeLory, who came through with a double for two runs. Another base hit by Bryan Lombardo brought around Reynolds and DeLory to up the count to 6-0.
Everett tacked on a run in the sixth when Johnson singled, stole two bases, and strode home on a hit by Uga, and then added another in the seventh on a bases-loaded hit by Bessler that scored Jochy Liriano, who had singled and advanced to third on a hit by Lombardo and a walk to Fialli.
“We played a complete game,” said Joe Lento. “We got great pitching from Jalil and Lawrence, a lot of timely hitting, and played well in the field.”
The Tide also put it all together last week in a 1-0 win over Marblehead. Falter was the story in this one, as the senior took a no-hitter into the seventh inning before a one-out bouncer up the middle ruined his bid for witlessness against the opposition. Lawrence ended up with nine strikeouts and walked just two in his masterful effort. Fellow captain Johnson produced the winning run when Justin doubled with two out, stole third, and then raced home when the throw to third got away from the Marblehead third baseman.
Everett, which now stands at 4-1 in the GBL (9-6 overall), presently is tied for first place in the league with Medford, which also is 4-1. Both have a game to play in the league. The Crimson Tide will play for at least a share of the GBL title today (Wednesday) at Malden (a team which Everett nipped 2-1 in their first meeting this season), while Medford will take on Somerville.
Lento and his crew will play in the Peabody tournament this weekend, taking on Andover Saturday at 4:00 in the tourney opener, with a game to follow on Sunday.
EHS softball team drops three of four
The Everett High softball team hit a rough patch this past week, dropping three of its four contests in an eight-day stretch.
The week opened promisingly with a 13-0 pasting of Somerville that ended after five innings because of the mercy rule. Lady Crimson Tide pitcher Sydney Bessler tossed a no-hitter in the five frames, fanning nine opponents and walking only one.
Everett took a 1-0 lead in the second inning on an RBI-base hit by Hailey Powers and added five more in the third with Talia Mirra, Erica Ginepra, and Powers providing the key hits.
The Lady Crimson Tide tacked on two more in the fourth thanks to run-producing hits by Mirra and Powers and then closed out the game with five in the fifth, with Samantha Uga, Talia Riccioli, and Powers once again doing the damage.
“This was a good win for the girls,” said EHS head coach Stacy Poste. “Almost everyone at some point got on and scored. The girls finally waited on the ball and hit well.”
However, that offensive firepower was not in evidence Friday in a 1-0 loss to Northeastern Conference foe Swampscott Friday. Bessler once again was immense, the lone Swampscott tally coming on a two-out home run in the fourth inning. But otherwise, Sydnee was virtually untouchable, as she yielded only one other hit and struck out 11 enemy batters.
“We only had three hits this game (all from Samantha Uga),” noted Poste, whose squad struck out 10 times against Swampcott sophomore Hannah Leahy. “Unfortunately, our bats just were not there. We have been struggling at the plate, which is discouraging because these girls can hit well.”
The Lady Crimson were back on the Glendale diamond the following day against another non-league foe, Tewksbury, and came out on the short end of a 5-3 decision.
Tewksbury grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening inning and made it 3-0 in the fourth. Everett sliced the lead to 3-2 with two markers in its half of the frame on a two-run homer by Bessler with Sophia Marchant, who had singled, aboard. However, Tewksbury responded with two runs in the fifth, and though Everett got one back in its half of the fifth, the Lady Crimson Tide would not get any closer the rest of the way.
“Again, our bats didn’t come through,” said Poste, whose Lady Crimson Tide managed only four hits on the day. Bessler once again performed well in the pitcher’s circle, allowing four earned runs while fanning nine.
However, the big contest of the week for the Lady Crimson Tide occurred this past Monday with a 6-4 loss to rival Medford with whom Everett had been battling for first place in the GBL.
Bessler fanned 11 Lady Mustangs, but was reached for five earned runs, four of which came in the opening inning. Medford expanded its margin to 6-0 with two more markers in the third before Everett got untracked.
Mirra scored the first Everett tally in the fourth when she tripled and then scored on an error. In the fifth, Uga walked, moved to second on a sacrifice bunt, and scored on a base hit into the outfield by MIrra.
Mirra smacked a two-run homer in the seventh with Ginepra (who had walked) on base, but that would be the extent of the Everett comeback bid.
“Unfortunately, our bats came around too late,” said Poste. “We made some errors that hurt us in the beginning of the game that we did not recover from. If we took away two of the runs that were made on errors, it would have been a 4-4 game. We needed this win and to beat Malden for the GBL title. Now we are out of the GBL title race, but need to focus on our record for tournament play.
“The girls usually get down if they are behind in the score. However, this game proved to be a wake-up for them,” added the coach. “They stuck together and cheered the entire game and it was nice to see, even though the outcome was not in our favor.”
Poste and her crew, who now are 9-5 on the season, host Malden today (Wednesday) at 4:00 and Cambridge tomorrow, also at 4:00. They will entertain Billerica Saturday evening at 6:00 and Lowell will come to town for a contest on Memorial Day that will be highlighted by Senior Day festivities.
They will travel to Winchester next Wednesday and to Swampscott Thursday for the season finale.