Sports 05-25-2016

EHS baseball team wins GBL title, qualifies for state tournament

The Everett High baseball team came home with the 2016 Greater Boston League championship thanks to a dramatIc and wild-and-wooly 12-5 victory in extra innings over defending GBL champ Medford last Wednesday on the latter’s home field at Playstead Park.

The triumph gave coach Joe Lento’s squad a final mark of 5-1 in the GBL, one game ahead of 4-2 Medford. The win also qualified Everett for the post-season state tournament.

The Crimson Tide led for the entire contest and were cruising behind starting pitcher, sophomore Jalil Marinez, until the bottom of the seventh inning when Medford scored three runs — and almost won the game when a long drive missed clearing the fence by a few feet for what would have been a walk-off homer — to knot matters at 5-5 and send the game into extra innings.

Everett’s top of the eighth started harmlessly when the first two Crimson Tide hitters of the inning were set down. But Everett exploded for a seven-run rally that proved to be the GBL title-winning rally.

Chris Boucher got things started with a base hit. Three successive walks to Alex Brown, Marinez, and Bryan Bessler forced in Boucher with the go-ahead marker. John Uga came through with an RBI base hit and Evan Reynolds drew another walk to bring in another run.

Ken DeLorey then stepped up and smashed a triple to bring around three teammates to make it 11-5. A base hit by Liriano scored DeLorey to conclude the Everett fireworks.

Marc Faia, who had come on in the bottom of the seventh with two outs in relief of Marinez, then set down Medford in the bottom of the eighth to preserve the win.

Prior to the big eighth inning, Everett had scored two runs in the second frame to take a 2-0 lead. A walk to DeLorey (who had three hits, five RBI, and two runs scored on the day), a base hit by Jochy Liriano, and a sacrifice bunt by Monte Mack placed runners at second and third. A ground out by Boucher brought in DeLorey and a base hit by Brown delivered Liriano.

Medford closed the gap to 2-1 in the fourth, but the Tide rallied for three runs in the fifth. Base hits by Brown and Bessler set the table for Uga, whose base hit brought in Brown, and DeLorey, whose double scored Bessler and Uga.

Medford got one back in its sixth, setting the stage for the dramatic finish.

The Crimson Tide then took the measure of non-league foe Winthrop, 6-0, Monday afternoon at Bentley College behind the shutout pitching of sophomore Jason Hennessey.

Everett gave Jason all the support he would need with a solo marker in the opening frame. Bessler walked and eventually came around on a base hit by Reynolds.

The Tide added to its lead with two runs in the following frame when Liriano doubled and scored on a sacrifice bunt by Mack that was thrown away by Winthrop, leaving Mack standing at second. A base hit by Boucher brought in Monte to make it 3-0.

In the fourth, Boucher (who was 4-for-4 on the day) singled, as did Marinez, Bessler, and Uga, to produce one run. A sacrifice fly by Reynolds delivered Jalil to make it 5-0. Everett added a final marker in the sixth for the 6-0 finale.

Hennessey allowed just seven hits, while walking none and receiving the benefit of crisp, errorless play from his teammates in the field.

Lento and his crew, who now stand at 9-7, have a busy week to conclude their regular season. They were set to face Revere yesterday (Tuesday) that will be highlighted by Senior Day activities that will honor the Class of 2016 trio of DeLorey, Uga, and Liriano for their contributions to the EHS baseball program.

They meet Pope John today at Glendale and then will play Saturday and Sunday in the Peabody Memorial Day tournament.

EHS Roundup

EHS softball team blasts Somerville

The Everett High softball team defeated Greater Boston League rival Somerville in a 25-8 rout last Monday.

Grace Mullaly went all seven innings for Everett to earn the victory, allowing just six hits and walking only one while fanning four enemy hitters.

The Lady Crimson Tide got things going in the opening inning with two runs thanks to a two-RBI double by Nalani Marinez that scored Hailey Powers, who had singled, and Talia Riccioli, who had doubled.

Everett added three runs in the second, thanks mostly to Somerville errors, and then tacked on five in the third. A three run homer by Kaylee Nearen and a two-run roundtripper by Powers provided the firepower for the rally.

A triple by Diana Concannon that delivered Marinez, who had singled, accounted for a solo tally in the Everett fourth. The Lady Crimson Tide then moved out to a 14-8 lead with four runs in the fifth. Sam Uga doubled and Erica Ginepra singled into the outfield knocking in Uga. Riccioli reached first on an error and then stole second. Marinez singled into the outfield to bring in Ginepra and Riccioli and Kloey Cardillo reached second on a dead ball, allowing Marinez to score.

Everett then added 11 runs in the seventh for the 25-8 finale.

“This was the best I have seen our team hit the ball in a while,” noted EHS head coach Stacy Poste.

However, the Crimson Tide did not fare as well the following two games with losses of 14-2 to Medford last Wednesday and 14-8 to Tewksbury Thursday.

A home run by Ginepra and an RBI-double by Riccioli provided the lone offensive highlights for Everett in the Medford tilt.

In the Tewksbury encounter, Everett scored two runs in the opening frame on a double-RBI double by Powers that scored Uga, who had singled, and Ginepra, who had reached on an error.

Tewksbury then moved ahead with three in the first and five in the second, but in the third, base hits by Ginepra and Riccioli led to two runs when Ginepra scored on a wild pitch and Talia came around on a hit by Marinez.

Though Tewksbury would widen its advantage to 14-4, Everett refused to give up and rallied for four runs in the seventh. Erin Bessler singled and moved to third on a double by Uga.  Ginepra smacked another two-bagger to score Bessler and Powers singled, knocking in Uga.

Another hit by Riccioli delivered Ginepra and then Marinez singled up the middle to load the bases.  A sacrifice fly by Diana Concannon  brought in Powers.

“I was proud that these girls never gave up,” said Poste. “They came out in the last inning and hit one after another. Even though we lost, we played so much stronger and better than the first time we matched up against Tewksbury.”

Poste and her crew will close out their season this week, traveling to Lowell today (Wednesday); hosting Cambridge Friday for Senior Day; and trekking to Revere Saturday.

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