WHS Roundup

Baseball team out-slugs Watertown, 10-9

The Winthrop High baseball team battled back tenaciously to overcome deficits on three separate occasions before pulling out a 10-9 win in the last inning over Watertown on the local diamond Tuesday afternoon.

“It was a tremendous win for us,” enthused WHS head coach Frank DeMarco afterwards. “We never gave up and kept fighting all the way so that we had a chance to win the game in the bottom of the seventh.”

Winthrop trailed at various junctures by scores of 1-0, 6-2, and 9-6 before tying the contest with a three run sixth to set the stage for the heroics in the bottom of the seventh.

Junior Christian Howard led off the seventh with a base hit and moved to second on a nice sacrifice bunt by Rob Swanson. After sophomore Joe Boudrow reached on an infield hit (his third safety of the game), WHS captain Matt Moore stepped to the plate and drilled a base hit to left that chased in Swanson from second (he had not advanced on Boudrow’s infield hit) for the winning tally.

Moore earned star of the game accolades for the Vikings, as he pitched a scoreless top of the seventh to maintain matters at 9-9. In addition to his game-winning RBI in the bottom of the seventh, Matt also socked a two-run homer in the third.

However, the captain was far from the only Viking who made a significant contribution to the winning effort. Paul Finn enjoyed a big day at the plate, going 4 for 4 with two RBI. Paul also turned one of his hits into a trip around the bases when Watertown kicked the ball around a bit.

Dan Ramos came through with a clutch double, good for two runs, in the three-run rally in the sixth that knotted the game at 9-9.

Swanson started the game and went four innings, allowing six runs, of which only two were earned. Pat Feeley pitched the next two frames, allowing three runs, of which only one was earned.

“I was pleased overall with the way Rob and Pat pitched,” noted DeMarco. “They threw strikes and deserved to have better support in the field.”

The triumph evened the Vikings’ record at 1-1 after a season opening 8-3 loss last week to Gloucester.

DeMarco and his Vikings played at Swampscott yesterday (Wednesday) and are set to travel to Danvers Friday. They then will play at Marblehead next Wednesday.

Boys tennis team defeats Classical

The Winthrop High boys tennis team won its second match of the young season with a 5-0 whitewashing of Lynn Classical last Thursday, in which the Vikings took all five matches in straight sets. First singles Kenny Hodgkins conquered his Classical rival by a margin of 6-1, 6-4; Alex Hamilton at second singles defeated his counterpart, 6-3, 6-2; and Jake Rand won the third singles slot, 6-3, 7-5.

“Jake really nailed it at the end of that second set,” noted WHS head coach Barbara Hoffmann. “It was 6-5 and he was serving at deuce, but then took the next two points right in a row, one with a really strong serve that his opponent hit into the net, and the other with a strong return to the back corner.”

Both of the Winthrop doubles tandems won with ease. Top doublists Ryan McKinnon and Connor Brugman won, 6-1, 6-3, and the second doubles duo of Kevin Cash and Tyler Norris won in a shutout, 6-0, 6-0.

The Vikings took on perennial power Marblehead the day before and dropped a 4-1 decision, with Hamilton defeating his Marblehead rival, 6-4, 6-4.

“I’m really proud of Alex,” said Hoffmann. “It’s a real coup for the WHS tennis program to have won a match from Marblehead at second singles.”

The netmen will travel to Danvers today