The Winthrop High softball team won three of its four games this past week to make it 10 victories in their last 11 outings and improve their season’s mark to 11-5.
The lone bump in the road for the Lady Vikings came at Marblehead in a 4-1 loss last Wednesday. Marblehead scored two runs in the third inning to take a lead they never relinquished, as Winthrop could do no more than muster a solo tally in the fourth on an RBI base hit by Taylor Thomas.
However, the Lady Viking reverted to their recent winning ways in the next three contests that have catapulted Coach Dave Guffey and his squad to a ranking among the top teams in the area.
On Thursday Winthrop hosted Lynn Classical of the North Division of the Northeastern Conference and earned a 5-1 triumph over the Lady Rams, who annually are among the Lady Vikings’ chief rivals. The contest was a pitcher’s duel through the initial five scoreless frames, but Winthrop erupted for five runs in the bottom of the sixth to break the game open.
Maddie Finga’a started the fun for Winthrop with a lead-off base hit and soon circled the basepaths when Jenn Adamson followed by smashing a triple to the deepest park of the local ballpark in right field. A base hit by Maura Lanza (two hits on the day) rescued Adamson to make it 2-0 and a base hit by Thomas (two hits with an RBI, run scored, and sacrifice bunt) and a bunt single by Amanda Pelletier filled the sacks with Lady Vikings.
Subsequent base hits by Ally Scarfo (who had two hits) and Olivia Grilo and a sacrifice fly by Michelle Lasala brought in three more runs for a 5-0 Winthrop lead.
Lanza went all seven innings in the pitcher’s circle, yielding just six hits, with the lone Classical run being of the unearned variety.
Everett of the Greater Boston League came to visit the next day and once again it took a big inning by the Lady Vikings late in the game to secure the victory. This time it was WHS starting pitcher Taylor Thomas who engaged in a pitcher’s duel with Everett’s Sydney Bessler (who ended up with 15 strikeouts of Lady Viking hitters) through four innings of goose eggs.
But in the fifth, Lasala (3-for-4 with an RBI and run scored) got Winthrop going with a base hit up the middle. After Finga’a bunted safely, Adamson (2-for-3 with a walk, a run scored, and two RBI) sent both teammates across the plate with a double. Lanza followed that with another two-bagger to bring in Adamson. Thomas then walked and a sac bunt by Kelly Swanson was errored by Everett, allowing Lanza to score. A base hit by Grillo, a suicide squeeze for an RBI by Pelletier, and a sacrifice fly accounted for the remaining Winthrop runs.
Thomas tossed four shutout frames, allowing just three hits and fanning two. Lanza finished up, yielding just three hits in the remaining three innings.
Monday’s tight 5-4 victory over Swampscott saw the Lady Vikings start fast and then hold on late in the game. Winthrop scored three runs in the bottom of the first with a two-out rally that began with a double by Adamson. A dropped third strike, an RBI base hit by Thomas, another Swampscott error, and a two-RBI base hit by Scarfo produced the other two Winthrop tallies.
The Lady Vikings would add solo markers in the second and third innings thanks to Swampscott errors in both frames. Swampscott got on the board with an unearned run in the second and added another unearned tally in the fifth. A Swampscott home run to lead off the sixth made it 5-3 and a subsequent RBI base hit closed the gap to 5-4 entering the final inning.
Lanza fanned the first two Swampscott batters to start the seventh, but a base hit brought up the NEC’s leading home run hitter, Christine King, who had swatted two roundtrippers in Swampscott’s previous game. However, Lanza won the battle, inducing King into a pop-up to centerfield that was gloved by Finga’a to end the game.
Lanza’s final line showed her allowing six hits and only one earned run, while fanning six and walking only one. For the year, Maura has tossed 54 innings with an ERA of 1.43 and a record of 8-2. She has fanned 70 enemy batters and walked only six.
In the hitting department, Maura also is the top Lady Viking with a .404 average. Thomas is next with a .361 avg., followed by Lasala at .357, Adamson at .333, and Finga’a at .313.
Kennedy wins two events in meet with Danvers
Although the Winthrop High girls track team dropped a 76-51 decision to Danvers recently, the meet was highlighted by a number of fine performances by the Lady Vikings.
Isabella Kennedy took first place in two events, the two mile run and the 800. Isabella’s time in the two mile was 12:45 and in the 800 it was 2:35. She also took a second place in the triple jump with a distance of 28′-11″ to account for 13 points on the day.
Carly O’Keefe also enjoyed a fine meet, achieving a personal record (PR) in the 110 high hurdles with a clocking of 16.8 to take first place. Carly also PR’d in the 400 low hurdles in 69.0, which was good for second place.
“Carly is having a fantastic season,” noted WHS head coach Warren MacPhail.
Liz Anderson reached a PR in the shotput with a throw of 31′-8″ that took home first place honors.
Lexi Vaccaro scored nine points for the Winthrop cause with a trifecta of second-place finishes. The versatile Vaccaro took seconds in the 100 dash in 13.6, the 200 dash in 28.1, and the javelin with a toss of 67′-1″.
Other highlights for the Lady Vikings included a second place in the high jump for the ever-improving Shanel Turansky, who cleared the bar at 4′-6″; Nina Leone, who placed third in the mile with a great effort of 6:34; and Christa Vaccaro, who placed third in the 400 hurdles in 76.0 and second in the long jump with a leap of 15′-2″.
WHS boys lax team defeats Malden, 15-4
The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team split its two games in the past week, falling to archival Revere 7-2, but then rebounding for a 15-4 triumph over Malden.
The Vikings were led in the offensive department by Jon Griffiths, who notched six goals in the two games; Chris Beaudry, who potted five markers; and Adam Holden, who reached the back of enemy nets four times.
Andrew Almeida once again was sound in net for Winthrop with a 60% save percentage. The Winthrop defense also has shone, playing what head coach Matt Serino has termed “our best defense of the season.”
WHS netmen drop two
The Winthrop High boys tennis team dropped a pair of hard-fought matches this past week, falling to Gloucester and Danvers by identical scores of 3-2. The Vikings now stand at 6-7 on the season and need to win two of their three remaining matches in order to qualify for the post-season MIAA state tourney.
In the Gloucester match, Viking sophomore Noah Hodgkins won his contest at first singles in come-from-behind fashion, 2-6, 6-2, 7-5. The first doubles duo of soph Robbie Miles/junior Sean Gillis were victorious in straight sets by a score of 6-2, 7-5.
Winthrop captain Chris Capone came up just short in a hard-fought battle at third singles, 4-6, 5-7. Sophomorte Mike Norris fell at second singles, 2-6, 1-6, and the second doubles tandem of sophomores Brandon Creador/Jake LaFratta saw their comeback bid fall short in a tiebreaker in the second set, 0-6, 6-7 (4-7).
In the Danvers match, winners for the Vikings were Capone at third singles, 7-5, 6-1, and Creador/LaFratta at second doubles, 7-5, 6-4.
“Both the Gloucester and Danvers matches were close,” said WHS head coach Marie Finn. “But those teams had seniors playing in most of their lineup and their experience proved to be the difference.”