Viking Baseball Team Knocks Off Saugus, Salem
The Winthrop High baseball team parlayed a trifecta of strong pitching, timely hitting, and solid defense to post a pair of come-from-behind victories over Northeastern Conference rivals Saugus and Salem last week.
In a 9-4 win at Saugus last Wednesday, the Vikings overcame a 3-0 deficit with a four-run uprising in the fourth inning and then added a solo marker in the fifth before tacking on four more insurance runs in the seventh.
Cam Martin paced the Winthrop offense, going 2-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI, and two stolen bases. Ryan Gagnon went 2-for-3 with three RBI. Colin Kinsella was the proverbial thorn in the Sachems’ side all game, going 2-for-2 with an RBI, two stolen bases, and three walks.
Zach Bogusz started for the Vikings and tossed four solid innings.
“Zach battled through four innings of work,” said WHS head coach Mark DeGregorio. “He was able to get out of tough situations all day. It was indicative of the type of player he has been for us all year. He is not afraid in the moment and is willing to take the ball in any situation and against any team. He attacked the strike zone and held Saugus to four runs early on. He kept us in the game, which enabled us to mount our comeback.”
Martin came into the game in the fifth inning in relief of Bogusz and shut the door with three scoreless innings, striking out six enemy batters in the process, to secure the victory.
The Vikings displayed some stellar defense throughout the contest. Second baseman Chris Gibbons made a diving stop to his right to save two runs, while also getting the second out at first base, in the first inning. “We were able to get out of the first inning by only letting up one run owing in large part to this play by Chris,” said DeGregorio.
“Pete Silverman had one of the best plays that you will see all year, which ended up being the final out for us,” DeGregorio added. “Saugus had a runner on and I told the outfield that we can not let any balls in the gaps and to keep everything in front of them. One of the Saugus batters hit a shot in the gap and Pete, from centerfield, tracked it down and made a full-out diving catch. It was an ESPN top-10 play type of catch.
“It was a fitting end to the game as we displayed an intensity and effort that we have been asking our players to show all year,” DeGregorio noted.
The following day the Vikings took on Salem and earned a 6-4 victory. Sophomore Matt DeCarney got his first start as a varsity pitcher and did not disappoint. Matt went the full seven-inning route, fanning six while allowing just four runs.
“Matt showed great poise on the mound and demonstrated that the moment was not too big for him,” said DeGregorio. “It was impressive to see. After a leadoff walk in the sixth inning, in what was a 6-3 game at the time, I went to the mound to check on him and the first thing he said to me was, ‘I am good, coach.’ It just goes to show what type of competitor he is. He wanted to stay in the game and finish.”
After spotting Salem a 1-0 lead in the opening inning, Winthrop gave DeCarney all the run support he would need with a three-run rally in the second frame and a two-run outburst in the third.
“This was the second game in a row where we had to come from behind after being down early,” said DeGregorio. “This team does not get flustered in the moment and truly believes in themselves and their abilities.
“We knew going into the game that we wanted to play our brand of baseball, which is to be aggressive and get on base by any means necessary,” DeGregorio continued. “We ended up stealing seven bases during the game and put constant pressure on Salem’s defense by getting runners on base by putting the ball in play and limiting our strikeouts. This is something that we have stressed all year: Get on base and be aggressive on the base paths.
“Beside Matt’s great pitching performance, we also had some solid defensive plays in this game,” DeGregorio noted. “Chris Gibbons continues to play excellent defense at second base and Joe Ferullo made some great plays at third base. Joe Hayes continues to play a very solid shortstop for us as he makes it look easy out there at times.
“Saugus and Salem are two tough NEC opponents,” said DeGregorio. “These games were great confidence boosters for us, as we have been aiming to be competitive in the NEC. As a coach I believe it to be, if not the toughest, one of the toughest conferences in Massachusetts. Saugus is a great team which is evident by their record and has one of the best players in the conference, Nathan Ing. We were able to keep them at bay most of the game by the gritty pitching performances and some outstanding defensive plays when we needed them most.”
After their back-to-back wins, the Vikings hosted non-league rival Boston English this past Saturday morning.
Winthrop fell behind early, 3-0, but once again the resilient Vikings battled back, erasing the deficit and moving out to a 5-3 lead with a five-run rally in the third that was keyed by a two-RBI triple by Kinsella and a two-RBI base hit by Ferullo.
However, English showed their own grit, retaking the lead in the sixth with a bases-clearing hit that paved the way for what would be an eventual 9-6 victory for the visitors.
In addition to Kinsella, who was 2-for-3 with three RBI and a stolen base, Phil Boncore had a productive day at the plate, going 2-for-3 with two stolen bases, and Ferullo was 1-for-3 with two RBI and a stolen base.
“Overall, we competed hard in this game against a very good team that has a lot of high-end talent,” said DeGregorio. “We knew they were going to be aggressive on us and try to take extra bases and utilize their speed. We were able to keep their running game in check for the most part as we were able to pick them off once and Colin Kinsella threw out two runners trying to steal second.
“We continue to be able to take positives from games like this, as this is only our second loss of the season,” said DeGregorio. “We had a nice pitching performance late in the game from Jay Fotiades. We had some great base running from our team, which really put Boston English on their heels most of the game.
“We knew going into the game that they were going to be a tough opponent as they are rated very high in all of Division 4,” added DeGregorio. “We hope to see them again in the playoffs later on down the road.”
DeGregorio and his crew, who now stand at 4-2 on the season, were scheduled to take on NEC foe Peabody yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Danvers tomorrow (Friday) morning at Veterans Field at 10:00.
They will entertain Swampscott next Wednesday.
Two Wins for WHS Girls Lacrosse as Mia Martucci Reaches 100 Career Points
The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team won a pair of contests with strong performances this past week, defeating Saugus, 12-0, and Malden, 14-1.
Mia Martucci paced the Lady Viking offense in the Saugus encounter on Thursday, scoring three goals and adding an assist to break the 100-point barrier for her career, a feat that is a major accomplishment.
Teammate Hannah Parker added two goals. Talia Martucci, Mia Norris and Sam DiMento each had a goal and two assists.
Also reaching the back of the Saugus net were Emely Norena, Emma Holmes, Abby Holmes, and Reese Brodin with a goal apiece.
WHS goalie Adrianna Rizzotto earned the shutout in net.
“Emma Holmes played an incredible defensive game, as well as her sister Abby Holmes,” noted WHS head coach Emma Marrs.
The following day the Lady Vikings made the short trip to Malden and brought home a 14-1 triumph.
Mia Martucci rattled the Lady Golden Tornado cage for six goals and younger sister Talia added a hat trick.
Parker scored two goals. Other contributors to the Winthrop offensive output were Mia Norris with a goal and three assists, Brianna Marley with a goal and an assist, Kailey Sullivan with a goal, and Emely Norena and Julia Holmes with an assist apiece.
Rizzotto once again was solid in net with five saves.
Emma Holmes had a great defensive game, as well as Annika Holgerson and Abby Holmes,” said Marrs. “Sami DiMento had some great caused-turnovers/interceptions in the midfield, as well as Mia Norris.”
This past Monday on the holiday the Lady Vikings made the long trek to Beverly and came up on the short end of a 17-3 decision.
Talia Martucci scored two goals and Parker added one tally.
Rizzotto made 10 saves in goal.
“Annika Holgerson played a very good defensive game,” said Marrs. “Although it was not the outcome the team was hoping for, we had a really great second half. During half time we talked about some adjustments that we could make and we went out there and competed.”
Marrs and her crew are scheduled to make the long ride to Gloucester today (Thursday) and will play at Masconomet on Monday and at Swampscott next Wednesday.
WHS Softball Team Drops 12-10 Decision to Marblehead
The Winthrop High softball team jumped out to an early lead in their contest last week with Marblehead, but proved unable to hold their advantage, eventually falling by a score of 12-10 to the Lady Magicians.
Marblehead took a 3-1 lead in the opening inning, but the Lady Vikings stormed in the second frame back to forge ahead, 6-3.
However, by the end of the fourth, the teams stood deadlocked at 10-10, and Marblehead pushed across single tallies in the fifth and sixth for the 12-10 finale.
Lily Tallent had a monster day at the plate for the Lady Vikings, going 4-for-5 with two RBI and three runs scored. Ava Martello also swung a big bat, going 4-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored. Sammy Harris was 2-for-4 with an RBI and also reached on an error that produced a pair of Winthrop runs. Izzy Cash was 2-for-5 with an RBI and two runs scored.
Lilly Tallent shone in the field with four putouts and an assist. Harris recorded four putouts and shortstop Summer Tallent recorded two putouts and two assists.
Coach Dave Guffey and his crew were scheduled to play at Salem yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Peabody tomorrow (Friday) afternoon at 2:00 at the Little League Field. They will entertain Masconomet next Wednesday.
WHS Boys and Girls Track Teams Run into Peabody; Cappuccio Scores 16 Points
The Winthrop High boys and girls outdoor track and field teams took on Northeastern Conference rival Peabody last Wednesday.
On the boys’ side, Nicholas Cappuccio was the top scorer for the Vikings with 16 points that included a pair of first-place finishes. Nicholas sped to victory in the 200 meter dash with a clocking of 23.4 seconds and leapt to a triumph in the long jump with a flight of 19′-6.75″.
He also added six points to the Winthrop side of the scoresheet with two second-place performances in the high jump with a leap of 5′-2″ and in the 100 meter dash with a sprint of 11.4 seconds.
The other point scorers for Winthrop were Ryan Cash with a third-place effort in the 400 hurdles in a time of 73.6 seconds and William McMullen with a third in the 200 dash in 28.9.
For the girls, the top point-scorers on the day were Nora McCarey and April Ferguson with six points apiece. Nora won the triple jump with a final landing of 29′-1″ and grabbed third in the 400 hurdles with a clocking of 82.2 seconds. April took the top spot in the two-mile run with a time of 13:34.1 and a third in the 800 in 2:55.6.
Shannon Abbott contributed three points to the Lady Viking total with a second-place effort in the long jump with a leap of 14′-2.25.” Cori Powell also added three points to the Winthrop cause with a second-place in the 100 hurdles in 20.1.
Sophia Munson added a point with a third-place performance in the 100 dash in 13.8. Shannon Abbott did likewise with a third in the 200 dash in 30.2. Olivia Skomro scored a point in the 400 dash in 77.9. Arianna Cappuccio took third place in the long jump with a leap of 14′-1.5.”
The Lady Vikings captured the 4 x 100 relay with a clocking of 56.9, compared to Peabody’s time of 57.9.
Both the boys and girls squad were scheduled to make the long trek to Gloucester yesterday (Wednesday) morning and will take on Salem next Wednesday.
Boys Tennis Team Splits Two Matches
The Winthrop High boys tennis team split its two matches this past week.
In a 5-0 blanking of non-league opponent Stoneham last Friday, Carlo Baretti led the way at first singles with a victory in straight sets, 6-2, 6-1. James Sicurella won his match at second singles with a come-from-behind effort, 5-7, 6-3, 7-6 (7-3).
Bobby Diaz, who was moved into the third singles slot because of the absence of the Vikings’ top player, Carlos Penalba, came through in a big way for coach Marie Finn with a 6-1, 6-3 triumph.
In the doubles matches, the number one duo of Ryan Kfoury and JD Parker cruised, 6-0, 6-1, as did the second doubles tandem of Ari Hain and Bruno Giordano, 6-3, 6-1.
Last Wednesday the Vikings trekked to Swampscott and came up on the short end of a 3-2 decision to the Big Blue, who traditionally are one of the top teams in the Northeastern Conference.
Both of the Viking doubles teams achieved come-from-behind wins. Kfoury and Parker defeated their Swampscott counterparts at first doubles, 3-6, 6-4, 7-5, and the tandem of Hain and Giordano also won in a tight three-setter, 3-6, 6-1, 7-6 (7-5), at second doubles.
Penalba fell at first singles, 6-2, 6-1, as did Baretti at second singles, 6-2, 6-3, and Sicurella at third singles, 6-2, 6-4.
Also seeing action were the doubles teams of Diaz and Declan Donovan, who triumphed by a score of 6-1; Ty Calinda and Liam Turner, who won their match, 6-2; and Shane Fitzpatrick and Michael Soares, who won their contest, 6-4.
Finn has had the biggest turnout of players in her long tenure as the WHS head coach, with 26 boys on the team. The full roster is as follows: Carlo Barett, Matthew Bower, Gabriel Brandao, Orind Bytyqi, Ty Calinda, Nicholas Cirelli, Robert Diaz, Samuel Dinh, Declan Donovan, Shane Fitzpatrick, Bruno Giordano, Ari Hain, Ryan Kfoury, Eric Mendoza, Jack Osburn, Luke Owen, Jonathan (JD) Parker, Carlos Penalba, Joseph Romano, James Sicurella, Michael Soares, Andrew Stangie, Tommaso Tronca, Liam Turner, Damian Vidal, and Luca Zanelli.
Finn and her crew have three matches in succession next week, all on the road, at Gloucester on Tuesday, at Beverly on Wednesday, and at Lynn Classical next Thursday.