WHS Sports Roundup

Winthrop Softball Falls to St. Mary’s in Tourney; Baseball Team Also Ousted

The Winthrop High softball team lost to St. Mary’s of Lynn by a score of 6-0 in a quarterfinal contest in the Division 3 North Sectional of the state softball tournament last Wednesday.

St. Mary’s was the second seed in the D-3 North with an 18-2 regular season record, while Winthrop was the 10th seed with an 8-6 mark. St. Mary’s had earned a first round bye in the tourney, while Winthrop advanced to the quarterfinals with a 14-1 victory over Lynnfield.

The Lady Vikings threatened to get on the board in the opening inning, placing runners at second and third after base hits by Sofia Vitale and Summer Tallent, but were unable to plate a runner.

A triple by Izzy Mahoney (who gunned down a runner at home who was attempting to score on a sacrifice fly to center field) in the fourth with one out also ended in futility for Winthrop, as did a lead-off base hit by Syd Crotty in the seventh.

St. Mary’s meanwhile, pushed across two runs in the second, a run in the third, and added three in the fourth to put the game away.

“We had our chances, but they bunched their hits and we scattered ours,” said WHS head coach Dave Guffey. “We knew that we had to play a flawless game and then we needed a little luck. Neither of those things happened.

“But just like all season, when the team got down, they never gave up,” Guffey continued. “Some teams would have hung their heads and let a slaughter rule happen, but they played with a lot of pride and I was proud of the effort.

“We played some of the best teams in the state this year and went toe to toe with them,” Guffey continued. “Peabody, Gloucester, and Danvers are all still playing in D1 and D2 semis and we were right there with all three.

“The team played really well,” Guffey added. “Two standouts in this game were Izzy Mahoney and Summer Tallent. Izzy had six putouts in centerfield and threw out a runner at the plate and had a triple. Summer had four assists and an unreal sliding catch against the fence with the bases loaded.

“The senior class will truly be missed for their leadership, determination, and talent,” Guffey continued. “Sofia (Regis), Izzy (Ithaca), and Syd (Mass. Maritime) all will all be taking their talents to college, and Rachel Farley (Fairfield), Katie Gagnon,(Elon) and Nellie Carter (UMass) also are headed to four-year schools.”

Syd Crotty perhaps best epitomized the grit and determination of the seniors. Sydney played sparingly as a freshman and sophomore, hitting .102. However, despite missing her junior year because of the pandemic, she hit .396 this season and was tied on the team for RBI leader with 17 ribbies. She also was rock-solid in the field, committing only two errors all season.

Vitale completed a stellar pitching career, compiling a 9-7 record this season with an ERA of 3.12. She struck out 85 enemy batters in 93 innings — reaching the 200 career-strikeout plateau — while walking only 22.

The WHS baseball team also met its Waterloo in the quarterfinals of the D-4 North Sectional with an 11-0 loss to Snowden Academy last Wednesday. The Vikings had entered the tourney as the ninth-seed in the D-4 North, while Snowden was seeded first with a record of 11-2. 

The Vikings had advanced to the quarters after an 8-4 win over eighth-seeded Georgetown in the opening round last Monday.