WHS Baseball Team Knocks off Danvers With Walk-Off Victory
The Winthrop High baseball team scored two runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to stun previously-undefeated Northeastern Conference (NEC) rival Danvers, 5-4, last Friday morning at Veterans Field.
Trailing 4-3 entering their final at-bat, the Vikings received clutch RBI base hits from Colin Kinsella to tie the game and from Joe Ferullo, who brought in Kinsella with the game-winner.
Kinsella was 2-for-4 on the day with a triple and two RBI. “Colin has been tearing the cover off the ball for us this year,” said WHS head coach Mark DeGregorio. “He is batting .473 this year through the first eight games.”
Pete Silverman had a solid day at the plate, going 2-for-4 with two runs scored. “Pete has been a great tone-setter for us all year as our lead-off hitter. He is hitting .333 with a .416 on base percentage. He consistently gets on base and leads the team in runs scored.”
Joe Hayes also had a good day swinging the bat. Joe went 2-for-4 with a stolen base and got the Winthrop offense going in the second inning with an RBI single.
Senior Zach Bogusz delivered an outstanding pitching performance for the Vikings against the hard-hitting Falcons, limiting them to three earned runs and striking out eight in his six innings of work.
“Zach has been someone whom we have had a lot of trust in on the mound,” said DeGregorio. “Zach wants the ball in pressure situations. He did not care that it was Danvers coming to town and that they were undefeated in the conference standings.
“We knew going in that Danvers was one of the better-hitting teams we will face all year,” added DeGregorio. “Zach was able to attack the strike zone and keep the hitters off-balance. His breaking ball was the sharpest it has been all year and he was able to locate his pitches.”
Jay Fotiades picked up the win after spinning a scoreless top of the seventh.
“Jay is a freshman who does not get flustered,” said DeGregorio. “We told him to go in and just throw strikes and trust his teammates behind him. After allowing no runs in the top of the seventh inning, he came off the field and said, ‘Coach, I wasn’t nervous.’ It made me laugh. He is a competitor.”
The Vikings overall played well in the field. Winthrop turned a picture-perfect double play in the fifth when third baseman Ferullo stopped a ball and threw to second from his knee and second baseman Chris Gibbons made a quick turn-around.
“The speed at which Joe was able to get rid of the ball is something we have practiced and it was great to see him be able to execute it in a pressure situation,” said DeGregorio.
“We also got some great defense from Joe Hayes at shortstop,” added the coach. “He was all over the field today and was the leader of the infield. It was great baseball to watch.
“From the outset of the game, the one word we stressed to our team was, ‘Compete’,” DeGregorio said. “The coaches and I have been expressing that it is the ‘we’ and not the ‘me’ that makes great teams. We cannot get upset over errors as one run can quickly turn into five. We cannot get stressed-out about strikeouts because there is another person that is ready to pick you up.
“The only way to compete against good teams in the NEC is to play for each other and stop worrying about the name on the front of the opponents’ shirts,” DeGregorio continued. “The only one that matters is the name on the front of ours. We saw that as we were able to hand Danvers their first conference loss of the season. This was the challenge that I gave to the team after a tough loss to Peabody. The challenge was answered by every single person that put on the Winthrop uniform on Friday.”
Two days earlier against Peabody, another of the stronger teams in the NEC this season, the Vikings started well, but eventually came up short.
“We took a tough loss as Peabody’s bats were just too much for us on the day,” noted DeGregorio. “We faced a tough lefty with a strong breaking ball that kept our batters off-balance most of the day. Matt DeCarney started the game for us and battled through the first four innings of work. He only allowed two earned runs on the day, but their bats were just too much for our defense as we were put on our heels early on and we were unable to recover.
“The important lesson was that we wanted to bounce back and get ready for the Danvers game,” DeGregorio added. “We play Peabody later on this year and we hope to have better success against them at home.”
The Vikings, who now stand at 5-3 (3-2 in the NEC) on the year, were scheduled to meet NEC foe Swampscott yesterday (Wednesday) and will host non-league opponent Lowell Catholic Saturday morning at 11:00 at Veterans Field. DeGregorio and his crew will travel to Masconomet next Wednesday.
Girls Lacrosse Tops Gloucester
The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team split its two contests in the past week.
Last Thursday the Lady Vikings made the long bus ride to Gloucester worth the effort, bringing home a 5-2 victory.
Mia Martucci and Emma Holmes scored two goals apiece and Talia Martucci added the fifth Winthrop tally.
“It was a hard-fought win,” said WHS head coach Emma Marrs. “Abby Holmes came up on top with interceptions. She continues to thrive on defense, as well as Mia Norris.”
This past Monday the Lady Vikings came up on the short end of a 21-6 decision to a powerful Masconomet squad.
Mia Martucci once again led the way for the Winthrop offense with three goals. Emma Holmes reached the back of the Masco net for two goals and Hannah Parker added a single score.
“Talia Martucci stepped up this week and put her team first by playing in net for the first time,” said Marrrs. “She had nine saves during the game against Masco. It is really awesome to have a player who is willing to give it her all and step up for her team when they need her.”
Marrs and her crew were scheduled to play at Swampscott yesterday (Wednesday) and will trek to Mystic Valley tomorrow (Friday). They will host Marblehead on the turf at Miller Field at 4:00 on Monday and travel to Peabody next Thursday.
Boys Lacrosse Defeats Saugus
The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team, which is competing as a club sport this season, enjoyed a successful week, defeating the Medford junior varsity team and then earning a very exciting, close victory on the road against the Saugus varsity, 7-4.
“Sophomore midfield captain Robert Rich and freshman midfielder Michael Holgerson continue to meld, leading our offense,” said WHS head coach Brian Donnelly. “Sophomore Donovan Cassidy has been leading our defense and sophomore captain Hunter Fife continues to deliver amazing performances in goal.”
The Vikings will be bolstered by the return this week of junior captain Jack Hayes, who has been sidelined for the past three weeks with a foot injury.
“Having Jack back will really help our young and inexperienced attack position,” noted Donnelly.
The Vikings are scheduled to host the Essex Tech JV today (Thursday) on the turf at Miller Field at 4:00. They will make the short trek to Revere on Monday and will entertain Medford on Wednesday.
Cappuccio Shines for Boys Track
Nicholas Cappuccio continued his stellar spring track season by scoring 18 points for the Winthrop High boys outdoor track and field team in the Vikings’ meet with Gloucester last week.
Nicholas took first place in three events, the 100 meter dash with a sprint of 11.10; the 200 dash with a time of 23.30; and the long jump with a flight of 19′-10.” He also grabbed second place in the high jump with a leap of 5′-2″
Peter Jurovich took first place in the shot-put with a toss of 37′-0″. Peter also earned second place in the discus with a spin of 79′-2″ to score eight points on the day.
Benjamin Prew also scored eight points for the Vikings, winning the javelin with a throw of 107′-9″ and taking second in the 400 dash in 63.30.
Adding three points to the Winthrop side of the scoresheet with second-place performances were Eric Azbegu with a long jump of 16′-10.5″ and Daniel Guauque with a triple jump of 30′-3″.
Contributing one point to the Viking cause with third-place efforts were: Luke Riley in the javelin (101′-0) and in the 400 dash (66.40); Guauque in the discus (78′-4″) and 100 dash (12.10); Azbegu in the 200 dash (26.60); and Joseph Navarro in the two-mile in 14:03.3.
The final tally showed the Fishermen winning the meet, 80-46.
The Vikings were scheduled to take on Salem yesterday (Wednesday) and will meet Danvers next Wednesday.
WHS Girls Track Led by Munson
Although the Winthrop High girls outdoor track and field team came up on the short end of an 89-33 decision to Gloucester last week, a number of Lady Vikings came through with fine performances.
Sophia Munson led Winthrop with 13 points. Sophia sprinted to victory in the 100 dash in a time of 13.5 and in the 200 dash in a clocking of 28.6. She also grabbed second in the long jump with a leap of 14′-4″.
Teammate Adrianna Cappuccio won the long jump with a flight of 14′-9″ and dashed to a second-place finish in the 100 meters in 14.2 to score eight points.
April Ferguson came through with a first-place in the two-mile run in 13:45.8. April also grabbed a third in the javelin with a throw of 50′-9″ to tally six points.
Cori Powell added three points to the Winthrop scoresheet with a second in the 400 hurdles in 86.0.
Julia Hurley scored a third-place point in the shot-put with a toss of 16′-4″; Juliana Demers took third in the 200 dash in 33.2; and Libby Carney came across the line in third in the 400 dash in 78.6.
The Lady Vikings were scheduled to take on Salem yesterday (Wednesday) and will meet Danvers next Wednesday.
WHS Softball Drops 12-10 Decision to Wayland
The Winthrop High softball team turned in a strong outing, but came up on the short end of a 12-10 decision at non-league opponent Wayland this past Saturday.
The contest was a see-saw affair. The Lady Warriors took an early 1-0 in the second inning, but the Lady Vikings battled back to draw even at 4-4 after three frames. Wayland moved ahead, 9-6, with three runs in the fourth, but Winthrop responded with a four run rally in the fifth to take a 10-9 advantage. However, the Lady Warriors scored thrice in the sixth to put the game on ice.
Senior Summer Tallent had a nice day at the plate, going 3-for-4 with two RBI and two runs scored. Lily Tallent was 2-for-4 (a single and a double), drew a base on balls, and scored three runs with two RBI. Juliana Guzman had a pair of triples and scored two runs.
Earlier in the week, the Lady Vikings dropped contests to Northeastern Conference rivals Salem and Peabody. Winthrop was tied with Salem at 5-5 through the middle of the third, but the Witches plated nine runs in their half of the third and added eight more in the fourth.
Lily Tallent was 3-for-3 with three runs scored and two stolen bases. Izzy Cash also was 3-for-3 (two singles and a double), scored a run, and had two RBI.
In the loss to Peabody, a base hit by Summer Tallent proved to be the only safety for Winthrop.
Coach Dave Guffey and his crew, who stand at 1-7 on the season, were scheduled to play Masconomet yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Saugus tomorrow (Friday) at the Little League field. They will travel to Swampscott next Wednesday.