WHS Baseball Team Reels Off Four Straight
The Winthrop High baseball team is on a roll!
Coach Mark Degregorio’s Vikings have reeled off four straight victories and now stand at 6-2 on the season.
Winthrop’s streak began with a 5-1 triumph over Northeastern Conference (NEC) South Division rival Swampscott just before the start of the vacation week.
“It was a divisional game, so it is always nice to go to Swampscott and get a win. Our guys played great,” said Degregorio.
Colin Kinsella provided all of the offense that starting pitcher Matt DeCarney would need when he belted a two-run homer in the top of the first inning.
“It was a ball that we knew was gone as soon as he hit it,” said Degregorio of the blast by Kinsella, who finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI. “It really set the tone for the rest of the game.”
DeCarney went six innings on the mound to earn the win with a masterful effort.
“Matt got the start on the hill and was excellent,” noted Degregorio. “He pounded the strike zone, which is something we have stressed this year. We have asked our pitchers to throw strikes and trust your defense behind you.
“This was rewarded by an errorless game by the defense,” Degregorio continued. “There were some great plays in the field by Spencer Parco at third, who was getting his first start at third base on the year, and Ryan Gagnon and Peter Silverman, both of whom turned in some great defense.”
Last Wednesday the Vikings trekked to NEC foe Saugus and came home with a 3-2 win in extra innings.
“This was a very hard-fought battle,” said Degregorio. “Saugus is a young team who has played everyone really tough all year. I was really impressed with them. They threw Cam Soroko, who was probably the best pitcher we have faced to-date based on stuff and velocity.”
A pair of unearned runs in the bottom of the first gave the Sachems an early 2-0 lead, but that would prove to be the extent of the Saugus offense on the day against Viking starting pitcher Zach Bogusz, who went seven innings, allowing only four hits and fanning seven enemy batters.
“We quickly were able to settle down and hold them to no more runs for the remainder of the game,” said Degregorio. “Zach was great on the hill and had great stuff. He was able to hit his spots and work his slider. It was the best his slider has looked all year, as it had some extra bite to it.
“Zach did not want to come out of the game, but unfortunately his pitch count was too close and we had to make a move in the bottom of the eighth,” added Degregorio. “He is such a great competitor who never wants the ball taken out of his hands and we wouldn’t want it any other way.”
The Vikings brought the game back to level thanks to RBI base hits by Bogusz and Michael Donahue. Donahue was a catalyst for Winthrop, going 2-for-4 with the game-tying double, an RBI, two stolen bases, and scoring the game-winning run.
“Michael was all over the field,” observed Degregorio. “He is one of our best athletes and has really grown since the beginning of the year. It is great to see the level of play he is capable of playing at, even though he is only a sophomore.”
Donahue triggered the game-winning rally with a base hit and a steal of second base with a great slide to avoid the tag. Senior Ryan Gagnon then smacked a double to deliver Donahue with the game-winning run.
“It was great to see the mental approach from Ryan in that last at-bat and being able to come through in that situation,” noted Degregorio. “He has worked really hard this year and we were really happy to see that work pay off.”
DeCarney came on in the bottom of the eighth and struck out the side in true Dick “The Monster” Radatz fashion (look it up kids!) to close out the game.
Kinsella had a nice day at the plate, going 2-for-2 with two walks and a stolen base.
“It was a good conference win,” noted Degregorio.
This past Friday morning the Vikings hosted another NEC foe, Gloucester, and posted a 4-1 victory. Sophomore Matthew Reardon started his first varsity game in impressive fashion, tossing 4-and-1/3 innings in which he allowed only one run and fanned four opponents.
“Matthew is someone who put in a lot of work in the off-season relative to pitching and his mechanics,” said Degregorio. “The coaching staff was very excited to see him get the start and we were confident that he was going to go out and give us a chance to win. We were rewarded for the decision to give him the ball against a conference foe. He attacked the strike zone with his fastball and really kept the batters off-balance with a great change-up that he developed in the offseason.
“Our defense came through for us again, as we had our second errorless game this week,” continued the coach. “The extra reps and defensive work that we have installed in practice have really paid off. We start every practice with a skills period and we work with various defensive groupings to get extra reps. The players have really taken practice seriously and it is paying off on the field.”
DeCarney came on in the middle of the fifth and tossed the final 2-and-2/3 innings, striking out three and allowing only one hit, to earn his second save of the week.
Leading the way at the plate for the Vikings were Donahue, Bogusz, Jay Fotiades, DeCarney, and Gagnon.
Winthrop concluded the vacation break with a contest against non-conference opponent Cardinal Spellman on Saturday morning at Veterans Field.
“We knew going into the game that it was going to be a tough game for us, as they recently beat Abington, the team that knocked us out of the playoffs last year,” said Degregorio.
However, the Vikings responded to the challenge and earned a 9-5 triumph.
Sophomore Phil Boncore took the mound to start the game.
“Phil is someone we have learned to lean on this year as he is very competitive,” said Degregorio. “He pitched a great game earlier in the year against Peabody, so we were very confident handing the ball over to him. He battled all game. He had some bad luck, as we committed a few errors early which led to Spellman scoring some runs.”
Right fielder Matthew Noonan prevented further damage when he made what Degregorio termed “an all-time heads up hustle play” when he prevented a ball (on which there had been an error) from bounding further down the right field line.
“It saved at least one run and possibly two if Matthew did not block that ball,” said Degregorio.
Winthrop opened the scoring in the first inning with two runs thanks to some aggressive base-running that resulted in three steals.
Pete Silvernan led off with a base hit and promptly stole second. Will Murphy stole two bases and, on the steal of third, came home on an errant throw.
“We continue to stress aggressiveness on the basepaths in order to keep the opponent on their heels and it paid off,” said DeGregorio.
With the Vikings trailing 5-4 heading into the fourth inning, DeGregorio handed the ball to Fotiades to take over the pitching duties with one out in the fourth.
“Jay is another sophomore who does not care about the situation that he is put in,” said the coach. “He always says he wants the ball and he is ready to go. That is something the coaches love about him. The competitiveness is there and he is always ready.”
Fotiades held Spellman hitless over the final 3-and-2/3 frames, striking out three opponents.
“Jay really did a good job of mixing it up,” said DeGregorio. “It is something he has done for the past year and a half for us. The hitters often have very weak contact off him because he mixes his pitches up so well.”
Winthrop broke the game open in the fifth. After two Vikings drew walks and moved to second and third, Gagnon laid down a safety squeeze that caught the Spellman defense off-guard, resulting in an errant throw that allowed both base runners to score.
“It was perfect placement on the bunt by Ryan,” said Degregorio.
The Vikings struck for three more markers before the inning ended on RBI base hits by Fotiades and Jackson Andy and an RBI triple by Kinsella.
“it was great to see the team stay in it and not get down when they had a bad inning,” said Degregorio. “That is part of baseball and there are going to be times when things go wrong, but we have worked hard to focus on the mental approach to the game so we are ready for adversity. Physical errors will happen; it is how we react to them and react to adversity that is going to make this team successful.
“My coaching staff has been great with their ability to help prepare these young men, and they have put in a lot of time and energy,” the coach continued. “I couldn’t ask for a better group of coaches, including one of our most important coaches, Frankie Fabiano, who always boosts everyone’s spirits.
“We are happy with how well the team has been playing, but we cannot rest on our laurels and cannot be satisfied,” Degregorio added. “We have to keep working hard, as we are getting into a difficult stretch of games coming up against Salem, who right now is the top team in the conference, Peabody, and Masconomet.”
The Vikings were scheduled to host Salem yesterday (Wednesday) and will trek to Peabody today (Thursday). They will entertain Masconomet next Wednesday afternoon at 4:00.
Boys Lacrosse Topples Danvers, Northeast
Turning in what head coach Brian Donnelly termed “an awesome game against a strong opponent,” the Winthrop High boys lacrosse team defeated Northeastern Conference rival Danvers, 15-10, last Thursday.
“It was probably our most complete game so far this year where we were able to string together four quarters of solid lacrosse,” said Donnelly. “Junior Donovan Cassidy was able to limit the offensive prowess of one of Danvers’ best players in Colby Dunham. Dan Thomai and Welvis Acosta also played excellent defense, while goalie Hunter Fife had some lights out saves, especially late in the game.”
Robert Rich led the Winthrop offensive attack with five goals and five assists for a total of 10 points. “Every time we need a big play, he is there to make something happen,” noted Donnelly.
Alex Daignault continued to complement the offense, reaching the back of the Falcons’ net for five goals and earning three assists.
“Having two players who are able to dodge from anywhere on the field gives us a huge advantage,” said Donnelly.
Ace Daignault, Jack Hayes and Michael Holgerson also recorded goals for the Vikings. “All three players are a pivotal part of our offense,” Donnelly said.
This past Tuesday the Vikings took on non-league foe Northeast Regional and won handily, 11-2.
“We were able to get in a lot of our underclassmen and second-line guys and had a huge first complete-game win from freshman goalie Nick Romano,” said Donnelly. “Colin Cifuni had a couple of excellent goals in the first quarter, along with some good-looking outside shots from Jack Hayes and Alex Daignault.
“Hats off to their goalie who had some excellent saves and played really well for them and who was able to keep them in the game for the whole 48 minutes,” Donelly added.
Freshman Sean Dolan got his first varsity start at defense and senior Resean Barberi also got some solid minutes at defense with some great clears.
“We just want to take a step forward every day and solidify our systems and, as always, focus on our fundamentals,” Donnelly said. “We are focused on continuing to come together as a team and support one another when things may get difficult. We have some very tough NEC opponents over the next week, so we are hoping to buckle down and continue to grind.
The Vikings travel to Peabody today (Thursday) and to Swampscott on Monday. They will return home to host Peabody next Wednesday at Miller Field at 4:00.
WHS Softball Team Tops Boston English
The Winthrop High softball team defeated non-league rival 15-5 Boston English this past Monday.
McKenzie Margardo earned the win in the pitcher’s circle, fanning seven opponents.
Lily Tallent led the Winthrop offense with four RBI and belted a home run. A number of Lady Vikings also made powerful contributions at the plate. Gaby Golden had three hits, two RBIs, and touched home three times; Izzy Cash had two hits and an RBI; Margardo doubled and drove in two; and Gia Bakos and Samantha Harrison each drove in a run.
Cash turned in the defensive play of the game when she gunned down an English runner at home plate with what WHS head coach Erin Vercruysse termed “a bullet of a throw” from her center field post.
Although the Lady Vikings came up short in their other contests in the past week, there were some highlights.
In an 18-1 loss to Beverly, “A tough game against a really great pitcher,” noted Vercruysse, Tallent had two hits and Amelia Spencer had one hit. Margardo pitched three full innings and struck out one and Hannah Barrett came in to pitch one inning.
In a 13-5 loss to Saugus, Tallent and Golden both tallied three hits for the Lady Vikings, with one RBI for Tallent. Harrison drove in two runs and Spencer also produced an RBI.
Juliana Demers made two superb catches in left field and Tallent made four put-outs at shortstop.
Last Wednesday at Marblehead, Winthrop ran into a superb pitcher and fell to the Lady Magicians, 12-0. Golden, Tallent, Spencer, and Bakos each had a base hit. Hannah Barrett pitched a tough game, striking out two, and Demers caught two long flies in left field.
Vercruysse and her crew travel to Salem Charter School today (Thursday). They will host Peabody on Monday and will trek to Masconomet next Wednesday.
Cappuccio Wins Three Events for Boys Track
Winthrop star track man Nicholas Cappuccio continued his outstanding 2023 outdoor season, winning three events and tallying 16 points for the Vikings in their meet last week against Gloucester.
Nicholas took first place in the long jump with a flight of 19′-5.5″, the 100 dash with a sprint of 12.08, and the 200 dash with a time of 24.36. Cappuccio also grabbed a third in the high jump, clearing the bar at 5′-2″.
Teammate George Galuris turned in a strong performance, winning the javelin with a throw of 124′-7″, which was 16 feet longer than his closest Gloucester rival, and taking second in the 100 dash (12.53).
Scoring three points with second-place finishes were Demetri Koutsouflakis in the long jump (16′-7.5″) and Daniel Guauque in the triple jump (33′-5″).
Adding single points with third-place efforts were: Thomas D’Amico in the triple jump (27′-8.5″); Vasili Tsiotos in the discus (68′-5″); Liam Kenney in the 400 dash (1:04.7); and Liam Natareno in the mile (6:06.9).
Abbott Scores 14 Points for Girls Track
Shannon Abbott scored 14 points for the Winthrop High girls track team in the Lady Vikings’ meet with Gloucester last week.
Shannon topped the field in the 110 hurdles and took second in three events, the high jump with a leap of 4′-4″, the long jump with a flight of 13′-10.75″, and the 200 dash with a sprint of 31.37.
Scoring three points with second-place performances were: Lylah Cassidy in the triple jump (24′-3.5″); April Ferguson in the javelin (52′-6″); and Ariana Cappuccio in the 100 dash.
Adding single points to the Winthrop scoresheet with third-place finishes were: Haven Pereira in the long jump (12′-2.5″); Sofia Silk in the triple jump (24′-3.5″); and Olivia Skomro in the javelin (49′-7″).