WHS boys lax at 9-1 at halfway mark; ranked #4 in D-4
The Winthrop High boys lacrosse team stands at a sterling 9-1 at the midpoint of their 2026 season and sits atop the standings of the Lynch Division of the Northeastern Conference with a 4-1 record.
The Vikings are ranked fourth in the MIAA’s Division 4 power ratings, which came out for the first time this season on Tuesday.
“We had some strong games against Gloucester, Essex Tech, and Salem,” said Donnelly. “Our offense has been clicking, and Seth Sacco and Ace Daigneault continue to lead our offense. Seth has an impressive 51 goals on the season with Ace sitting at 46. They can be a truly dominant force on the field, especially when both are rolling.
“Matt Maddalone is back from a short injury and has been battling at faceoffs. Senior attackman Tomas Babine is also adding a lot to our offense and facilitates some excellent play from the X position. Our young guns Tyler Smith, Alex Correa, Mike Ferrara and Tony Bordonaro are also really starting to play with some confidence. Once we get everyone healthy and running on all cylinders, I am hoping they can all really start to see some goals falling,” said Donnelly.
“Our defense has been playing excellent lacrosse as well, with Paul Ferrera and Sean Dolen leading the squad,” the coach continued. “They are excellent communicators and can find a ground ball in traffic super well. Declan Howard has had some impressive stops and is really growing into an excellent close defender, with fellow senior Chris Beshere continuing to gain confidence and looking good.
Nick Romano remains excellent in net and even got the season’s first shutout in our 12-0 win against NEC competition Salem.”
The Vikings’ lone loss came to NEC Dunn Division rival Danvers last Friday, 13-11.
“We had our first loss of the season after traveling to Danvers,” Donnelly said. “They were a good squad who matched us pretty well. We were going into the end of the game leading by three, but just couldn’t hold on for the win.
“I told the guys it is not about this game, but how we respond to the loss that will make the difference this season. Our players have a lot of fight and if our leaders continue to push themselves and the players around them and some younger guys continue to improve every day, we are going to make some waves in the second half of the season,” Donnelly added.
The Vikings, who defeated Malden Catholic this past Monday, 13-2, were scheduled to meet NEC Dunn Division rival Peabody yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Swampscott tomorrow (Friday) in a contest for supremacy of the NEC’s Lynch Division.
They will trek to Shawsheen Tech on Monday and to Masconomet next Thursday.
WHS baseball team wins two of three
After a 12-2 loss last Wednesday to an undefeated (11-0) Gloucester squad that is ranked among the top teams in the state, the Winthrop High baseball team bounced back for a pair of victories over Salem on Friday and Ipswich on Saturday.
In the Gloucester contest, Joseph Dalton got the start for the Vikings, with Danny Connolly and Carmen DePrisco also seeing time on the mound. Joseph Pumphret had two hits and a run scored, Dominic Spinale added two hits, Ricky Mackenzie chipped in with a hit, and DePrisco hit a home run late in the game, one of the few bright spots for Winthrop on the day. Braedon Lounsbury also had an RBI for the Viking nine.
“Gloucester is undefeated and has a very, very strong team,” said WHS head coach Tom Capasso. “We just could not stop their offense.”
In the 10-2 romp over Salem at Veterans Field, Dominic Spinale started for Winthrop and beat Salem for the second time in a week. Dom pitched five strong innings, allowing only two hits and an unearned run while striking out seven Witches and walking none.
Jimmy Lyman came in for the final two frames, yielding only one earned run while fanning two.
Bradeon Lounsbury led the Winthrop offense with two hits, a run scored, and three RBI. Also contributing to the Viking output, their best production at the plate since the season-opener, were Danny Connolly with a hit, a run scored, and an RBI; Carmen DePrisco with a run scored and an RBI; catcher Braylen Ancillo with two hits and two RBI; Lyman with two runs scored; and Charlie Ferrara with a run scored.
Capasso’s Vikings once again were aggressive on the base paths. Winthrop stole six bases, two each by Ferrara and Lyman and one apiece by DePrisco and Steven Barron.
The Vikings made the long trek to Ipswich on Saturday and returned home with what Capasso termed, “arguably the most exciting game we have played this year.”
Lounsbury went the full seven-inning distance on the mound, allowing three earned runs, striking out three, and throwing over 100 pitches (105) for the first time in his career.
The contest was a see-saw affair throughout. After the Tigers grabbed a 1-0 lead in the opening inning, Winthrop took the lead with three markers in the third and added two more in the fifth for a 5-1 advantage.
Ipswich scored single runs in the fifth and sixth to close the gap to 5-3, setting the stage for a dramatic bottom of the seventh. The Tigers opened the inning with a pair of base hits to place runners at the corners, and a subsequent steal of second placed both runners into scoring position with none out.
Lounsbury then made one of the biggest plays of the season, picking off the Tiger runner at second base on a great tag by Joe Pumphret. A ground-out to Pumphret brought in the runner from third, leaving two out and none on.
The next Tiger hitter drilled a ball into the gap between center and right, but Viking center fielder DePrisco came out of nowhere and made an incredible diving catch to end the game.
“Last year I saw Timmy Vargas throw a no-hitter against Swampscott and I did not think I would ever see a more exciting game (Winthrop won that contest last year, 2-0), but today’s game was just as, if not more, exciting and entertaining,” said Capasso. “The kids really performed under pressure. The coaching staff was extremely proud of how they showed up to play.”
Offensively for Winthrop, Pumphret had a hit and two runs scored; Spinale had a hit and a run scored; Ferrara also had a hit and a run scored; Connolly added a hit; Joseph Dalton had an RBI; and Lounsbury helped his own cause with a hit and three RBI.
Winthrop again was able to cause mischief on the bases with four more steals, one each by Pumphret, Ferrara, Spinale, and Michael Barron.
Capasso and his crew, who stand at 5-6 at the midpoint of their season, will host Revere this Saturday at 2:00. They will entertain Saugus next Monday and Swampscott next Wednesday.
Tough stretch for WHS softball
The Winthrop High softball team encountered a bit of a rough stretch during the vacation week, dropping three contests.
Last Monday, the Vikings absorbed their first mercy loss of the season, 13-1, to perennial Northeastern Conference power Danvers on Winthrop’s new field at Ingleside Park.
Fran Indrisano and Norah Zaffini accounted for the Vikings’ only hits. Jenna Whitehead was awarded the Viking of the Game award for a couple of great catches out in right field.
Two days later the Winthrop bats again were silent in a 6-0 loss at Gloucester. The contest stood at a 0-0 deadlock through four innings until the Lady Fishermen, who are ranked seventh in the state, finally broke through.
“It was a great all-around effort by the team,” said WHS head coach Erin Vercruysse. Molly Titemore earned Viking of the Game honors for her outstanding work in centerfield where she made seven catches on the day.
This past Friday the Vikings came out on the short end of a 9-6 decision at Salem. The loss was a heartbreaker for Winthrop, with the outcome decided by a three-run walk-off homer by a Witch in the bottom of the seventh.
Junior captain Sofia Gonzalez enjoyed a strong day at the plate. Sofia doubled in the first inning and singled in the third and fifth frames. Fran Indrisano and Lucy Boncore each drove in two runs, and Boncore had 10 strikeouts in the circle.
Junior Brianna Rizzotto earned Viking of the Game honors with five put-outs in left field, including a diving catch.
Vercruysse and her crew, who stand at 4-7 at the halfway mark of the season, were scheduled to travel to Peabody yesterday (Wednesday) and will host Bishop Fenwick Saturday afternoon at 2:00. They will trek to Saugus on Monday and to Swampscott next Wednesday.
Key stretch for girls lacrosse; ranked 24th in D-4
The Winthrop High girls lacrosse team, which had the week off, will return to action with a busy stretch of five matches in 10 days. Coach Anthony Hatzisavas’s squad is ranked 24th in the MIAA’s Division 4 power ratings.
The Lady Vikings, who stand at 4-3, traveled to Peabody this past Tuesday and will stay on the road to Swampscott today (Thursday), to Georgetown on Friday, and to Revere on Monday before returning to Miller Field next Thursday to take on Masconomet.
D’Amico shines at NEC Meet
Winthrop track standout Thomas D’Amico turned in a strong performance at last week’s Northeastern Conference Spring Challenge that was held at Newell Stadium in Gloucester.
Thomas placed in three events: fourth in the 400 hurdles with a time of 1:04.84; fifth in the triple jump with a final landing of 36′-3″; and sixth in the 400 dash with a clocking of 55.54.
Teammate Sean Mcgloin also turned in a nice effort at the meet, coming across the line in eighth place in the 2-mile with a time of 12:26.70.
Both the Viking girls and boys outdoor track and field teams will be back in action today (Thursday) with a meet at Miller Field.