Softball: English, St. Mary’s win in dramatic fashion

The English and St. Mary’s softball teams both needed seventh-inning heroics to come out on top Wednesday.English defeated Salem 5-3 at Salem in its season opener. The Bulldogs (1-0) had a 3-0 lead after five innings. Salem tied the game at 6-6 in the bottom of the sixth. Salem retired the first two English batters in the top of the seventh, but with two out, Bulldog Shanna Zeramby missed a homer by inches, as she hit a ball that bounced off the centerfield fence for a double. Sam Holey then hit the game-winning two-run homer. The combination of Molly Cullen (6.2 innings, 3 strikeouts, 1 walk, 2 hits, 3 runs) and Brooke Holey stymied the Salem offense.”This was a great way to start the season,” English coach Alisa Fila said. “The girls played really well in the field and hit well at the plate. It was a great game.”St. Mary’s 2, Matignon 1At Breed Field, it was a repeat of the Division 3 North final last year. The Spartans (2-0) were looking for revenge, but trailed 1-0 after five innings. St. Mary’s tied the game in the bottom of the sixth, when Alison Butler hit a single to right field to drive in the first Spartan run. With two out and none on in the bottom of the seventh, St. Mary’s rallied. Victoria Viger hit a single to center and got to second on a wild pitch. Molly Doyle hit the game-winning RBI single to left-center.”We knew this was going to be a really good game,” Spartans coach Colleen Newbury said. “It had the feel of a game that could take a whole long time to be decided. It was nice for the girls to come out on the right end of this one.”Brooke L’Abbe spun a gem for St. Mary’s (7 innings, 4 hits, 1 earned run, 1 walk, 7 strikeouts).Peabody 9, Beverly 7At Peabody, the Tanners (1-0) struck for a four-run first inning, keyed by a Katie French grand slam. Peabody added three runs in the second inning on a three-run homer by Olivia Brothers. The Tanners tacked on two in the fourth for a 9-2 lead. Beverly made a late surge, but pitcher Shelbi Wilson held off the Panthers (7 innings, 6 strikeouts, 4 walks, 5 hits, 7 runs).Marblehead 9, Saugus 7At Saugus, the Sachems trailed 4-2 at the end of the third. Marblehead scored five runs in the top of the seventh to take a 9-2 lead. The Sachems (0-2) scored five runs of their own in the bottom of the seventh, but couldn’t come all the way back. Leading the Saugus offense were freshman Pauline Ascolese (3-4), senior Tanya Stasio (1-3, 3 RBI) and Gina Vozzella (1-4, homer, RBI, run).Winthrop 10, Gloucester 6At Gloucester, the Vikings (1-0) led 2-1 through four innings. Winthrop exploded for four runs in the fifth inning. Maura Lanza had a strong performance on the mound for the Vikings (7 innings, 5 strikeouts, 5 hits, 1 walk, 6 runs, 1 earned run). For the Winthrop offense, Jen Adamson (3-4, triple, BB, 2 RBI, 3 runs scored) and Liana Ferullo (2-3, 2 BB, 3 runs scored) led the way. Michelle Lasala had a great defensive game at shortstop for the Vikings.Danvers 10, Swampscott 1At Swampscott, it was a 1-1 tie through three innings. The Falcons scored four runs in the top of the fourth. The Big Blue (0-1) received a solid performance on the mound by Stephanie Collins. Bridget Genoversa-Wong provided the offense for Swampscott (single, RBI).Salem Acad. 13, KIPP-Lynn 1At English, KIPP Academy-Lynn Collegiate (KALC) dropped its home opener.Salem Academy led 3-1 until the fourth inning.For the Lady Panthers, Helen Maldonado had some good plays as the catcher; Anaida Ovalles did a great job at third base getting a couple batters out; Mercedes Neall recorded a double, and scored the only run for the Panthers; MiKayla Collins pitched for 2 innings and only gave up 3 scores, and struck out 4 batters; and Briana Collins-Lee hit for a single.The next game for the Lady Panthers is today at Lynn Tech at 3:45 p.m.Spellman 16, Fenwick 2At Fenwick, the Crusaders (1-3) were led by sophomore Jenny Nasser (2-3, 2 runs scored, 3 stolen bases). Fellow sophomore catcher Gabby Hart had a solid day at th