Revere advances with extra-inning walk-off win

REVERE – The Revere High School softball team found the perfect way to say goodbye to Hill Park, which hosted its final game on Thursday afternoon. The No. 14 Patriots staved off a Lowell comeback, eventually winning a Division 1 North preliminary round game 3-2 in eight innings on a game-winning single by pinch-hitter Aliza Anderson.Normally the starting left fielder, Anderson had to miss the start of the game to attend a scholarship ceremony for her academic record. If the $5,000 award wasn’t enough to make the day memorable, propelling her team to the next round certainly made it a memorable day.”It really was a perfect day,” Anderson said. “I had a hit earlier in the game (her first pinch-hit appearance), but when I got the game-winning hit, it was the best feeling ever. I’m a senior, so I couldn’t imagine a better way to end my time playing on this field.”With two outs in the bottom of the eighth, freshman Ally Hinojosa gave the Patriots life with a full-count triple to right-center. Stephanie Gregorio followed with a dribbler down the third baseline, which Lowell smartly refused to throw to first. Gregorio advanced to second with some heads-up base running, setting the stage for Anderson.”She’s an incredible student and an incredible person,” said Revere coach Joe Ciccarello of Anderson. “The best part of today was that we teach our kids that it’s not how you start, but how you finish, and for Aliza to come into the game in that situation and deliver shows her persistency and that good things will happen if you keep at it.”For five innings, it seemed as if Revere would advance without much of a fight, as starter Sabrina Palermo was her usual phenomenal self. The visiting No. 19 Red Raiders simply had no answer for the Patriots’ sophomore ace, as she allowed just three hits while whiffing four.That all changed in the sixth, however, as the visitors finally broke through, scoring two runs and stealing the momentum. Sarah Byam delivered a two-out single scoring Kelsey Higgins and Alyssa Tulley.”The sixth was the only time she got in trouble all game and she walked the lead-off batter,” said Ciccarello of Palermo’s outing. “She knows she’s her own worst enemy when she walks batters, but after the runs scored she was able to settle down and pitch herself out of any more damage.”A call in the bottom of the frame went against Revere as the base umpire ruled a Hinojosa bloop down the right field line foul, despite the ball seemingly hitting Chloe Manousos’ glove in fair territory.The hosts scored solo runs in both the first and third innings to give Palermo an early cushion. Juliana CeCere’s RBI single scored Jackie Noel, who led off the bottom of the first with a walk, before stealing second. Kristina Stella doubled with one out in the third before advancing to third on a groundout. She would score on a passed ball.Revere will face a familiar opponent in the next round on Saturday (7 p.m.), as it will take on Lexington, whom the Patriots eliminated from the postseason last spring.”They’re a very good team,” Ciccarello said. “We were able to beat them 2-0 on their home field last season, so they’re going to be licking their chops for us.”