MIAA Roundup: Swampscott girls tennis falls to Concord-Carlisle

The Swampscott High girls tennis team bowed out of the Division 2 North tournament Thursday with a 4-1 loss to Concord-Carlisle at Concord.Veronica Pyatigorskaya accounted for the Big Blue’s lone point, winning her match at third singles, 6-1, 6-4. The match was two hours long. Pyatigorskaya went 20-0 this season.”Their players are very good players,” Swampscott coach Nina Rogers said. “They were just better, with more experience.”Rogers said the goal yesterday was to just go out and “do our best.” She said her players for the most part were overpowered, although most won at least one game.”A lot of (their) girls are ranked. Their serves, their strokes were strong. They hit the ball harder,” she said.Swampscott finished the season 17-4.Winchester 5, Marblehead 0At Winchester Swim and Tennis Club, the Magicians (20-3) ran into a very tough Winchester team in Division 2 North quarterfinal action.”I think on paper we matched up pretty good. Going in, I gave us a fighting chance, more than a fighting chance, but on this day, they (Winchester) were no doubt the better team,” coach Tim Stonecipher said.Tory Booth lost at first singles, 4-6, 1-6; Annie Ryan, second singles, 1-6, 1-6; Meghan Gabel, third singles, 1-6, 2-6; Kelly Mealey-Sarah Katz, first doubles, 1-6, 1-6, and second doubles, 4-6, 2-6.”It’s always tough losing,” Stonecipher said. “It takes a bus ride back from Winchester to remember you went 20-3, won the conference and had a lot of great individual performances throughout the year. Looking back, we really had a great season.”Weston 4, Lynnfield 1At Lynnfield, the Pioneers (12-4) saw their postseason come to an end against a tough Weston team in the Division 3 North semifinals.Lynnfield’s first doubles team of Danielle Soden and Olivia Skelley picked up the only point, winning their match 6-4, 7-6 (7-3). Kelley Nevils put up a fight at first singles before losing 3-6, 7-6 (3-10). Last year, Lynnfield lost in the semifinals as well.Coach Craig Stone said he had graduated three seniors last year and wasn’t sure how things would play out this year, but he was happy with the season.”We’re left with a lot of positive things going into next year,” he said.BOYS TENNISWeston 5, Swampscott 0At Swampscott, the Big Blue had a tough outing against a very strong Dual County League team in Weston. Matt Jacobs was competitive at first singles, but lost 7-5, 3-6, 7-10.”We had a great season. I’m proud of the guys,” Swampscott coach Neil Whitehouse said. “They really put themselves out there.”Whitehouse said the team didn’t make the tournament last year and he believes this is the farthest a Swampscott boys team has gone in the tournament.”They really pulled it together this year. They made it easy to coach,” he said. “They can walk away with their heads held high. They’re terrific kids.”SOFTBALLWhittier 5, Winthrop 4At UMass-Lowell, Whittier brought the bats to this one, out-hitting Winthrop 10-4 in a game that was close the entire way. The Vikings scored in the second inning when Liana Ferullo doubled and came home on a Christine Haskell ground ball.Whittier came back to tie the game, but in the fourth, the Vikings took control at 4-1 with a run scoring on a passed ball and two more on a Michele Lasala double. Whittier pounded the ball in the top of the fifth with a double, single, walk and another double that scored two. Whittier tied the game on an RBI single and went ahead for good in the top of the sixth with a couple of bunts, followed by a single.”They had bigger bats than we did,” Winthrop coach Dave Guffey said.Maura Lanza (10 hits, 5 runs, 2 walks) took the loss. Winthrop finishes 16-7.BASEBALLDanvers 6, Belmont 0At Alumni Field in Lowell, the Falcons (21-3) will face Masconomet Sunday in the Division 2 North final after shutting out Belmont. Brandon Hyde (9-0) pitched a complete-game shutout. The final will be at 1 p.m. at LeLacheur Park.Joyce Erekson can be reached at [email protected].