A seven-inning pitching duel fell in favor of the Peabody softball team, which turned a pair of late-inning errors from visiting Winthrop into a 2-1 walk-off victory on Friday evening.
Tanners? starter Shelbi Wilson struck out 13 Vikings while her counterpart, Taylor Thomas, fanned eight while yielding just three hits. Both walked one batter apiece.
?Both starters were incredible, matching each other virtually pitch for pitch,” said Peabody coach Butch Melanaphy, whose team improved to 8-5. “Winthrop has always been something of a jinx to our program in terms of head-to-head results so this was a great win, so to speak.”
Wilson turned in a strong effort with the bat as well, finishing with two hits, including a double in the bottom of the sixth inning, moving Kayla Santos to third from where she would score after Mallory LeBlanc?s grounder to shortstop was mishandled.
An inning later, Michelle McHugh reached on another error, once again allowing Santos to score, this time ending the game.
Winthrop took a 1-0 lead in the third on a solo home run from Gabby Kenniston.
Swampscott 1, Everett 0
Hannah Leahy was lights out for the Big Blue (9-5), going the full seven and allowing just three hits while striking out 10.
Both of Swampscott?s hits came in the fourth inning, but one was a big one. Christina King provided all the offense the Big Blue would need with a solo home run.
?It was a big win today,” said Swampscott coach Frank Kowalski. “After a couple of tough losses, coming out here and getting a win against a Division I team gives us some confidence.”
Marblehead 11, Newburyport 7
Emily Promise went 4-for-4 with four RBIs to lead the visiting Magicians (12-2, 7-0Northeastern Conference/South), who got 2-for-4 performances from Ally Kapoll and Emily Tejada (2 RBIs).
The Clippers managed eight hits off Marblehead starter Maddie Ernst, who struck out two while earning the win.
BASEBALL
KIPP 13, Edward M. Kennedy 1
Freshman Tyler Thomson (five strikeouts) improved to 2-0 with a complete-game two-hitter, upping the host Tigers? record to 4-2. Senior shortstop Jose Valera drove in three and scored two runs.
St. John?s Prep 6, Gloucester 0
On a day where he and his 11 fellow classmates were honored with a pregame ceremony, senior Justin Kerhulas picked up his fifth win of the season, pitching five strong innings while giving up just two hits and striking out nine.
?It was nice to see him come out on Senior Day throwing strikes,” said coach Dan Letarte, who also lauded Nolan Webb, who struck out four in two innings of relief.
Offensively, the Eagles (13-2, 7-0Catholic Conference) were led by Keith Leavitt and Jacob Yish (solo home run), who both had two RBIs.
Winthrop 7, O?Bryant 2
The Vikings improved to 6-10 behind a sensational outing from David Kirby, who struck out 14 batters in a complete-game effort. Fellow senior Dylan Driscoll had two hits and as many runs scored for Winthrop, which broke things open with a five-run fifth inning, highlighted by a three-run triple by junior Matt Feeley.
BOYS? TRACK
Lynn Classical 70, Everett 66
Andres Valdez broke the school record in the 400-meter hurdles with a time of 63.7 seconds, besting the previous mark of 64.2 held by George Clark, before adding a win in the triple jump (36 feet 6 inches).
The host Rams (3-3-1) clinched the victory in the 4×400-meter relay withJulovens Closeville, James Eldred, Yunior Crispin, and John Ngunana combining for a time of 3:55.
Thomas Mackin was a double winner in the 2-mile (10:29) and the 800-meter dash (2:11), while Brian Arias won the javelin (138-7). Zeke Ebieshuwa qualified for the state tournament with his 23.3 win in the 200-meter dash.
GIRLS? TRACK
Classical 91, Everett 40
Anna Wargo took first in the 400-meter dash before adding a victory in the long jump. Agnes Bangura was a double-winner as well for Classical (4-3), with triumphs in the 100- and 200-meter dashes.Other winners for the host Rams included Soraya August
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