When Lynn Classical’s baseball team (15-1) began the season 0-1 – a loss against Lynnfield – coach Mike Zukowski remained confident in his group. Well, fast forward a few months, and the Rams are champions of the Greater Boston League.
Classical defeated Chelsea 16-1 at Fraser Field on Wednesday. Cole Finnigan got the win on the mound while collecting two RBI at the plate. Ryan Dugan also impressed, going 3-for-3 with four RBI.
BASEBALL
Beverly 6
Marblehead 2
The Magicians (9-7) have been hot as of late, but met their match against the Beverly Panthers Wednesday. Riley Schmitt (2 hits) and Shane Keough (2) accounted for Marblehead’s four hits, while Drew Whitman struck out seven on the hill.
“When you play good teams, you cannot give them extra opportunities,” Marblehead coach Mike Giardi said.
Saugus 5
Winthrop 4
Saugus and Winthrop were tied 4-4 in the sixth inning with Nathen Soroko playing the role of the hero – his single served as the game-winning RBI. Cam Bernard earned the victory on the mound, allowing eight hits and four runs across five 1/3 innings, striking out five.
Cam Soroko recorded the last five outs to pick up the save for Saugus, which returns to action Friday against Swampscott.
SOFTBALL
English 15
Malden 14
Senior day was a success for English’s softball team (8-9) as the Bulldogs squeezed out a win against Malden. LeaNyah Pineiro led the way, going 4-for-5 with a home run, double, and three RBI.
Kate Johannson, Jari Perez, and Arianna Laboy each recorded three hits, Ariana Reynoso added two more, and Arianna Laboy retired eight on the mound.
Classical 19
Chelsea 0
Freshmen Emma Chevalier (9 strikeouts) and Brooke Braswell (4) combined for a shutout in Classical’s (10-5) win against Chelsea. The result: A division 1 state tournament berth.
Senior Eliana Alas was 3-for-4 with two doubles and a triple, also registering three runs and five RBI.
Marblehead 12
Winthrop 0
Marblehead’s softball team got it done Wednesday, shutting out the Vikings in a 12-0 final score. Pitcher Ruby Calienes struck out 11, walked no one, and allowed just three hits.
Isabel Mortensen, Luka Bornhorst, Eve Walton, and Sophia Hallisey each recorded two hits, and Anna Bobowski – who hit the ball hard from beginning to end – added a hit to drive in run number 12 for the Magicians.
Saugus 16
Swampscott 4
The Saugus softball team (10-6) did its job at home – and then some – against Swampscott. Taylor Deleidi got the win on the mound, also tacking on an RBI single to lead the Sachems.
Caitlin Pugh went 4-for-5 and was a home run short of a cycle, while Lily Ventre continued her stellar season with two hits and two RBI.
“That qualifies us for the state tournament for the seventh straight year,” Saugus coach Steve Almquist said.
Meghan Baker was 2-for-3 with a double, while Delaney Miller had two doubles for Swampscott.
Triton 10
Lynnfield 3
The Lynnfield softball team (9-7) fell to Triton Wednesday, but positives poured in despite the loss. Celia Carbone and Ava Marotta had two hits apiece, while Morgan Hubbard and Ava Gamache recorded singles for Lynnfield, which returns to play against Manchester Essex on Friday.
Peabody 10
Danvers 0
Abby Bettencourt recorded 14 strikeouts as Peabody’s softball team cruised to victory against the Falcons. A four-run first inning got the Tanners off to the right start, and they never looked back.
BOYS LACROSSE
St. John’s Prep 19
Malden Catholic 2
The St. John’s Prep Eagles (15-2) defeated Malden Catholic Wednesday afternoon as nine Eagles scored goals, including Drew Bossi (4) and Oliver Rosselli (4). John Droggitis, Jake Guertin, and Drew Klein led Prep’s defense.
Jimmy Nardone, Nolan Convey, and Joe Bullard each netted two goals, while Nathan Bernarducci and Chase Kenyon combined to go 15/16 in faceoffs.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Marblehead 9
Masconomet 8
Talk about a nailbiter. Marblehead’s girls lacrosse team (5-10) continued its strong second half to the season with a narrow win against Masco.
Superstar sniper Sydney Langton led the offense with six goals, while Lucy Wales, Ramona Gillett, and Maddie Forbes accounted for the other three. Kate Santesanio stood strong between the pipes with 10 saves.
BOYS TENNIS
Marblehead 5
Masconomet 0
Marblehead’s boys tennis team (12-2) upped its Northeastern Conference record to 10-0 on Wednesday, besting Masco in straight games. Mika Garber, Jost Eggebrecht, and Etan Farfel all won in singles.
“It was senior day for Marblehead’s team and it was very gratifying to have our senior co-captains, Jimmy King and Jack Wykes, come through in a third match tie-breaker,” Marblehead coach Elisabeth Foukal said.
GIRLS TENNIS
Masconomet 5
Marblehead 0
As Marblehead coach Tracy Ackerman said on Wednesday, “Masco showed why they are the defending state title champions.”
Courtney Yoder and Aviva Bornstein had a competitive match in first doubles before losing 2-6, 3-6.
“Courtney and Aviva got the Masco team off-balance by playing different formations,” Ackerman said.
Aoife Bresnahan and Lucia Levin lost to a “super strong” Masco duo (1-6, 1-6), according to Ackerman.
“Hats off to Masco. They have very talented players, all who have returned from last year. We wish them the best of luck in defending their state title again,” Ackerman said. “The girls showed tremendous sportsmanship to our team [and] it was great camaraderie between the two teams.”
VOLLEYBALL
Classical 3
Chelsea 1
Classical’s volleyball team (7-11) was victorious against Chelsea in set scores of 25-16, 20-25, 25-22, and 25-23. Simply put, the box score was packed, as senior setter Karim Chinchilla had 39 assists, sophomore outside hitter Viet Tran had 21 kills, and junior outside hitter Jon Ly added 18 kills.
Freshman Long Pham played his first match at libero and was outstanding with 21 digs. The Rams return to action against Pioneer Charter on Thursday (4:15 p.m.).
