SAUGUS — A Northeastern Conference softball showdown between Saugus and Winthrop took place at Parcher Park, with the Sachems winning a nail-bitter, 6-5. Saugus senior Lily Ventre (2-for-2, 3 RBI, 2 BB) recorded the 100th hit of her career.
“This was a momentous day for Lily. She was intentionally walked three times against Swampscott and pitchers tend to pitch around her. She’s such a great hitter,” said Saugus Coach Steve Almquist. “That’s the most we’ve had in my tenure. She’s missed a lot of games due to injury, too. She’s such a humble kid and had no idea she got the milestone. She works so hard. I couldn’t be happier for her. She deserves everything she gets.”
A common theme in this one: star pitchers, who happened to be underclassmen.
Winthrop freshman Lucy Boncore struck out 10 batters across six innings, while Saugus 8th grader Sofia McCarrier went the distance, finishing with seven strikeouts.
“She’s put in a lot of work and that’s why she is where she is. She had 15 strikeouts against Salem on Wednesday, so she’s showing consistency, which is nice,” Winthrop Coach Erin Vercruysse said of Boncore. “It’s not just her, though. Francesca Indrisano is her catcher throughout the year. They practice together and Fran goes to her private lessons with her, too. They have that kind of cohesiveness, so a lot of it is Fran, too. The pitching has been a huge difference for us – absolutely huge. It can’t be understated.”
Almquist was “proud” of how McCarrier dealt with pressure in a back-and-forth game.
“She’s learning. There’s a lot on her shoulders right now and we’re still working on developing some other pitchers to help her out. She’s a hard worker and a tough kid. She wants to get better,” Almquist said. “When she throws strikes and gets her legs into it, she has a lot of zip on the ball. We just tell her to go out and throw strikes. We’re a young team, but a hungry team. They will make plays behind her. They’re very coachable.”
The Sachems got on the board first in the opening inning, when Ventre hit an RBI-single to bring in Alannah Duong. In the same inning, Danica Schena and Alexa Morello recorded RBI hits to give Saugus a 3-0 cushion.
The Sachems took a 4-1 lead into the third inning before Winthrop began its comeback.
Boncore hit an RBI-single to make it 4-2 before Indrisano roped a two-run double to tie the game, 4-4. From there, Deanna Nee recorded a sacrifice hit to give the Vikings a 5-4 lead.
“Any time you get hits like that, it’s going to put some pep in your step… it helps gain momentum,” Vercruysse said. “When we have big hitters like Fran and Sophia (Gonzalez) come up and do their thing, it’s a momentum gain. We’re hoping that’ll turn itself into a few more hits throughout the season.”
Saugus responded in the fourth inning when Ventre stepped up and delivered once again – this time, a two-run single to left field (6-5).
In the final inning, with two runners on base and two outs, a Vikings’ hitter smashed a ball down toward third base. However, Saugus 8th grader Layla DeMonte made a diving stop to preserve the lead, stepping on the bag to end the game.
“That was a hall-of-fame stop. She’s an 8th grader and she’s got a cannon of an arm, too. That was a game-saving play right there,” Almquist said. “I felt when it was hit, that it was going to be a double down the line and they were going to tie it or even go in front. She’s a quiet kid, so there’s not a lot of emotion with her, but I felt so happy for her when she made that play.”
Despite the loss, Vercruysse was pleased with how her young team (5 sophomores, 2 freshmen) is performing.
“We’re really happy with how things came out today. We’re a growing team and I think the growth has shown just from this year alone,” she said. “The addition of our freshman pitcher, Lucy Boncore, has been a huge deal for us. We have a young infield, too, but they know the game and that really helps. We made a couple of errors today. Had we not made them, we might be in a different position, but we’re growing and I’m happy with how things are going.”
Winthrop has a quick turnaround as the Vikings host Hamilton Wenham at 11 a.m. Saturday. Meanwhile, Saugus looks to carry its momentum to Monday when it visits Waltham at 4:30 p.m.
