Although it seems like football weather – or snowboarding, skiing, pond hockey weather – we’re fully into the spring sports season.
As much as I can’t stand the wind and rain – parents, feel me? – I often admire the student-athletes whose brains are laser-focused, despite lousy weather.
The other day, I attended a Marblehead vs. Swampscott softball game – a big traditional rivalry around these parts. I was treated to a pitchers’ duel between some of the Northeastern Conference’s best in Marblehead’s Tessa Francis and Swampscott’s Hayden Haskell.
Francis put the Magicians on her back with a 16-strikeout performance, which included striking out the side to end the game in the seventh inning. Haskell was more than sharp, too.
A few games into the season, let’s think of some others…
St. Mary’s star pitchers, Josh Doney and Jack Zimmerman, have picked up where they left off last season, when the Spartans were just one game short of a state championship.
In game No. 1 this spring, Doney and Zimmerman performed well against one of the top teams in the state, showing why St. Mary’s, frankly, deserves to be in that same conversation. The duo combined for 12 strikeouts and one earned run in the Spartans’ 3-1 win against Milton.
St. Mary’s has lots of talented pitchers as its softball ace, Aliza Crean-Oviedo, showed her poise in the circle against Bishop Stang. She struck out four batters and allowed just four hits in the Spartans’ emphatic win.
Oh, and she’s only a sophomore.
Staying in Lynn, Lynn Classical’s Christian Figueroa needed to be perfect against a tough Everett team for the Rams to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Spoiler alert: The captain delivered.
He pitched a complete game, allowed just a pair of hits, and struck out nine Crimson Tide batters, allowing no runs or walks to catapult the Rams to a 1-0 win.
I haven’t forgotten about the hot bats, either – and you don’t have to look much further than Peabody’s Kaylee DiNicola. Against Masconomet, DiNicola went 4-for-4 with a double, four RBI, and three runs. A lot of offense graduated from Peabody High a year ago, but DiNicola is stepping up.
Back to Lynn, where the Lynn Tech baseball team lit up the scoreboard, 15-5, against Cristo Rey Boston Wednesday. Eddie Lewis Jr. went 4-for-5 with three RBI, while teammates Dylan Nordyke (4-for-4) and Jendo Diaz (3-for-4) picked up two RBI apiece.
The winter sports season came with plenty of milestones – five 1,000-point basketball scorers in Lynn alone – and the spring is no different.
Saugus’ Lily Ventre picked up her 100th career hit against Winthrop. Beyond that, she was critical in a 6-5 victory in which she finished 2-for-2 with three RBI and two walks.
Anyway, can you imagine how hot these bats will be once the sun comes out?
