The Big Blue of Swampscott got a narrow 2-1 win over visiting Saugus on Friday afternoon.
It was a pitching battle between Saugus’ Brayden Crawford and Swampscott’s Will Brogna. Crawford went six innings giving up two runs, one earned, with five strikeouts.
“It was another close battle with a good team. Crawford has been giving us high-quality stars and we’ve been struggling to support him with runs,” Saugus Coach Mike Mabee said.
Big Blue Head Coach Joe Caponigro described Brogna’s pitching as a “gem”. Brogna went the full seven innings giving up seven hits, one unearned run, one walk, and striking out five to earn himself the win.
“We got an outstanding pitching performance from Will Brogna as he poured strikes and competed all day. He had command of all three of his pitches hitting his spots and keeping Saugus hitters off balance,” Caponigro said.
Down 1-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, with two outs, Swampscott’s Adam Sparacio got on base with a single. Then off of a wild pitch, Sparacio got to second base. With a runner in scoring position, Caden Ross hit an RBI single to drive home Sparacio to tie the game.
With the score still tied at one in the bottom of the sixth, the Big Blue had bases loaded. Cooper Correnti battled at the plate and forced a walk, scoring Paul Calsimitto for what ended up being the game-winner.
In the seventh inning, Swampscott’s defense stepped up making highlight reel plays to close the game.
“We got some timely hitting when we needed it and very solid defense, especially in the top of the seventh when Nick Berube made a spectacular diving catch on an attempted sac bunt,” Caponigro said. “Then the play that second baseman Chase Groothuis made on a line drive that doubled off Saugus at first base to end the game was obviously huge.”
At the plate, Saugus had hits from Jordan Rodriguez, Nathan Soroko, Chris Mazin, Danny Zeitz, and Crawford.
“We failed to execute late in the game and against good teams like Swampscott, that comes back to hurt you,” Mabee said. “While it stings, consistently being in close games is going to help us in the long run, learning how to handle these situations and what we need to do, and what we need to avoid going forward in the season.”
BASEBALL
Lynnfield 10
Triton 3
The bats were on fire Friday morning as the Pioneers traveled to Triton and took care of business. Once Lynnfield gets going offensively, they’re one of the toughest teams to slow down and Triton learned that lesson.
Lynnfield’s next game is on Tuesday when it hosts Ipswich at 4 p.m.
Arlington Catholic 10
Bishop Fenwick 0
Bishop Fenwick had an evening to forget as Arlington Catholic scored 10 runs past the Crusaders.
The Cougars were led by senior Pat Clair who allowed two hits and no runs in five innings.
St. John’s Prep 7
Cambridge Rindge & Latin 5
It was a solid defensive display for the Eagles, but they got plenty of offense thanks to Harvard commit Will Shaheen. Shaheen hit a two-run home run to power St. John’s Prep.
St. Mary’s 5
Pope Francis 4
St. Mary’s found another way to win, as it won with a walk-off hit against Pope Francis. In the bottom of the seventh, Cam McGonagle hit a double to get into scoring position. With one out, Jaiden Driscoll hit a single to bring McGonagle home.
On the mound, Jake Peterson earned the win by going 3.2 innings in relief.
The Spartans improve to 8-1 on the season.
SOFTBALL
Lowell 14
Lynn Classical 12
The Rams dug themselves into an early hole but couldn’t complete the comeback at Breed Middle School.
Lynn Classical was down 10-1 after three innings and 14-3 after the top of the fourth. Then the home team started to make a run. The Rams scored eight runs in the sixth inning to get within touching distance, but couldn’t overcome the deficit.
Brooke Braswell went 3-for-3 with four RBI, two steals, two runs, and a triple. Mia Duncan went 1-for-1 with two walks, a sac-fly, and three RBI. Nevaeh Eth had two RBI, a triple, and scored two runs. Aysia Olaes had a two-RBI double in the sixth.
The Rams look to bounce back against Greater Boston League rival Revere on Monday.
Danvers 9
Peabody 7
It was a back-and-forth encounter between the Tanners and the Falcons. Peabody took an early 2-0 lead after the second inning, but Danvers fought back and made it 7-3 going into the fourth inning.
The Falcons tacked on an additional two insurance runs in the fifth inning to take a commanding 9-3 lead. Peabody battled back but the comeback came up short.
GIRLS LACROSSE
Marblehead 10
Masconomet 7
The Magicians went to enemy territory and walked out with a Northeastern Conference win against Masconomet. Marblehead (5-4) is above .500 with the win and improves its NEC record to 3-2.
Leading the way on the evening was Zoe Dwyer who scored a hat trick. Kathryn Commoss and Ramona Gillett each scored twice and provided an assist.
Maddie Forbes and Gretchen Smith each had a goal and two assists in the win.
In goal, Molly Bullard made 10 saves to ensure the win.
“We fought for this win. Proud of how we are becoming a team that is able to adapt and make the changes necessary to win,” Marblehead Coach Annie Madden said.
Peabody 16
Danvers 0
Brooke Lomasney led the Tanners with five goals and three assists in a 16-0 thrashing over the Falcons.
Ally Bettencourt and Madi Barrett (4 assists) each netted a hat trick in the win.
Bella Kassis, Ari Alvarado, Victoria Vaz, Leah Bresnahan, and Briana Symonds all contributed with a goal.
Now at 5-2 (4-1 in the NEC), Peabody will look to improve its record on Saturday when it takes on Billerica in what Head Coach Michelle Roach described the game as a “good test”.
Methuen 8
Swampscott 7
The Big Blue fell a goal short on the road to Methuen.
Victoria Pierro and Chloe Puzzo added two goals apiece while Avery Laundry, Bridget Maloney, and Cecelia Tripp all got on the scoresheet with a goal. Lilah Caplan made eight saves in net.
Swampscott, now 7-2, will look to bounce back at home against Danvers on Tuesday.
GIRLS TENNIS
Masconomet 3
Marblehead 2
The match that was tied at two resumed on Friday with third singles finishing out their match to determine the winner. Masco’s Sophie Donnellan prevailed in a 7-5 third-set thriller to earn the win (6-3, 4-6, 7-5) over Marblehead’s Abbie Goodwin.
“Abbie was down 2-5, and made a great comeback to keep the match very close. At 5-5 they must have had 6-8 deuce games before Sophie went ahead at 6-5, then finished the match at 7-5,” Marblehead Coach Tracy Ackerman said. “Both players were super consistent and patient, forcing their opponents to make the error. Abbie is looking forward to getting another chance to play Sophie next Friday when we travel to Masco.”
TRACK AND FIELD
Peabody traveled to Philadelphia to compete in the Penn Relays. One of the premier events, there was competition represented from all over the world with people coming from the Bahamas and Jamaica.
For the Tanners, they performed well. Alessandra Forgione, who was ranked as the 18th seed entering the competition, ended up finishing eighth overall in the javelin. A new personal record and school record was set by Forgione with a throw of 139-9. Forgione was the fifth American finisher, with the top three finishers coming from the Bahamas according to Coach Fernando Braz.
Alex Jackson continued to impress. The future Cavalier threw 62-10 in the shot put and finished seventh overall. Jackson was the fourth American finisher.
