Saugus baseball team battles through close contests, earns big win over Masco

By Dom Nicastro

The Saugus High School baseball team came out of a busy stretch with a thrilling comeback win and two hard-fought losses.

The Sachems dropped a 1-0 heartbreaker to Gloucester in a classic pitchers’ duel. Junior Brayden Crawford went toe-to-toe with Gloucester’s Giacomo Martell, with both hurlers tossing shutout ball into the seventh inning. Crawford struck out six and allowed no earned runs. However, Gloucester broke the deadlock in the bottom of the seventh with a walk-off double.

“Brayden impressed with his composure, no matter the situation,” Saugus Head Coach Mike Mabee said. “When he is on the mound it doesn’t matter if he struck out the last two batters, or we are in a jam with runners in scoring position and less than two outs. Brayden is the same pitcher, with the same mindset in each situation we have been in. The team rallies behind his toughness when he toes the bump.”

Crawford also led the way offensively, going a perfect three-for-three at the plate with three singles. Senior captain Danny Zeits and junior Chris Mazin added a hit apiece for the Sachems, who were scheduled to face Salem on Wednesday, April 16.

“Having a guy that can produce on the mound and at the plate is a great advantage,” Mabee said. “It’s one of the hardest things in baseball to do both and at a successful level is even harder. He is meticulous in his work ethic, and it shows come game day no matter where he is put: in the field, mound, or batter’s box. We have a few guys that fit this mold, and they have the ability to set the tone for our team in multiple ways.”

Earlier in the week, Saugus fell to Swampscott, 2-1, in the continuation of their Opening Day matchup. Swampscott broke a 1-1 tie in the top of the eighth with a well-executed sequence: a leadoff single, a sacrifice bunt and a groundout to move the runner to third, followed by a clutch RBI single.

Saugus mounted a two-out rally in the bottom half, advancing Nathan Soroko to second after he was hit by a pitch and a pickoff throwing error. Cam Bernard walked, but after a tough at-bat, Zeits grounded out to second to end the game.

The highlight of the recent stretch came in a 13-6 victory over Masconomet. After falling behind 3-0 through three innings, Saugus erupted for 10 runs in the fifth to take control. Senior captain Cam Soroko earned the win on the mound, settling in after a rocky start. Fellow senior captain Cam Bernard provided three strong innings in relief.

“Soroko and Bernard have been a major part of the foundation of our team,” Mabee said. “While they were appointed captains in the preseason, they stepped up as leaders as soon as I began communicating with them in the offseason. They are experienced, which comes with its natural perks, but they love the game of baseball, and you see it with their play. It’s great when your leaders are good baseball players, but when you can add the passion they play with, it adds another level to themselves, and their teammates around them.”

Zeits and Jordan Rodriguez came up big in the fifth with two-out RBI hits, helping Saugus take the lead for good. Rodriguez finished with a two-hit, two-RBI game, matched by senior Connor Bloom’s own two-hit, two-RBI effort.

“Jordan on paper struggled in our first two contests, but was seeing the ball well and squared it up on multiple occasions,” Mabee said. “Against Masco we finally saw him cash in on the contact he had been making all year and notched two hits in the book. He is a competitor, he has a mentality that you can’t really teach, and he wants to win and beat you at any cost. Connor brings our team a lot from his bat. He’s our only lefty, and he can hit for contact and has some pop in his barrel. Before Masco we went over some film, tried some new drills and the product was his performance at Masco. What the score sheet won’t tell you is one of his singles was a few feet from clearing the fence, but due to the bases being jammed and less than two outs, he only recorded a single. He’s a sponge when it comes to learning and applies the things we are giving him as a staff.”

Despite the losses to Swampscott and Gloucester, the team has had late chances. What does Mabee want to see from his hitters in those clutch situations going forward?

“My message to the team has been urgency,” Mabee said. “If we are able to play with urgency in the first inning, then those moments like we had against Swampscott and Gloucester that would earn the label of pressure end up being the same approach for us that we have played with all game. The coaching staff’s message to the team has been to have some perspective in the losses. Those are two quality baseball teams, and the games had a playoff atmosphere from the dugout standpoint. While they appear as two losses in the record, they are two opportunities to gain experience, learn from our mistakes and be better from them going forward.”

Despite a pair of one-run losses, Mabee said, the team remains focused on the bigger picture. The players set goals early in the season, and those have served as a steady reminder to stay accountable and bounce back from setbacks. Mabee emphasized the importance of learning from mistakes in practice and staying present through the grind of the schedule. He praised the team’s coachability and resilience, saying they’ve shown a consistent drive to improve – whether in tight games or on the practice field.

Mabee also highlighted the emergence of key contributors as a sign of growing depth. Junior Chris Mazin has stepped into a major role in right field with timely hits and smart baserunning, while Rodriguez continues to impact the team across multiple positions. Veterans like Javy Cruz-Fuentes and Connor Kelleher have brought stability and leadership to the outfield.

Offensively, Mabee pointed to a more disciplined approach at the plate – especially in the fifth inning explosion against Masco – as a sign the team is progressing. And after facing small ball pressure, aggressive baserunning and defensive miscues, Mabee said the early-season challenges are sharpening the team for the stretch run.

“As a team we created goals in the beginning of the season,” Mabee said. “When things don’t go our way, we are reminded by the goals we have as a team that we must move forward, learn from our mistakes, correct them in controlled environments like practice and be ready again for the next challenge in the schedule. The goals have kept the team accountable and reminds us all why we are doing, what we do every day. Looking down the line the season may seem long, but it quickly sneaks up and having our goals in mind, we attack today with everything we have and let the chips fall from there.”