SHS Sachems Spring Sports Roundup

Softball powers past Waltham, field hockey returns from break

By Dom Nicastro

Saugus High School’s Spring teams returned to action after the April break. The softball team picked up a resilient win on the road during the break, while the field hockey team resumed play with a tough outing at home.

Senior leadership lifts Saugus softball over Waltham

The Saugus High School softball team improved to 4-4 (1-4 NEC) with a 10-6 win over Waltham on April 23, despite missing four starters.

“Going into this one I was a bit nervous as we were missing four starters but our three Senior Captains (Danica Schena, Lily Ventre and Alexa Morello) demonstrated great leadership putting the team on their back helping carry us to victory,” said Saugus head coach Steve Almquist.

Saugus scored three runs in the first inning. Senior captain Danica Schena led off with a single, followed by a single from eighth grader Rose Pietrzak in her first varsity at-bat. After a double steal, both scored on a two-run single from senior captain Lily Ventre, who entered the game batting .792. Senior captain Alexa Morello added an RBI single to cap the frame.

Ventre tripled to lead off the third and scored on a Morello groundout to make it 4-0. Waltham cut the lead to 5-3, but Saugus responded with five more runs over the next two innings. Key hits came from Ventre and Schena, with the biggest blow being a two-run inside-the-park homer by freshman Alannah Duong.

“These were all the runs that Sofia McCarrier would need as she pitched another outstanding game,” Almquist said.

McCarrier also had two hits, including a triple and an RBI. Her final line: seven innings pitched, six runs (four unearned), 10 hits, 0 walks and 10 strikeouts.

The Sachems racked up 13 hits. Offensive leaders:

• Danica Schena: 4-for-5, two runs
• Lily Ventre: 3-for-3, triple, two RBI, four runs
• Alexa Morello: 1-for-4, two RBI, run
• Alannah Duong: 2-for-4, HR, two RBI, run
• Sofia McCarrier: 2-for-4, triple, RBI
• Rose Pietrzak: 1-for-5, run

“This will be a challenging week for us as we have Beverly at home on Wednesday and then travel to Winthrop on Friday and Marblehead on Saturday,” Almquist added. “It will be a good test and will give us a better indicator as to where we stand against some of the top tier teams in the conference.”

Saugus field hockey resumes play with loss to Beverly

The Saugus High School field hockey team returned from break with a home game against Beverly on Tuesday, April 29, its first since April 14.

The Sachems fell 20-2. Layla Rodriguez scored both goals. Goalie Jordyn Deminski made 11 saves.

Next game is Thursday away in Gloucester.