Saugus softball battles through three-game stretch, eyes tournament push

By Dom Nicastro

Saugus High School’s softball team faced a challenging three-game slate in the past week, going 1-2 and bringing its overall record to 4-6 (2-6 in the Northeastern Conference). The Sachems were ranked No. 51 in the MIAA’s Division 3 power rankings as of May 6, with head coach Steve Almquist emphasizing the importance of staying in the tournament hunt.

The past week opened with a 13-6 loss at home to Beverly, a game marked by early defensive struggles that put Saugus in a deep hole. Beverly capitalized on a string of errors to build a 7-0 lead after two innings. Saugus cut into the deficit with a three-run home run by freshman Alannah Duong in the third, but Beverly answered with four more runs in the fourth.

Duong added a three-run triple in the seventh, finishing the day 3-for-4 with five RBI, but the comeback effort fell short. Senior captain Lily Ventre went 2-for-4 with a double and two runs scored. Taylor Deleidi and Sofia McCarrier split time in the circle but were undone by shaky defense behind them.

“Both Deleidi and McCarrier did their jobs but just didn’t get much support on this day,” Almquist said.

The Sachems responded with a strong 7-3 win on the road against Winthrop. Sophomore Ari Chianca sparked the offense, reaching base five times from the leadoff spot with two hits and three walks. Ventre drove in four runs on a pair of doubles, going 3-for-4, and Maria Silva added an RBI single.

“We had runners on base every inning but just couldn’t get that timely hit to break the game open as we left 13 runners on base,” Almquist said. “However, it turns out that these were all the runs that Sofia McCarrier would need.”

McCarrier pitched a complete game, allowing three earned runs on seven hits with five strikeouts.

The week closed with an emotional 5-1 loss to Marblehead in the First Annual Todd Norman Memorial Game. The Marblehead assistant died suddenly at the beginning of last season.

“We were so honored that Marblehead chose us to participate in this game and the day couldn’t have gone any better,” Almquist said. “It was such a fun time and a great way to honor Todd’s memory so it was only fitting that Marblehead came away with the victory.”

Saugus took a 1-0 lead in the third when Chianca doubled, and Ventre singled her home. Ventre remained unstoppable at the plate, going 3-for-3 and earning team MVP honors for the game. She entered the week hitting a blistering .844.

But Marblehead broke through in the fifth with three runs—two of them unearned due to Saugus infield errors—and tacked on two more in the sixth. Despite outhitting Marblehead 6-4, the Sachems left six runners stranded.

“Senior Taylor Deleidi got the start in this one and pitched six tremendous innings keeping us within ear shot and giving us every opportunity to win it,” Almquist said.

McCarrier came on in the seventh to close, allowing no runs and no hits.

The Sachems entered another pivotal week this week with three games on the schedule: at home against Northeast Metro Tech and Gloucester, and on the road at Danvers. Almquist noted the importance of picking up at least one win to keep Saugus’s postseason hopes alive.