EHS Crimson Tide Sports Roundup

By Joe McConnell

Tide softball holds on to beat visiting Watertown

The last four games pretty much encapsulated the season to date for the Everett High School softball team (6-6). The Crimson Tide won two – Malden (27-9, April 29) and Watertown (9-7, May 1) – before losing two – Triton (11-0, May 2) and Revere (14-7, May 4). It’s a scenario that typifies the overall season’s rollercoaster ride, but with the weather beginning to warm up, the defending Greater Boston League (GBL) champs should be able to put together a winning streak as a momentum builder for the postseason.

“We gave (Watertown) too many runs (on) walks and errors, but the girls still kept on fighting,” said coach Stacy Schiavo. “Our pitcher Mia Allen (was able to persevere through) all seven innings, while we got some big hits when we needed them. The bats of Arianna (Osorio-Bonilla), Kyleigh (Ridlon) and Mia were consistent throughout this game, which helped us (in clutch situations).”

Allen (7 innings, 8 hits, 7 walks, 5 earned runs, 6 strikeouts) did her job in the circle by going the distance to help secure a solid non-league home win for her teammates.

After the Raiders scored three in the first, the Everett girls got one back in the home half. Arianna Osorio-Bonilla led off with a walk. Lindsey Sylva sacrificed her to second, before she came home on a single by Ridlon.

Watertown tacked on another run in the second, but the Tide tied it up with three when they came to the plate. With runners in scoring position, Osorio-Bonilla delivered a clutch double to bring them both home. She then went to third on a passed ball, before stealing home to account for third run of the inning.

The Middlesex League visitors broke the tie with a run in the third, but the Tide answered back with three in the home half to take the lead for the first time in the game, 7-5. Once again, they had runners in scoring position, and this time Mckenzie Rivera had the clutch hit that knocked in a run. Morgan Salvi brought home the second run of the inning on a hard-hit ball to third. Rivera then scored the team’s seventh run on a passed ball.

Watertown got one of those runs back in the fourth, but Everett went up by two with a run of its own in the home half. Ridlon got it going with a two out single, and Allen promptly brought her home with a double.

The Raiders chipped away with another run in the fifth, only to see the Tide match them, once again. Salvi ignited the threat with a walk, and eventually scored on another double by Osorio-Bonilla.

Everett was able to hold its Watertown visitors scoreless in the final two innings to account for the sixth win of the year. They will play the Raiders again on Saturday, May 9, to complete the home-and-home series on the diamond adjacent to Watertown’s Hosmer School, beginning at 11 a.m. Before that game, they had a home date with Lynn English on May 6 after press deadline. They will be busy next week with three games against Chelsea (May 11, 4 p.m.), Medford (May 13, 4 p.m.) and Winthrop (May 14, 4:30 p.m.). The Red Devils and Mustangs will be coming to Glendale, but the game against the Vikings is on the road at Winthrop’s Ingleside Park.

Spring track update after four meets

The Everett High School boys spring track team is off to a 3-1 start, while the girls squad split its first four.

On April 7, the girls lost a close meet to Chelsea, 56-49, before dropping a 67-45 decision to Medford. The boys were also tripped up by Chelsea, 66-59, but took care of Medford going away, 86-43.

On April 14, the girls bounced back to upend both Lynn schools. They ran away from English, 71.5-57.5, and blew away Classical, 86-41. The boys basically did the same against Classical (82-37) and English (94-24).

Against the Medford boys, senior Ian Herrera (72.0) and senior captain Antonio Iraola (12:10.7) finished second and third in the 400-meter hurdles. Senior captain Jeremy Whitlow (12:10.7) ended up third in the two mile.

Junior Godson Delisme (11.7) and senior captain Kervens Joseph (11.9) topped the ticket in the 100. Senior captain Lucas Nunez (5:09.4) and junior Christopher Portillo Cruz (5:23.9) did the same in the mile.

Herrera (19.9) bested the entire field in the 110-meter-high hurdles. Senior Ethan Rivera Trochez (60.7), sophomore Pratyush Darai (61.2) and senior Samuel Lacombe (70.4) swept the 400.

Nunez (2:15.4) came back to run in the 800, where he picked up another first against the Mustangs. Joseph (18-1) and junior Godson Delisme (17-11) went to the head of the class in the long jump. Iraola (28-5) was second in the triple jump.

Senior captain Gaetano Foster (36-7.75), sophomore Bhavikpreet Singh (32-9.25) and senior Rudy Renederos (31-1) collected all nine points in the shotput. Senior Christopher Roberts (81-10), sophomore Bhavikpreet Singh (71-10) and Jonatan Chavez (67-9) experienced similar results in the discus. The javelin team of Nunez (94-6), sophomore Kellyson Linhares (90-10) and Roberts (89-9) was able to maintain that trend with another clean sweep.

Against the Classical girls, junior Amina Mekic (1:23.5) finished second in the 400-meter hurdles. Sophomores Shashi Pokhrel (15:33.5) and Connie Paz Hernandez (16:27.4) set the pace in the two mile to finish first and second.

Sophomores Sofia Chavez Velasquez (14.2, personal best) and Gissell Lemus (15.1), and senior Ariana Rouse (16.3) captured the top three spots in the 100. Senior captain Akanksha Neupane (6:46.4, personal best) and freshman Lina Serrar (7:50.6) were second and third in the mile.

Freshman Crus Lormistois (36.0) secured a second-place finish in the 110-meter-high hurdles. Sophomore Maria Eduarda Franca (1:17.1) did likewise in the 400. Pokhrel (3:14.5) and sophomore Brianna Chavarria Rodriguez (3:24.5) ended up second and third in the 800.

Senior Emelly De Jesus (28.3, personal best), senior Leosmary Perez (32.3, personal best) and Alana Diaz (32.6) swept the 200. Sophomore Elora Philippe (13-9) was third in the long jump. Her classmate Faith Dunbar (25-7) was victorious in the triple jump.

The Everett girls swept away the Rams in the shotput (junior captain Graziella Foster, 28-9, personal best; junior Taniya Mobley, 26-8, personal best; and junior Erioluwa Bamigboye, 22-7, personal best); discus (Foster, 65-0; Mobley, 59-3; and senior Ariana Rouse, 48-6); and javelin (senior captain Casey Martinez, 73-11, personal best; sophomore Fadrea Fragelus, 53-3; and senior Emelly De Jesus, 44-8) to win this meet going away.

Against the English boys, Iraola (1:13.2) broke the tape first in the 400-meter hurdles. Juniors Domenico Delle Rose (13:10.2) and Santiago Turizo Escorcia (13:36) were first and third in the two mile. Joseph (11.0, personal best) and Delisme (11.5) did the same in the 100.

Carlos Pagan Landeo (5:24.4, personal best) and Whitlow (5:32.6, personal best) were the top two milers. Herrera (22.2) breezed to victory in the 110-meter-high hurdles. Rivera Trochez (59.8, personal best) did the same in the 400. Nunez (2:09.4, personal best) maintained the trend in the 800.

Joseph (19-11) and Herrera (16-11) were first and third in the long jump. Iraola (30-8, personal best), and sophomores Dawins Debrosse (30-1.5) and Tommy Ramos (28-3) made it a clean sweep in the triple jump. Foster (37-9.5) and senior Rudy Renderos (32-4.5) took the top two spots in the shotput.

The Everett boys ended this meet against the Bulldogs in style with sweeps in the discus (Roberts, 84-8, personal best; senior Jonatan Chavez, 70-9, personal best; and sophomore Bhavikpreet Singh, 67-1); and javelin (Nunez, 109-11, personal best; Roberts, 105-2.5, personal best; and sophomore Kellyson Linhares, 96-9, personal best).

Boys volleyball shuts out the Tigers to begin new month

The boys volleyball team (4-10) began the month of May with a satisfying 3-0 shutout win over non-league Lynn Tech at home on May 1.

“We had to come from behind to take the first set, 26-24, before pulling away late in the second set to win, 25-21,” said coach Mike Fineran after the Tech encounter. “We kept the momentum going into the third set (to win that one rather easily), 25-15.”

Junior Akush Gurung served 18 times, and came up with three aces and four kills to help lead his teammates to victory. Classmate Donart Maksutaj successfully made all 16 of his serves, and as a result ended up with three kills and five blocks. Senior Matheus Teixeira Fernandes led the team with 12 kills. Freshman Miguel Rodovanski contributed six kills and two blocks to the winning cause. Senior captain Victor Rosa was credited with nine serves, three aces and five kills, which also helped secure this win.

The Tide, however, lost to host Lynn English on Monday, May 4, in straight sets.

Sophomore Danilo Teixeira Fernandes had an ace and two kills out of the setter spot. His brother Matheus was successful on 12 of his 13 serves, while also leading the team in kills with eight. Rosa was seven-for-seven in serves with one kill.

Senior Noel Lopez Ardon was a perfect six-for-six in serves with an ace. Gustavo Franca also didn’t miss his serves.

Fineran has a simple explanation for the English loss. “We could not generate enough blocks to shut down their attack,” he said.

The Tide closed out this week against Somerville on May 6 after press deadline. They will next be hosting Revere on Monday, May 11, at 5:15 p.m., before heading to Medford to face the Mustangs two days later. This match will begin at 5:30 p.m.

Tide baseball drops close call to Revere

The youthful Tide baseball team (2-11) dropped its two most recent games against host Mystic Valley (16-6, May 1) and visiting Revere (3-0, May 4). Coach Malik Love is in the middle of a rebuilding year that has the usual growing pains, but there have been some encouraging signs for a brighter future.

After the game against Mystic Valley, Love says that the team was competing early on. “Nick Young (2.2 innings) pitched well, but overall, we have to continue to improve on the mound to force opposing hitters to earn the bags,” he added. “We tend to fall behind in counts, and as a result we are forced to battle back.”

Love also mentioned that the defense “has to make the routine play.” But he still also sees improvement each week in that department, and knows it will continue.

Derek Soper (7 innings, 5 hits, 3 runs, 2 earned, 3 walks, 5 strikeouts) pitched an “efficient game” against Revere on Monday, according to Love. “Soper pitched (all seven innings), and was always in the strike zone,” he added.

But the offense in this game was a different story. “We didn’t take advantage of our chances, when we had them,” the veteran Everett coach said.

Tyler Freni and M.J. Guida were credited with one single apiece. Guida also stole one base.

Love knows that his young players definitely have “more confidence” since the start of the season, and “they will continue to grow” throughout the second half of the season.

The Everett boys took on host Lynn English Wednesday night (May 6) after press deadline. They will be back at Lynn’s Fraser Field Friday night, May 8, to face non-league Lynn Tech, starting at 7 p.m. They will be at Chelsea (May 11, 4 p.m.) and Medford (May 13, 4 p.m.) next week.