Tide baseball smokes non-league host Mystic Valley to begin new season the right way

After three more road games, Everett returns to Glendale to play the home opener vs. Charlestown next Friday

By Joe McConnell

It’s a popular sports axiom, but there’s no denying the accuracy of the statement. Simply put, it says, “a team can’t go undefeated without winning the first game.”

The Everett High School baseball team lived up to those words perfectly last Friday, March 28, when it hammered non-league host Mystic Valley Regional at Malden’s Rotondi Field, 20-9.

Sophomore Derek Soper turned in a successful varsity debut as a starter after going five innings and allowing only three hits, two walks and two earned runs, while striking out three.

Tyler Freni followed Soper to the mound, and recorded a strikeout in the sixth, but also gave up four runs, two earned, and three walks. Tri-captain Nordeivy Santana settled things down again in relief of Freni, who had a big hit offensively in the seventh to break the game wide open. Nordeivy went the final 1.2-innings on the hill, yielding one hit, four walks and three runs, one earned. He also whiffed two.

“We were in control of this game throughout, but finally broke it open in the seventh inning with 11 runs,” said second-year coach Malik Love. “For the first game of the year, it was really impressive for us to get 20 hits and 20 runs.”

Love attributes the potent offense to an off-season commitment by the entire roster to get better. “We had a really good off-season lifting weights, and it also helps to have nine returnees, mostly seniors, back on the roster,” he said. “That helped me be more relaxed as a coach. They understood what we as a coaching staff expected from them.

“Last year, they couldn’t hit a baseball,” Love added. “But they learned from the coaching adjustments we taught them, and know now how to put the ball in play. They found out how to make the other team (commit) errors.”

It didn’t take the Everett boys long to put everything into practice. They led, 2-0 after one, and scored two more in the fifth and another four in the sixth, before the explosive final frame. Soper supplied the power in the sixth with an inside-the-park solo homerun to help secure the win for himself at the plate. Freni sealed the deal in the next inning with a grand slam round tripper over the rightfield fence. He was also credited with two singles earlier in the game.

Nordeivy Santana was a perfect four-for-four at the plate – all singles – which resulted in three more runs. Tri-captain Albert Santana and freshman M.J. Guida each collected three singles and one RBI. Guida also scored two runs in the game.

Tri-captain Jevaun Berberena came through with two singles, one double and three RBI to do his part to help propel the Crimson Tide to the convincing opening day triumph.

“We won this game by not doing too much, just making contact and getting on base,” said Love, who had hoped to maintain the winning momentum on April 3 against non-league host Greater Lawrence Technical after press deadline. The Tide will then begin the Greater Boston League (GBL) season at Chelsea on Monday, April 7. Following the game, they will head to Lynn’s Fraser Field the next day to take on Lynn Classical, before returning to Glendale Park to finally play the home opener next Friday, April 11, against non-league Charlestown. All three games will start at 4 p.m.