Tide softball beats non-league Cambridge twice to begin new season on winning note

Everett is scheduled to play host to GBL rivals Lynn English, Chelsea to start next week

By Joe McConnell

The Everett High School girls softball team (2-0) came away with two wins after playing back-to-back home and away games against non-league Cambridge to successfully begin a brand-new season last week.

On April 2, Coach Stacy Schiavo’s team won a crazy high scoring game in the home opener versus Cambridge at Glendale Park, 22-19. Peyton Warren went all seven innings in the circle to secure the win. Warren gave up 18 hits, four walks and 14 earned runs, while fanning six.

After Cambridge scored three in the top of the first, the Crimson Tide came back with one in the home half. Jayla Davila led off with a walk, and went to second on a sacrifice bunt by Arianna Osorio-Bonilla, before advancing to third on a fielder’s choice by Olivia Dresser. Alexa Uga then knocked her in with a single to center.

After two scoreless innings by both teams, the home team took a 7-3 lead after scoring six times in the fourth.

Uga started it off with a hard-hit ball to right, and went to second on a passed ball. Ashley Seward then drew a walk. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a fielder’s choice by Graziella Foster. Mia Allen reached on an error that scored two. A short time later, Allen scored on a run producing hit to centerfield by Kassidy Rivera, who then moved up to second on a passed ball. With two outs, Davila doubled her home. She then went to third on a passed ball, and came home as a result of another passed ball. Osorio-Bonilla kept the inning going with a walk, before coming all the way home on three passed balls.

The Falcons came back to score three runs in the fifth to trim the deficit to one, 7-6.

But Everett got them right back and then some to increase its lead to six, 12-6. Seward began another offensive surge with a walk, and moved up to second on a passed ball. Following a strikeout, Allen was hit by a pitch, and Rivera reached on an error to load the bases. Seward scored the first run of the inning on a passed ball, before Warren singled in Allen. Rivera came home with the third run of the inning on a passed ball. With Warren now on third, Davila walked. Both runners then executed a perfect delayed double steal to account for the fourth run. Osorio-Bonilla followed with a walk. Davila then stole third, before getting into a rundown that she won, when she slid home safely.

Cambridge once again cut the deficit to one in the sixth, 12-11. But not to be outdone, the Tide forged ahead with 10 of their own to now lead, 22-11.

Seward first tripled home Uga, who walked to leadoff the uprising. She didn’t stay on third for long after coming home on a passed ball. Most of the next eight runs were scored as a result of walks and passed balls.

Cambridge tried to put a scare into the home team with eight runs in the seventh, only to fall three shy of sending the game into extra innings.

“There was a feeling of frustration and pride throughout this game,” said Schiavo. “With it being our first game and players starting at new positions, our defense was inconsistent. We committed our share of errors, especially in the sixth and seventh innings. However, when on offense, we showed resilience, with players contributing key hits. Our baserunning was also aggressive and effective.”

Two days later, the Tide went to St. Peter’s Field in Cambridge to complete the home and home series with the Falcons. But this time, it was a relatively more comfortable triumph, 21-9. Warren only had to go five innings, before the game was called in the sixth, because of the mercy rule. She gave up 14 hits, two walks and nine earned runs, while striking out six.

The Tide scored three times in the top of the first, but Cambridge came right back with two in the home half.

Davila was hit by a pitch to begin the game. Osorio-Bonilla sacrificed her to second. She then stole third, before Dresser reached on an error. Davila eventually scored on a passed ball. Seward then drove home Dresser with a triple, and Foster singled her home to account for the third run of the inning.

The Everett girls tacked on two more runs in the second. With one out, Warren singled, and moved to second on a passed ball. Osorio-Bonilla than tripled her home, and scored herself on a passed ball.

In the top of the third, Everett scored four more times to take a 9-2 lead. Uga started the inning off with a hard-hit ball to the outfield. Seward singled her to second. Foster tried to move Uga to third with a single, but was called out for interference. Romboli, however, loaded the bases with a single, before Rivera doubled home Seward and Foster. Both Romboli and Rivera completed the scoring in the inning on passed balls.

Cambridge got two back in the home half of the third, but still were behind by five, 9-4. After Everett put up eight more runs in the fourth, they then trailed by 13, 17-4. They did score three runs in the fourth, and two more in the fifth, after the visitors notched one of their own in the top half of the frame. As a result of all that, the Tide was comfortably in front, 18-9. They scored three more times in the sixth to invoke the mercy rule to secure their second win of the year in as many games.

“We came out with our bats (on fire) in this game,” said Schiavo. “We still made some errors, but will work on those over the next week.”

The team’s game on Monday against visiting Chelsea was postponed. It was then scheduled to host Lynn Classical and Malden on April 9 and 10 after press deadline to close out this week.  The Tide will begin next week versus Lynn English also at home on Monday, April 14, starting at 4 p.m. The Chelsea makeup will take place at home on Tax Day, April 15, at 4:30 p.m. They will then hit the road for Somerville to face the Highlanders the next day, at 4 p.m., before taking on non-league host Whittier Tech in Haverhill on Thursday, April 17, starting at 4:30 p.m.