Tide softball begins new season with mercy rule win over host Chelsea

After Everett takes on non-league host O’Bryant later today, they will return home to face Somerville on Patriots Day

By Joe McConnell

The Everett High School softball team (2-0) showed right away this spring that they are determined to repeat as Greater Boston League (GBL) champions after winning its opener going away against host Chelsea, 29-0.

“This was our first game, and we had to make the adjustment of hitting off a machine to slower (live) pitching,” said coach Stacy Poste. “We also made the plays on defense when (Chelsea) runners did get on base, while (pitcher) Peyton (Warren) and (catcher Alessandra) Foster did an amazing job to keep Chelsea batters off balance.”

Warren not only shutout her youthful Chelsea counterparts, she also allowed them no hits over five innings, before the game was called, because of the mercy rule. To complete her sensational pitching line, she fanned eight, and yielded only three walks.

The Everett girls broke the game open quickly with 14 runs in the top half of the first. Freshman Olivia Dresser led off the offensive explosion with a single. Jayla Davila and Gianna Masucci followed with walks to load the bases, before Dresser scored on a passed ball. Davila also scored on a passed ball. Alexa Uga then singled, and went to second on a wild throw that allowed Masucci to score the team’s second run of the game.

Ashley Seward doubled home Uga to account for the third run, and soon scored on a one-out double to right by Bryanna Mason. Arabella Cvitkusic kept the surge going with a run producing single. Alessandra Foster was hit by a pitch. Kassidy Rivera was sent in to run for her. Both runners advanced into scoring position on a passed ball. Dresser then drew a walk to reload the bases after singling to begin the uprising. Davila was hit by a pitch to knock in the sixth run.

Uga then drew a two-out walk to bring home Rivera, and Seward drove in two more with a single. With runners now in scoring position, Warren helped her own cause by blasting a three-run homer. Cvitkusic tripled in Mason to close out the scoring in the first frame.

Dresser tacked on two more runs in the second with a round tripper to left. Masucci was then credited with a one-out walk, before Uga singled. Seward followed with a walk to load the bases. Warren was then hit by a pitch to drive in the third run of the inning.

Everett scored four more times in the third. Seward and Warren singled in one run apiece, and Mason doubled home two. The visitors added seven more runs to the scoreboard in the fourth. Freshman Mia Allen helped power this outburst with a grand slam. The Tide scored once more in the fifth, and final frame on a bases loaded walk. Warren then ended the game in style by striking out the side in the home half.

The Tide took on host Lynn Classical Tuesday afternoon (April 9), and they proceeded to double up the Rams, 16-8. More on this game in next week’s Everett Advocate. The locals then faced host Lynn English the next day after press deadline, before going up against non-league host O’Bryant later today, April 12, starting at 3:45 p.m. They will return home to host Somerville at Glendale Park on Patriots Day (April 15) at 10 a.m.