Saugus softball team hosts opening round playoff

The Saugus High School softball team couldn’t have wished for a much better ending to the 2022 campaign. The Sachems completed the regular season last Friday with an 8-5 victory at Marblehead to earn their fifth win in their last six games.

Having notched a playoff spot two weeks ago, Saugus got another strong complete-game effort from ace pitcher Fallon Millerick, who also excelled with the bat by going 2-for-3 against the Magicians. Felicia Reppucci also had a big day at the plate. She had a triple, a double and single and only needed the homerun to hit for the cycle.

Friday’s victory left Saugus with a 13-7 overall record – a season that Head Coach Steve Almquist admitted exceeded his expectations. The Sachems have a pretty young team overall but noticeably improved as the season progressed. The Sachems started off the season 1-3 before going 12-4 the rest of the way.

Several other Saugus players contributed to the win over Marblehead. Gianna Costa drilled two hits, including a three-bagger, and drove home two runs. Lily Ventre socked two hits and had an RBI, and Kaitlyn Pugh and Ryann Moloney added hits in the win.

Saugus’s strong finish earned it a Div. 3 preliminary round contest at home this Friday against 38th-seeded Belchertown. The Sachems are the 27th seed but will no doubt face a challenge against the lower-seeded Orioles, who compiled an 11-7 regular-season mark. The winner of Friday’s game will move on to face Austin Prep in the Round of 32.

After losing a 17-1 decision to Pentucket to fall to 6-5 back on May 9, the Sachems proceeded to win seven of the next nine contests, including key low-scoring victories at Masconomet (3-2) and Melrose (2-0). In the other five wins, Saugus outscored the opposition by a 66-20 count.