Three Sachems make NEC softball all-star team

By Greg Phipps

Coming off an 11-win season, the Saugus High School softball team had three players make this year’s Northeastern Conference all-star squad. Catcher Lily Ventre received all-conference honors while teammates Devany Millerick and Kaitlyn Pugh were chosen for the all-star team

Ventre was perhaps the best catcher in the conference both offensively and defensively. She supplied both power and the ability to produce clutch hits with the bat. She was a stable presence at the backstop position. She came back strong from an injury that forced her to miss a large portion of the 2022 season.

Millerick is a solid shortstop defensively and made a game-saving catch in a one-run win over Malden Catholic. She also produced mightily on offense with several strong performances at the plate. Pugh may have been the team’s best hitter this season. She came through with numerous multiple hit games, including most recently a four-hit effort against Swampscott where she doubled twice, tripled and drove in two runs.

This trio helped the Sachems, who sported a roster of exclusively underclassmen, achieve their second conference Lynch Division title in three years and the program’s seventh straight playoff berth. Ventre, Millerick and Pugh will all be back in a Sachems’ uniform next season.

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