THE MALDEN ADVOCATE–Friday, April 15, 2022 Page 17 MALDEN HIGH SCHOOL ROUNDUP: Spring Season off to a great start; Tornado Boys Volleyball, Lacrosse & Girls Tennis all at 4-0 Boys Tennis Teams opens at 3-1; Tornado Baseball gets Home Run blasts from freshman Stead, senior Rodriguez By Jason Mazzilli S pring sports are off to a great start in Malden High Golden Tornado country as all of the teams are off to winning starts. Leading the way for Malden are the Boys Volleyball and Boys Lacrosse teams, which have both started unbeaten at 4-0. Right behind them are the Boys and Girls Tennis teams, which both won this week to check in at 3-2. The Malden High Baseball Team is at 2-3 overall with a split this week. On Monday Malden topped Chelsea on the road, but dropped a game to Lynn Classical on the road at Fraser Field on Wednesday in a 9-3 fi nal. **** Malden Baseball splits for the week as Lynn Classical tops Tornados to stay unbeaten atop GBL Malden High got home run blasts from freshman catcher Bo Stead and senior outfi elder Jordan Rodriguez to power their way to a big win over host Chelsea High on Monday. It was the fi rst career homer for both players as the 9th grader Stead went a yard over the left fi eld fence, a three-run jack, in the fi rst inning, and Rodriguez, a fi rst-year player for Malden after transferring from another school, boomed a long shot way over the centerfi elder’s head for his roundtripper in the fourth inning. Sophomore righthander Jake Simpson earned his fi rst career Malden High Boys Lacrosse senior captain Gary Luo is way out in front of the pack in a win over Lynn Classical at Macdonald Stadium in the season opener. (Courtesy MHS Blue and Gold/Lauren Mallett) pitching win with no hits and no runs allowed while he was on the mound. Junior Kyle Wilson kept the shutout going in his one-inning varsity debut, while soph Saul Kruckenberg did the same in a one-inning stint. Sophomore Ryan Coggswell (2 hits), seniors Sam Ortega and Shai Cohen, sophomore Ezekiel Noelsaint and freshman Aidan Brett also had hits for Malden. The Tornados could not avoid the “One Bad Inning” syndrome on Wednesday, surrendering six runs in the fourth inning (three unearned) on the road against Lynn Classical in an eventual 9-3 loss. Malden scored all of its runs in its last at bat on singles by Coggswell and Noelsaint along with an RBI double by Ortega. Classical got its fi fth win in a row to start the season (5-0 overall, a y avvy S iorenniiooro a avvyavvy iori Anxious Annie Dear Annie, Heart palpitations can be harmless if they are brief and infrequent. But if you’re experiencing an erratic heart rhythm, you need to get checked out by a doctor for atrial fi brillation, or AFib. AFib – which is marked by rapid, fl uttering beats – can lead to serious complications such as stroke and heart failure, when the weakened heart can’t pump enough blood to the rest of the body. Normally, your heartbeat follows a steady rhythm as your heart contracts and relaxes. But when you have AFib, the upper chambers of your heart (atria) beat rapidly and irregularly, sending blood to the lower chambers (ventricles) less effi ciently. These episodes can last for minutes to hours or longer, and can cause palpitations, lightheadedness, fatigue, and/or shortness of breath. Over time, AFib tends to become chronic. Age is a common risk factor for AFib, which aff ects roughly 10 percent of people older than 75. Other factors include genetics, obesity, diabetes, high blood pressure, and alcohol and tobacco use. The condition has also been linked to viral infections, including COVID-19. Diagnosing AFib If you’re experiencing AFib-like symptoms you need to see Malden High sophomore righthander Jake Simpson earned his fi rst career pitching win in a Golden Tornadoes victory on the road at Chelsea on Monday. (Advocate Photo) 4-0 GBL), atop the league along with Somerville (4-0). **** Baseball is back in action MonMalden High senior Sam Ortega slammed an RBI double to the opposite fi eld to spark a three-run rally in an eventual loss to Lynn Classical on the road on Wednesday. (Advocate Photo) day, on the road at Tony Conigliaro Field at Revere High on Patriots’ Day for a 10:00 a.m. game. The Tornado squad will stay busy next Friday, hosting the 7th Christie Serino Memorial Classic Baseball Tournament at Maplewood Park in Malden. Malden will play Greater Lawrence Tech at 10:30 a.m. at Maplewood Park to open the tournament. Somerville squares off with East Boston in the other fi rst-round game. The winners will square off at 1:00 p.m. for the Serino Classic Championship while the two other teams will play a consolation game at SPRING SEASON| SEE PAGE 18 your doctor who will listen to your heart and likely recommend an electrocardiogram (EKG) or a treadmill heart test, or you may wear a portable monitor for several weeks to look for abnormal heart rhythms to confi rm a diagnosis of AFib. Such tests can help distinguish AFib from less serious conditions that may cause the heart to fl utter, like anxiety and stress. AFib aff ects some three million adults in the United States, a number that is expected to quadruple in the coming decade as the population ages and risk factors like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure become even more common. The lifetime risk of developing AFib is greater than 20 percent, yet many people don’t even know they have it. Treatment Options A growing body of research underscores the importance of lifestyle steps such as exercise, a healthy diet, and limiting alcohol for treating AFib. Depending on your age and symptoms, your doctor may prescribe drugs to help control your heart rate, like beta blockers such as metoprolol (Toprol XL); and/or rhythm, such as antiarrhythmics like fl ecainide (Tambocor). You may also need an electrical cardioversion, an outpatient procedure that delivers an electrical shock to the heart to restore a normal rhythm. You will be sedated for this brief procedure and not feel the shocks. Catheter ablation is another outpatient treatment for AFib that scars a small area of heart tissue that causes irregular heartbeats. This procedure is becoming more common based on evidence of its safety and ability to normalize the heart rhythm and ease symptoms. Ablations can be eff ective in people 75 and older, but medication may still be required afterward. If you’re at higher risk for stroke, you may be prescribed a blood thinner, too. In the past, Coumadin (warfarin) was the only such drug widely available, but it requires monitoring with regular blood tests. Newer anticoagulants, like apixaban (Eliquis) and rivaroxaban (Xarelto), don’t have that requirement and have been shown to be just as eff ective at preventing strokes. Send your senior questions to: Savvy Senior, P.O. Box 5443, Norman, OK 73070, or visit SavvySenior.org. Jim Miller is a contributor to the NBC Today show and author of “The Savvy Senior” book. n r by Jim Miller A Common Heart Problem That’s Often Ignored Dear Savvy Senior, What can you tell me about atrial fi brillation? Every so often, I’ve noticed my heart starts beating rapidly for no particular reason. Is this something I should be worried about?
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