THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 14, 2023 Page 15 Saugus powers to season-opening win at Marblehead By Greg Phipps H aving gotten off to a slow start in 2022 by losing three of its first four games, the Saugus High School softball team is looking to reverse that scenario this season. The Sachems got 2023 off on the right foot with a convincing 7-1 road victory over the Marblehead Magicians last Friday afternoon. Saugus wasted no time by rallying for three runs in the top of the first inning. From there, the Sachems tacked on four more runs, and ace pitcher Taylor Deleidi held the Magicians to just one run over her complete-game, seven innings of work. Deleidi tossed a no-hitter in her only varsity start last year against Stoneham – a game where she filled in for last year’s ace Fallon Millerick. Against Marblehead, Lily Ventre, who missed much of last season due to injury, got things going for the Sachems by popping a tworun homer to give Saugus a quick 2-0 lead in the opening frame. It became a 3-0 contest when Kaitlyn Pugh drove in Ava Rogers. Marblehead did score its lone tally to make it a 3-1 game before Saugus pulled away by registering the final four runs of the affair. ASKS | FROM PAGE 10 A: This will be my second marathon and my second Boston Marathon. Q: How do you prepare mentally and physically for this event? A: Just do what the training dictates and try to keep a positive attitude. On Saturdays, we’ve been doing some runs on the main [Boston Marathon] course. I have been doing some running on the trails at Breakheart. Q: Any special meal regimen you do before the race? Like carbo loading? A: Just pasta – you load up on pasta and get a lot of electrolytes in you. Q: How many pairs of shoes do you go through during the course of a year? A: A couple. I’ll buy a new pair this week, making it three pairs this year. Q: Do you have any personal connection to the Boston Marathon bombings? Like, lost a friend or relative? A: No. Q: What cause will you be running for this year? If you are running for a charity. Lily Ventre slammed a home run to help the Sachems to a convincing win last Friday at Marblehead. Sachems Head Coach Steve Almquist was obviously pleased with the opening day effort from his squad. “Any time you can come over to Marblehead and get a win, it’s extremely gratifying,” he told the press after the game. “[Marblehead is] very well coached. They do everything the right way.” In the past, Marblehead has always been a tough place to play, as the Magicians field formidable teams year in and year out. Almquist also cited the solid overall defensive play in last Friday’s opener, particularly at shortstop from DevaA: I’ll be running for Tedy Bruschi’s charity team, “Tedy’s Team.” Its mission is to improve the quality of life for stroke survivors and to also help with their recovery. They also advance the communities’ knowledge of the warning signs of stroke as well as heart disease. Q: What’s your fondest Boston Marathon memory? That would be as an observer. A: My fondest memory was watching my daughter, Hannah LoPresti, and my work colleague, Detective Stacy Forni, complete the 2018 Boston Marathon in such harsh conditions, which motivated me to apply this year. Q: How long will you keep running this race? A: Not sure. It could be my last. Q: After running a Boston Marathon, what will you do the next day? A: Relax and decompress and reflect back on all of the hard training and cold runs throughout the winter. Q: Have any friends or family members run this race before? A: My daughter, Hannah LoPresti, a few years ago [2018]. And this year, there’s five of us from the Police DeStarting pitcher Taylor Deleidi gave up just one run in Saugus’s victory in the season opener at Marblehead last Friday. ny Millerick and the fielding at first base from Alexa Morello. The 1-0 Sachems, who have no seniors on the roster this spring, played at Danvers on Wednesday and follow that up with a matchup at Winthrop on Friday. The Sachems are then on the partment running. I’m the old man of the crew, trying to keep up with the youngsters. Q: I see you are holding a framed photo of a woman along with a logo for Tedy’s Team. Who is that? A: That’s my daughter, Isabella. She’s 23. She’s a nurse. In 2021, she woke up and the side of her face was drooping. She had a hole in her heart. But she’s totally healed now and she’s back to normal. And that’s why I’m running the race to raise money for Tedy’s Team. The money goes to help victims of strokes and for awareness and heart disease Q: Anything else that you would like to share about this experience? A: Everybody has a cause why they run. And you can’t have a greater cause than running for your family. When it gets tough out there on the course, that’s what you lean on and that’s what gets you through it. Just coming down Boylston Street and seeing the crowds and seeing your family – and feeling the sense of accomplishment and excitement – I think that’s everybody’s marathon moment. road for a fourth straight time when they travel for an 11 a.m. Patriots’ Day tilt next Monday at Waltham. The Sachems have another away game at Swampscott next Wednesday, April 19, before finally coming home to face Gloucester next Friday, April 21. Lt. Anthony LoPresti will be running his second Boston Marathon, and he will run to raise money for Tedy’s Team. (Saugus Advocate photo by Mark E. Vogler)
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