Page 12 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, April 21, 2023 Sachems fall short in close games By Greg Phipps D espite dropping five of its first six contests of the 2023 season, the young Saugus High School baseball team has been in just about all of them. The young Sachems have lost by an average of under two runs a game over their last four defeats. The pitching has been very good, as was again the case in Wednesday’s 3-2 extra-inning morning loss to the Winthrop Vikings at World Series Park. Starter Cam Soroko allowed just two runs on two hits and fanned 12 in his six innings of work. Cam Bernard hurled the final two innings and ended up conceding the winning run. The Sachems scored twice in the bottom of the first inning to take a quick 2-0 lead. But they wouldn’t be able to add to the advantage. Shane Bourque smacked two hits and scored once while Nathan Soroko and Bernard collected RBIs. The visiting Vikings managed single runs in the fourth and fifth frames to tie it before bringing home the winning tally in the top of the eighth. Last Wednesday, the Sachems led Masconomet 3-2 heading into the bottom of the sixth inning when the host Chieftains rallied for three runs and came away with a 5-3 win. Cam Soroko (nine strikeouts) pitched well but ended up allowing the five runs on six hits. Offensively, Saugus managed just four hits in the loss. Nathan Soroko had two RBIs and Bernard drove in a run as well. Last Thursday at Peabody, the offense struggled again and collected just two hits off Tanners’ starter Cam Connolly in an eventual 3-1 setback. Tyler Riley drove in the lone Sachem run with a base hit in the second inning. Bernard was every bit Connolly’s equal. He tossed six innings of FALL SHORT | SEE PAGE 13 Saugus’s Cam Soroko has been one of the Sachems’ best hitters so far this season. He also pitched well in a loss at Masconomet last week and against Winthrop on Wednesday. Saugus righty Cam Bernard had another strong outing in a loss at Masconomet last week. Saugus softball team wins three of four to open season Sachems’ shortstop Devany Millerick made a throw to second base for a force out last week at Danvers. Saugus’s Ava Rogers is shown making solid contact during last Wednesday’s game at Danvers. By Greg Phipps T urning the tables on last season’s 1-3 start, the Saugus High School softball team has come away victorious in three of its first four contests of 2023. After losing big at Danvers last Wednesday, the Sachems reeled off two straight wins. The most recent victory came on Monday, when Saugus braved chilly weather conditions and rolled to a 21-3 triumph at Waltham. Lily Ventre launched a two-run homer and Kaitlyn Pugh knocked out three hits and drove in five. Pitcher Taylor Deleidi hurled all five innings and struck out four hitters. The win left the Sachems at 3-1 overall heading into Wednesday’s battle at Swampscott. Moving forward, Saugus was on tap to host Gloucester on Friday and Pentucket Regional next Monday, April 24 (scheduled 4:30 p.m. start). Friday’s game will be the Sachems’ first home tilt Saugus catcher Lily Ventre is shown meeting at the mound with pitcher Taylor Deleidi during last Wednesday’s defeat against Danvers. of the spring, as the team was on the road for its opening five games. Last Friday at Winthrop, Saugus rebounded from the defeat at Danvers two days earlier by scoring in the double digits for a 13-5 victory. Deleidi was the complete-game winner with four strikeouts. But the offense was the bigger story. Devany Millerick socked three hits, including two doubles, and drove in three to lead the way in the hitting department. Danica Schena also contributed three hits and finished with two RBIs. Through their first four games, the Sachems had scored over 40 runs total, about 10 runs a game. The Saugus offense was held in check when the Sachems faced the yet-to-bebeaten Danvers Falcons at the Oak School Field in DanSOFTBALL | SEE PAGE 13 Saugus’s Taylor Deleidi is shown delivering a pitch during last week’s game at Danvers.
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