Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, APRIL 22, 2022 Lady Sachems softball no-hits Stoneham for second win By Greg Phipps A fter dropping three straight games, the Saugus High School softball team received a needed turnaround when freshman Taylor Deleidi got the start on Monday and hurled a no-hit win at Stoneham. It was her fi rst career varsity start. Deleidi also helped her own cause at the plate by knocking out two hits and driving in two. She struck out 13 hitters in her fi ve-inning eff ort on the mound. The Sachems eventually won by a 15-0 count. Many of the younger players had a chance to perform in the victory. Bella Natalucci produced the fi rst RBI and two hits of her career and Paige Hogan tallied her fi rst three varsity RBIs. Abby Enwright also fi nished with the fi rst hit and RBI of her career. Saugus freshman Taylor Deleidi had a memorable day in Monday’s win against Stoneham. She had two hits and two RBIs, and pitched a fi ve-inning, no-hit shutout in her fi rst varsity start. The Stoneham victory left Saugus at 2-3 on the season. Last Friday, the Sachems came out on the short end of a 10-2 Regular starting pitcher Fallon Millerick tossed another complete game in last Friday’s loss to Masconomet. final at home against Masconomet. Despite the score, Head Coach Steve Almquist praised his team’s eff ort, especially that of starting pitcher Fallon Millerick. “Fallon pitched very well, and I don’t think the stats really refl ect that,” he told the press. “There were some defensive lapses that led to some extra runs but Fallon was able to pitch her way out of tight spots and there weren’t that many. There was never an inning we thought she couldn’t get out of.” Millerick gave up just six hits and fanned four in her seven innings of work. Offensively, Ava Rogers led the attack with two hits, followed by two hits from Danica Schena and a base hit from Gianna Costa. Looking ahead, Almquist said his young team is experiencing some growing pains early in the season but the effort and camaraderie are there. “The chemistry between these girls is absolutely amazing. They’ve been playing together since they were little, coming up through little league together, and they’re always cheering [for each other].” Saugus hosted morning games against Somerville on Thursday and Beverly on Friday. Next week, they are scheduled to host Pentucket Regional at the Belmonte Middle School Field on Monday, April 25, and travel to take on Swampscott on Wednesday, April 27. Sachems defeat Masco, fall to Panthers By Greg Phipps C oming off what Head Coach Joe Luis referred to as a game it should have won two days earlier, the Saugus High School baseball team came through with a dramatic, extra-inning victory over Masconomet last Friday at World Series Park. Matt MacEachern singled in the winning run in the eighth inning to catapult Saugus to a 2-1 triumph. Two days before, Saugus saw a 3-0 lead through three innings slip away against Winthrop in a contest it ended up losing by a 9-4 margin. Against Masco, Saugus starter Nathan Ing took part in a pitcher’s duel with Masconomet’s Erik Sibbach. Both teams managed a run through seven frames. A great defensive play by outfi elder Anthony Cicolini in the top of the seventh inning squelched a Masco rally, as he made a diving catch and then doubled off a runner at third base to get out of the inning. The game moved into extras. Cam Soroko singled to open the bottom of the eighth and got to third on two groundouts. That’s when MacEachern came through with the game-winning hit. After the contest, Luis told the press that it was the type of victory that could inspire the Saugus catcher Michael Howard applies the tag too late as a Beverly base runner slides into home plate safely in the fi rst inning of Wednesday’s game at Beverly High School. Saugus starter Ryan Mabee rears back on his pitch early in Wednesday’s contest at Beverly. and weathered a rough fi rst inning, as the Sachems fell behind 5-0 after one frame. Saugus battled back with four runs in the top of the third to close within 5-4 before the Panthers increased the margin to 7-4. Saugus would score twice more but it wouldn’t be enough in an eventual 8-6 defeat. Third baseman Ing injured himself in the fi rst inning chasing down an errant throw and had to leave the game. Anthony Macone drove in two runs with a hit and Cam Soroko and Drew Gardiner added RBIs with a hit each. The loss dropped the Sachems to 4-3 overall on the season (1-2 in Northeastern Conference play). Saugus travels to play Swampscott Friday and returns home to play Gloucester next Wednesday, April 27. Saugus shortstop Anthony Macone tags out a Beverly base runner on an attempted steal. team moving forward. “This was a big win for us, because we were coming off a game that we felt like we should have won and we needed to bounce back,” he said. “This is the kind of win that can really jump start the guys.” Ing didn’t end up with the win despite hurling sevenand-a-third innings, giving up just two hits and striking out 12. He was replaced by Ryan Mabee, who picked up the win in relief. Mabee got the start in Wednesday’s game at Beverly Saugus’s Cam Bernard lays down a third-inning bunt against Beverly Wednesday.
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