Page 10 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRiDAy, ApRil 24, 2026 Saugus High School Sachems Spring Sports Saugus baseball rides pitching, softball battles through high-scoring week By Dom Nicastro S augus High School Spring sports teams continue to show a mix of grit, timely hitting and strong individual performances as the spring season moves deeper into April, with baseball delivering dominant pitching efforts and softball navigating one of its most eventful weeks of the season. BASEBALL SURGES BEHIND RODRIGUEZ, LATE-GAME EXECUTION Saugus baseball is finding its rhythm, picking up a pair of wins highlighted by dominant pitching and clutch late-game execution. The Sachems blanked Salem, 4-0, behind a masterful performance from Jordan Rodriguez, who went the distance and struck out 15 in the shutout. Rodriguez controlled the game from the start, mixing pitches effectively and keeping Salem hitters off balance throughout. At the plate, Saugus did just enough to support its ace. Brayden Crawford went onefor-two with a run scored, while Trey Riley added an RBI. Eli Fialho and Donny Santostefano chipped in with hits, and the Sachems created pressure on the bases with aggressive running. Chris Mazin and Crawford each stole two bases, while Rodriguez added another. Earlier in the week, Saugus pulled out one of its most dramatic wins of the season, walking off Marblehead, 5-4, in the seventh inning. Crawford sparked the rally with a leadoff double before Nathan Soroko drew an intentional walk. After a quality at-bat from Riley helped move things along, Fialho delivered the game-winning single to seal the victory. Crawford was also strong on the mound in that game, going 6 2/3 innings with nine strikeouts and allowing no earned runs before reaching his pitch limit. Between Rodriguez’s dominance and Crawford’s two-way impact, the Sachems are starting to build a strong identity around pitching and timely hitting as they move deeper into NEC play. SOFTBALL EXPLODES FOR 24 RUNS, SHOWS FIGHT IN 2-1 WEEK Saugus softball continues to be one of the more unpredictable — and dangerous — teams in the area, using explosive offense and late-game heroics to go 2-1 on the week and improve to 4-4 overall (3-2 NEC). The highlight came in a wild 2415 win over Melrose, a game Head Coach Steve Almquist described as “without a doubt the strangest game I have ever been involved in.” After trailing 14-10 heading into the seventh inning, Saugus erupted for 14 runs in a stunning comeback that flipped the game on its head. “We managed to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat,” Almquist said. The inning featured contributions up and down the lineup, including a base-clearing triple from eighth grader Jenna O’Donnell. Fellow eighth grader Hannah Strout added a single and double in the inning and finished with four RBIs, while Sofia McCarrier contributed two hits during the rally. In total, Saugus pounded out 20 hits in the game. Alannah Duong led the way, going three-for-four with five runs scored. Layla Demonte added two hits, including her third home run of the season, driving in three runs, while Aubrey Demonte and Angie Dow also delivered multi-hit performances. McCarrier went the distance in the circle to earn the win, battling through a tough outing while allowing 15 runs, eight earned, and striking out five. Despite the high-scoring nature of the game, Almquist credited his team’s persistence. “This was a total team effort and win as we got contributions from all 11 rostered players,” he said. Saugus followed that up with a 7-5 win over Salem, jumping out to a 4-0 lead in the first inning behind a bases-clearing triple from captain Sydney Deleidi and an RBI double from captain Maria Silva. McCarrier was again solid in the circle, striking out nine over seven innings while allowing five runs, three earned. She also delivered key hits late in the game, including an RBI single and a sacrifice fly for an insurance run. Salem made things interesting late, bringing the tying run to the plate in the seventh, but McCarrier closed the door. “That was a real nice win as Salem always plays us tough,” Almquist said. The week ended with a 10-5 loss to Hamilton-Wenham, where Saugus fell behind early and couldn’t recover despite late offense. Sydney Deleidi led the way at the plate, going three-for-four with two RBIs, while Aubrey Demonte and Layla Demonte each had extra-base hits. Almquist pointed to consistency as an area for growth moving forward. “I would like to see us be more consistent at the plate… we are making it easy on teams with too many strikeouts,” he said. “Same goes for our defense… we just aren’t at a point where we can overcome some of the errors… especially against the stronger teams.” Still, with a challenging schedule designed to test the team, Almquist sees the bigger picture. “I’m hoping that this competition will make us stronger as the season progresses,” he said. GIRLS LACROSSE CONTINUES PUSH, MABEE NEARING MILESTONE Saugus girls lacrosse continues to build momentum while keeping an eye on a major individual milestone. Senior Aly Mabee is now up to 94 career goals, closing in on the 100-goal mark and continuing to be a driving force offensively for the Sachems. The team has been led by captains Mara Faiella, Brooke Diaz and Natalie Justice, while goalkeeper Jordyn Ripley-Deminski remains a steady presence in net. In recent action, Saugus split a pair of games against Winthrop, dropping a narrow 4-3 decision before bouncing back with an 11-5 win in the rematch. Mabee led the offense with four goals in the win, while junior Maria Garcia added two goals and two assists. Sophomore Teaghan Arsenault chipped in two goals, while Justice contributed a goal and two assists. Junior Niki Breton and Diaz each added a goal as well. NORTHEAST METRO TECH TENNIS SPLITS MATCHES The Northeast Metro Tech coop tennis team, which includes players from Saugus, North Reading and surrounding communities, split its recent matches with a 5-2 win over Nashoba Tech and a 7-0 loss to Shawsheen Tech. In the win over Nashoba Tech, Saugus’s Gianna Berry earned a hard-fought singles match, while teammates Jeff Trinh (Lynn), Vinnie Phan (Malden) and Grant Leonard (Wakefield) also picked up singles victories. In doubles play, Luis Fung Chen (Malden) and Robbie Ciampi (Saugus) secured a win, while Giselle Benitez (Chelsea) and Daphnica Juste (Everett) added another point for the Knights. The team ran into a tough Shawsheen Tech squad in the second match, dropping all seven matches despite competitive efforts across the lineup. School Department seeks Town Meeting approval of $1.2 million to help students whose education suffered from the pandemic By Mark E. Vogler S augus Public Schools Superintendent Michael Hashem has filed nine articles for the upcoming Annual Town Meeting, seeking $1.2-million in the Supplemental Student Support Reserve Hashem seeks Town Meeting Fund to help students recover from the social and academic setbacks of remote learning. The School Department had come under criticism earlier in the year for not making better use of the fund, which had close to $4-million available back in February. approval of: –$100,000 for the purchase of resources for English Language Learners to support after school hours and tutoring. –$250,000 to support the Athletic Department in offering programing, tutoring and student study centers for school athletes. –$150,000 for enrichment programming at the Belmonte STEAM Academy. –$150,000 for enrichment programing at the Saugus Middle School. –$50,000 for enrichment programing at the Veterans Early Learning Center. –$100,000 for supporting Middle and High School students in offering a unified assessment and learning platform. –$300,000 to provide services for students who have struggled to adjust to the HELP | SEE PAGE 11
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