Page 14 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FRIDAY, MAY 20, 2022 Baseball Sachems beat Witches, fall to Panthers By Greg Phipps A fter 16 games of the 2022 season, the Saugus High School baseball team is on the bubble for a playoff spot. The Sachems pulled off a 7-3 victory over the Salem Witches last Saturday and dropped a 6-1 decision at home against the Beverly Panthers on Wednesday. The split left Saugus at 8-8 overall on the season. The Sachems hosted Gloucester, a team they lost to earlier in the season, on Thursday, and then host Marblehead next Monday, May 23. Saugus will need to reach the 10-win plateau to assure itself of a tournament bid. In the win over Salem, Anthony Macone got the start on the mound and worked four innings to earn the W. He also helped his own cause off ensively with a hit. Cam Soroko belted two hits, including a triple, and drove in two runs. Anthony Cicolini was one better as he swatted three hits, drove in two, and tripled as well. Michael Howard and Matt MacEachern each had RBIs, Drew Gardiner picked up two hits in Saugus’s win over Salem last Saturday. and Drew Gardiner smacked two hits. Braden Faiella added a hit in the victory. Macone ended up striking out fi ve and giving up just two hits. Nathan Ing came in to relieve Macone and fanned fi ve over the fi nal three innings. In the Beverly loss, the Sachems’ offense went quiet overall. Cicolini did stroke two hits, and Macone each managed a hit. But the bats were able to produce just the one tally. The Sachems lost a close 8-6 battle at Beverly earlier in the season. In that contest, they fell behind 5-0 in the fi rst inning before fi ghting back to make it a game. Ing was injured and had to leave that game but was able to recover and returned to action in Saugus’s next contest. Anthony Macone had a hit and earned the victory on the mound for the Sachems in last Saturday’s win over Salem. Lady Sachems makeplayoff s with solid stretch By Greg Phipps A busy schedule of four games in six days provided a challenge for the Saugus High School softball team. The contests were mostly makeups from earlier postponements and the Sachems came out of the stretch in pretty good shape by winning three of the four matchups. After losing to Peabody last Thursday, Saugus reeled off three consecutive wins, starting with a 14-8 victory at Melrose on Sunday. The team erupted for 20 hits, including four from Devaney Millerick Ryann Moloney was a key off ensive contributor in Saugus’s recent stretch of wins. Felicia Reppucci made her presence felt with some strong offensive performances as the Sachems made the postseason with a three-game winning streak. and three each from Kaitlyn Pugh and Gianna Costa. Millerick socked three doubles while Pugh drove in three runs. Players with two hits each in the Melrose win were Felicia Reppucci, Ryann Moloney and Felicia Alexander. Pitcher Fallon Millerick got the win on the mound, striking out three in her complete-game eff ort. Fallon Millerick homered and earned the win in the pitcher’s circle in Monday’s fi ve-inning 13-3 victory over Salem. Reppucci drilled three hits and had three RBIs, followed by Taylor Deleidi with three hits and Costa with three knocks as well. Saugus completed the stretch with an impressive 18-3 win at Swampscott on Tuesday — a win that qualifi ed the Sachems for this year’s playoff s. It improved Saugus to 10-6 overall. Sachems Head Coach Steve Almquist told the press after the game that he wasn’t anticipating a postseason bid from his young squad this season. “With a young team like we have, you’re hoping you’re just going to win fi ve games, let alone 10,” he said. “It’s truly a credit to the girls, the talent they have and the hard work they’ve put in this year.” Catcher Lily Ventre, who had been out with an injury for much of the season, returned with a vengeance by going 4-for-4 with two doubles and seven runs batted in. Ava Rogers and Devaney Millerick both socked two hits and drove in two and Pugh drilled a hit that brought home two runs. Costa also had two hits and an RBI and Fallon Millerick, who earned another pitching win, her ninth of the campaign, stroked a double, With a playoff spot already clinched, Saugus moves on to host a second matchup against Swampscott in its Senior Day game Friday and then plays at Danvers next Monday, May 23. The Sachems return home to host Melrose next Tuesday, May 24.
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