In honor of Cinco de Mayo, the Marblehead High softball team (4-5 in the Northeastern Conference, 5-5 overall) wrapped up the first half of the regular season with a thoroughly convincing victory over host Saugus, 11-2, on May 5.
Junior pitcher Ruby Calienes went the distance in the circle, giving up two runs on five hits and one walk, while striking out six over seven innings. Calienes also helped her own cause on offense with three RBI and a hit.
Catcher Luka Bornhorst accounted for a single and a triple. She also knocked in three runs and scored three times. Outfielder Isabel Mortensen chipped in with a single and a double. Third baseman Tessa Andriano was also credited with two hits.
In recent action, the Marblehead girls lost to Division 1 powerhouse Peabody in a close matchup on April 24, 8-2. But they bounced back to beat Swampscott, 15-3, and then non-league Whittier Tech, 17-14, before dropping a 10-7 decision to Salem on May 4.
“We were beating Peabody — in my opinion the best team in the state — after five innings, 2-1,” said coach Johnny Gold. “We are seeing a lot of progress, with the team batting average, in particular, going up every day.”
Ila Bumagin doubled in two runs in the fifth to give her teammates the lead briefly. In the home half of the sixth, however, the Peabody bats woke up to regain the lead for good with seven runs.
Abby Bettencourt, arguably the NEC MVP, got the win.
“There was a lot to learn and grow from in this game,” added Gold. “We had the bases loaded twice but couldn’t score any runs. Something we need to work on is to get the ball in play and bring home runs in those situations, but at the same time we need to get a handle on both mental and physical mistakes. But I was still proud of the way we competed against Peabody, and this game was definitely a turning point for us.”
Against Swampscott, the Magicians pounded the ball all game long, with Calienes and Bumagin, both juniors, going a perfect three-for-three. Bornhorst had three hits in four at-bats. Freshmen Hailey Schmitt and Isabel and Ashley Mortensen continued to hit the ball well, according to Gold.
Junior Sophia Hassley and senior Anna Bobowski came off the bench and contributed one hit apiece to the winning cause. Andriano, another freshman, hit the ball hard, but came up empty.
“(Andriano) has also been doing an outstanding job at third base,” said Gold. “She has a good glove and strong arm to quickly turn would-be hits into outs.”
The veteran coach added, “Overall, we have an exceptional freshman class. We start four freshmen that also includes pitcher Tessa Francis, who has missed several games due to injuries, but hopefully will be back in a week or two. Bornhorst is the real deal behind the plate, who possesses a strong arm and speed. The Mortensen sisters are in the outfield with Bumagin, and all three have done a real good job. Schmitt is our shortstop, who has excellent range with a good arm and glove, not to mention speed on the bases.”
Against Whittier Tech, Calienes got the win in the circle, while also getting three hits, along with Bumagin.
“After eight games, both players have been outstanding,” said Gold.
The Mortensen sisters contributed solid fielding plays and multiple hits to help their teammates stay on top in this game.
Bornhorst and Andriano both put on a power show to pace the attack. Andriano had a single, double and triple, while the team’s young catcher got the game ball after slugging a two-run homer to go along with producing a double and a single.
Schmitt chipped in with two hits and also played a great game at shortstop, as did Andriano at third base.
As a team, Marblehead pounded out 18 hits, and in the last two games they have had a total of 33 hits and 32 runs.
In the Salem game, the hits kept on coming, 15 to be exact.
“But the story of this game was Marblehead committing six errors, and they were costly,” said Gold.
Calienes led the way with two singles and a double to account for two RBI. Schmitt and Andriano also had three hits apiece. Bornorst knocked in two with a single and a triple.
Next on the schedule for the Magicians are non-league Mansfield (May 6) and Masco (May 8). The team then heads to Wakefield to face the Warriors on Thursday, May 11, starting at 4:15 p.m.
