PHOTO BY BOB ROCHE
Lynn shortstop Eliza Brown attacks a ground ball.
By MIKE ALONGI
SAUGUS — Pitcher Leah Ventre pitched a complete game to help lift Saugus to an 8-4 win over East Lynn/West Lynn/Pine Hill in the opening game of the District 16 All-Star softball tournament at Belmonte Middle School on Monday afternoon.
Ventre gave up four runs on three hits with 10 strikeouts in her six innings of work. She also singled and scored a run on the offensive end.
Leading the way offensively for Saugus were catcher Jess Carter (2-for-3) and third baseman Madison Niles (1-for-3), both of whom knocked in two runs. Shortstop Cat Schena went 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Saugus, the visiting team despite having the apparent home-field advantage, struck first in the top of the first inning when centerfielder Hayley McLaughlin scored on a throwing error while attempting to steal second base.
East Lynn tried to respond in the bottom of the inning after getting a runner to third with two outs, but Ventre forced a groundout to get out of the inning.
The score remained 1-0 until the top of the third when Saugus exploded for five runs. Schena knocked an RBI single to get the scoring started, then came around to score herself on a passed ball two plays later. Niles followed with a two-run single to centerfield to make it 5-0, then Carter notched an RBI groundout to plate the fifth run of the inning.
East Lynn got on the board in the bottom of the fourth, scoring two runs when Eliza Brown and Brooke Warren came in on separate passed balls.
Saugus added one run in the fifth inning on an RBI single from Lanna Queiroz and another in the sixth when Megan Bluette scored on a passed ball.
East Lynn made one final push in the bottom of the sixth, but it wasn’t enough. They got two runs in the inning, both scored on passed balls, but the deficit was too much to overcome.
With the win, Saugus moves on to face Marblehead on Wednesday at 5:45 p.m. East Lynn will go on to play the loser of Wednesday’s Peabody–Wyoma game on Thursday at 5:45 p.m.