Senior captain Ronald Luke pitching. Photo taken by Jesaias Benitez
After a long season filled with ups and downs the boys varsity baseball team finish with a record of 7 and 13. Although their record came up short and they did not make the tournament, the team showed a positive improvement from last year as they ended with two more wins under their belt.
Their wins this year came from beating: Medford, Newton South, O’Bryant, Somerville, Haverhill and East Boston twice. Many boys on the team would agree that their biggest and most exhilarating win came from beating Medford baseball away at Medford’s field with a score of 9 to 1. This win showed promise for the team for not only what they were capable of doing but what Malden High baseball can do in the future especially in their Greater Boston League.
Five seniors, including Miguel Ortega, Christopher Ansaldi and Senior Captains Ronnie Luke, Liam Elliott and Nicholas Andreucci, will be leaving the team this year but they have left an impact on the team both on and off the field. Offensively, captain Ronnie Luke completed the season with a batting average of .528, the highest on the team.
The team as a whole finished off the year with a total batting average around .266 and a combined total of over 140 hits. Following Luke is sophomore captain Jared Martino who ended his season with an average of .486. Martino’s season, however, was cut short due to an injury. Martino was not only a game changing bat to have in the order, but he was also an ace pitcher. Not being able to play did not stop Martino from helping out his teammates as he came and supported his team throughout the entire rest of the season.
Injuries forced the team to make many adjustments. Their shortstop James Pandolfo had been injured much earlier in the season during a game against Lawrence. The way the team was able to bounce back from these injuries as new people, especially underclassmen, were brought into new positions gave a glimmer of hope for the upcoming seasons. “Not making the tournament was a tough pill to swallow since our team was poised to make it, injuries to multiple teammates and close games not going our way was our luck, it was a disappointing ending to a season but it was an awesome team to be part of, wish the very best luck to the team in the future” emphasizes Andreucci.
Although errors seemed to be the downfall for this team, the returning boys will focus on their defense this offseason and come back next year with a purpose.
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