Joana Tavares Vassao and Ariana Edwardson also contributed to this article.
On May 20th, Malden went head-to-head against Revere, claiming a 14-4 win. This was their last home game before the state championship. Malden took this game to recognize their seniors playing and dedicate the win to them.
In the beginning, both teams displayed good defense, but Malden took a lead through their offense. Starting Malden off, sophomore Nicholas D’Anna hit a double. This allowed Malden to have someone closer to scoring. With two people on the bases, sophomore Devin Milonopolous hit a triple, earning Malden two runs. Followed by RBIs, or runs batted in, the first inning ended in a 5-1.
Senior pitcher Ryan McMahon pitched an amazing game and led Malden’s defense. McMahon has struck out multiple batters, awarding him with “Malden High’s record for most strikeouts,” said baseball coach Steve Freker.
During the third inning, the game started heating up after a runner advanced home from Revere, Freker called in his infield, giving them inspiration to get out of the inning. Malden took these words and turned hits into outs.
The team came together and “shut down defense,” said senior captain Gino Spadafora. They pulled in five more runs in the third inning with hits from senior captain Thomas “TJ” Lynch, freshman Arthur Sewell, and sophomores Joseph Ewing, Davante Layne, and Milonopolous. With each of them scoring, the third inning ended in a score of 12-2.
Revere’s defense attempted to keep up with Malden, making good plays in the field, but catching up proved a challenge. Malden’s defense continued to get better with second baseman Layne making multiple outs at first.
Malden, “expecting to play longer,” was happy to end their last home game with a 14-4 win.
After this win, Freker and the rest of the team congratulated the seniors on a good season and celebrated by capturing memorable photos and moments.
Posters of Lynch, McMahon, Spadafora, Jackson Tourkantonis, Billy Gavin, Eudy Francisco, Johnny Mei, Keith Vien, and Dennis Liu hung on the fence. Many of the players hyped up the seniors, said their farewells, and wished the best for their futures.
After the championship, the seniors will go off to college. Many seniors left behind words for their team:
“Keep grinding, show up every day, respect the coaches because the only thing they want is for you to do better later on,” said McMahon.
“Keep doing what they’re doing. They’re a really talented group. Show up every day and work hard,” shared Spadafora.
“Keep your grades up and go to all your classes,” Tourkantonis advised.
“Just keep working hard, and they’ll have a great season next year,” Lynch claimed.
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