Jacob Fuentes also contributed to this article.
On May 19th, the Malden High Baseball team faced Lynn English, who beat them 3-0 in a well-fought-out baseball game.
The game opened in the first inning, with Malden striking out three times, keeping the score 0-0. In the top of the second inning, the Bulldogs scored the first run. Malden continued to struggle at the bat. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the third inning when the Bulldogs scored another run, making the score 2-0.
At the top of the 4th inning, Coach Stephen Freker gathered the Malden Tornados together to give a motivational speech to keep the energy high and momentum going.
The fifth inning brought more challenges for the Tornados. In the end, the Bulldogs maintained control. In the bottom of the inning, they added a third run to stretch their lead to 3-0, while Malden struck out yet again. In the sixth inning, the Bulldogs were held off the bases. Malden showed some hope at the bottom of the inning, but still couldn’t bring in a run.
The seventh inning passed without scoring, with the Bulldogs ended the game with a score of 3-0.
After the game, Coach Frecker gave a special thank you to each individual senior on the team. Before he did this, he also singled out the help from the parents. ”First of all,” he said, “I’d like to thank Karen Bogan and all the parents who have helped.”
When Karen Bogan spoke, she gave her appreciation to everyone and added, “It’s everyone. I feel like I’m at the Academy Awards. I don’t want to leave anyone out.” Bogan said.
“This is my 40th year doing this. I’ve never had a group of parents, families, caregivers, and friends who have been so helpful and so gracious with their time. This is the truth, and everyone who is associated with us knows this is the truth. Each one of the parents cares about all the kids, not just their own, and it shows in all the work they do,” Coach Frecker said.
“This is the first of a number of celebrations, but tonight is important because it’s senior night, and on this night we honor these seniors who have put in a lot of time and couldn’t get here if it weren’t for all the caregivers,” continued Frecker.
Freker then proceeded to introduce the seniors.
“First up is a guy who just said he wanted to try playing baseball, and we don’t say no to anybody, so we got him a glove and cleats. He’s learning how to play the game, and he loves it. We have a lot of respect and admiration for him for wanting to learn something new. Tonight we welcome Muhammad Ibrahim.”
Freker welcomed Bryan Jose, who “started after high school, began after joining some wonderful family members who were already here. He was welcomed into our school, and it’s been a blessing to have him. He’s learned a lot about baseball and has gotten better as he’s gone along. He comes up with outstanding plays every game.”
Freker then began talking about Aiden Brett and the impact he’s made on the team. “This kid played all three seasons of sports, all four years. A couple of seasons he missed because he gave up his body for sports, and missed a couple of seasons here and there. We’re so fortunate to have him back here for his senior year of baseball.”
“He’s made an impact in every game he’s played and played multiple positions. He makes demands on everybody, including his coaches. This kid will run up a tree and run through a building to get that win, and we never want him to stop. He became a captain, and he’s a leader with us; we’re so lucky to have him with us.
Freker then proceeded to introduce senior Christopher MacDonald.
“This next guy here decided that he was also going to be old school and played three seasons of sports. Believe it or not, this is not even his best sport, but he gives it everything he has. He’s a competitor, and he’s been with us for four years. I think the best thing you can say about Chris MacDonald is that he speaks his mind and backs it up, and he’s a loyal human being. He’s loyal to his coaches, teammates, and most importantly to his family.”
Lastly, Freker welcomed Stead, who is such “an important part of Malden High School.” He continued, “I’ve never seen someone with as much magnetism and charisma. He’s one of those people who say everybody in the world is just another friend whom he hasn’t met, and things are really going to happen to him after he leaves high school because of that personality. He’s a man of many talents. We’re so pleased at how he’s developed, not just as a baseball player but as a young man.”
After all the speeches were concluded, the seniors took pictures and received gifts from their family and friends, and celebrated their last time playing baseball as seniors here at Malden High.
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