Salem Charter Academy and Malden Tornados pose for a group photo to commemorate the moment. JOANA VASSAO
Joana Vassao also contributed to this article.
Setting off the baseball season, Malden High School went head to head against Salem Charter Academy. Wiping out their competition, Malden’s efforts left the score 12-0. This game showcased the many talented players of Malden.
Many players expressed how this had been an amazing game to start the season. The spirits were high and the future of the baseball team shined. In this game, Joshua Dionne expressed how “the practice paid off with everything coming together to help get a good first win of the season.”
The starting innings created a lively game that filled the park with chants of “you got this!” and “you’re a hitter!” Assistant Coach Philip Cook expressed how happy he was with the game play and how “bats came alive.”.
Starting in the first inning Malden came with a strong will to win. With great efforts from the team it was almost an immediate three outs. Only one runner was able to advance to first base before soon getting caught stealing in a spectacular throwdown by sophomore catcher Joseph Ewing to sophomore second baseman Devin Milonopoulos. As it was Malden’s turn to bat they started strong with being able to go through almost everyone in the line up,ending this inning with the score of 3-0.
Senior pitcher Ryan McMahon led innings two and three with six total strike outs. Cook expressed “Ryan had done really well,” with many agreeing. McMahon stated that this is the best he’s done in his high school career and how proud he felt.
As the game progressed, the hitting became prominent. Senior captain Jackson Tourkantonis highlighted how the team “came out aggressive with good at bats and solid contact,” which helped solidify the win.
Innings five and six came and passed with senior captains, Billy Gavin and McMahon on the mound retaining a no hitter. With the combination of the dominant pitching and livet bats the team dominated against Salem Charter leaving a huge gap of 12-0, eventually ending the game in the last inning left because of the gap of over 10 runs.
Head coach Steve Freker awarded Salem Charter Academy with a plaque for their efforts in playing Malden High and for showing a long term partnership where they kick off the baseball season. This ceremony gave honor to the head coach of Salem Charter and how he has helped in the growth of the two baseball programs.
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