On Monday, April 27, Malden High’s Varsity Baseball team competed against the Revere Patriots. The game was close the whole way and displayed Malden’s skill under pressure.
To open the game, the first inning had Malden up to bat first. Sophomore Third Baseman Nick D’Anna went up to bat, making decent contact with the ball, but Revere’s outfield ended up catching his ball, resulting in Malden’s first out. The energy of the first inning shifted as Senior Captain and Outfielder Ryan McMahon batted second and earned and was hit by a pitch. This set the tone for the next four innings for their offense. Once they were on offense, Revere managed to get on base a few times but wasn’t able to score before getting three outs.
The second and third innings remained scoreless as both teams’ pitching and fielding continued to shine. Malden’s defense was able to step up, highlighted by strong pitching from Senior Captain Billy Gavin, who struck out multiple batters and kept Revere off balance throughout these innings. However, the offense continued to struggle early in the game. “We had a slow start but were able to rally for the win,” D’Anna explained.
During the third inning, sophomores Davante Layne and Devin Otero Milonopoulos worked together for a double play that took out two Revere runners in a row. Eventually, a Revere player would end up breaking through the defense, which left the score 2-0.
Revere’s luck on offense continued in the fourth inning after a defensive mistake by Malden which allowed a runner to advance and score again, playing favorably into Revere’s lead. Still, Malden stayed together. “We stayed patient and didn’t get frustrated,” Otero Milonopoulos emphasized. Freshman and Left Outfielder Arthur Sewell ended the inning with another clutch catch in the outfield to prevent further mistakes.
Layne acknowledged the tough game, admitting, “Going into the game, we knew it was going to be a close game.” He continued, “After the third, we had to adjust and try to get something going.”
The turning point came in the fifth inning when Sewell opened the inning with a powerful hit to the outfield, which led him to second base. Following up, Layne earned an RBI that allowed Sewell to score and turn the score to 3-2.
Sewell explained, “I think I played very well, and my big hit to start the sixth inning rally. We all knew we could do it.”
Malden’s offense then exploded as a hit from sophomore Kendrick Noelsaint to the outfield brought McMahon, Layne, and Otero Milonopoulos all home, pushing the score to 5-3. Jaylen Rivera-Fuentes followed with another hit to drive in an additional run, which gave Malden an advantage.
The energy in the dugout began to come together as a team. The players started chanting, “Oh! Oh! Oh! Oh! Let’s go Malden,” while closing out the game.
Players said the comeback reflected the team’s resilience and chemistry. “Even with that, we came together and overcame our struggles to come back and win,” senior TJ Lynch said. Gavin also highlighted, “Since we have such a close bond with each other, it’s easy for us to stay together and fight back in the games.”
In the seventh inning, Malden’s defense sealed the victory with multiple outs at first base, including a golden play with D’Anna throwing to Gavin, then to senior Jackson Tourkantonis to get out a Revere player.
As the final out was recorded, the team completed an impressive comeback that determined their victory, defeating Revere 6-3.
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