Jets keep climbing
Eastie takes aim at Div. 3 baseball crown
East Boston opened eyes last year when it stunned defending Division 3 baseball champion St. Mary’s in the North quarterfinals.
This year, the Jets are looking for more.
First-year coach Jeff Arinella and East Boston have opened the season with six consecutive wins. The quick start comes as no surprise to Arinella, who was an assistant under Kory Gilberti last season.
“I knew we really only lost one key player, and we had three transfers coming in,” Arinella said. “This team set some big goals coming into the season. They want to win the Colon Cancer Tournament, the Boston City League championship and the state championship, and we feel the talent is there.”
Tewksbury transfer Jake Scanlan has stepped up as the No. 1 pitcher and shortstop. Josh Rivera and Jonathan Pimentel have delivered some quality starts as evidenced by the fact the Jets have allowed just 11 runs in six games.
The offense has proven to be extremely potent. Brighton is the only opponent to date to hold the Jets to less than nine runs in a contest. The Giardina brothers (first baseman Nick and second baseman Joe) serve as the table-setters for the middle of the order, which consists of catcher Joe Serpa (who transferred back from Florida), right fielder Josue Baez, third baseman Israel Vega (Everett transfer) and center fielder Darrick Tolbert. Even the bottom third of the order — Pimentel, Scanlan and left fielder Giovanni Acevedo — is dangerous.
“We really have a balanced lineup,” Arinella said. “We really don’t have an easy out in there.”
Fun in the sun
The Central Catholic softball team spent April vacation the same way it has three of the past four years — playing in Orlando.
The idea was the brainchild of coach Stacy Ciccolo, who attended the University of Central Florida and coached at Umatilla High, some 50 miles away from UCF. She saw it as a great opportunity for her team to play some competitive softball and use the week away as a team-bonding experience.
“From living in Florida, I knew they had a tournament, and I thought it would be great for us,” Ciccolo said. “I spoke to (athletic director Ernie DiFiore), and he gave me the green light to go ahead. It’s turned out to be a great experience for everyone who has had the chance to play.”
The Raiders stayed at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort at Universal and played three games at the Bear Creek Sports Complex in Orlando. They defeated Masters Academy (8-1) and Villa Maria (16-1) sandwiched around a loss to Cocoa Beach (3-0).
One of the drawbacks of the trip has been a little bit of a letdown in their first game back. That was not the case against undefeated Dracut on Monday, when Central Catholic (52) exploded for 10 runs in the seventh inning to defeat the Middies, 15-3. Abby Latham and Bella Jankowski drove in four runs, while Hailey Cockroft, Courtney Woronka and Niamh Walker all had three hits.
“We talked about trying to avoid a letdown,” Ciccolo said. “I give the kids a great deal of credit for getting themselves prepared to play. We’ve been a little streaky, so it was nice to put it all together.”
Elusive perfection
We are still in April and there are just five remaining undefeated baseball teams in Division 1. Minnechaug is 8-0; Taconic, Braintree and Worcester South are 6-0; and Nashoba is perfect through five games. Just to show how difficult a feat it is, the last Div. 1 team to go undefeated through an entire season was Catholic
Memorial back in 1973. ... High school baseball players throughout the state will have an opportunity to play at Fenway Park and help the Jimmy Fund in the process. Lynnfield High, Xaverian, Millbury and Bullens Field in Westfield will host home run contests on May 7 from 1-6 p.m., and one winner from each venue will advance to the New England Home Run Derby Championship during John Hancock Fenway Fantasy Day on June 3.
Teams also are encouraged to participate in the High School All-Stars program, which gives high school teams the opportunity to raise money and sponsor a Dana-Farber patient’s participation in Fenway Fantasy Day. The top three fund-raising teams also will take the field at Fenway Park that day.
Registration for the Home Run Derby is $10 and will support the Jimmy Fund. To register or learn more, please visit JimmyFundFantasyDay.org/ Massachusetts.