Carlos Vega tossed a complete game two hitter and helped his own cause with a home run to lead the Chelsea High baseball team to an 11-1 win over Minuteman Regional last Wednesday at the local ballfield.
“Carlos was super,” said CHS head coach Alan Beausoleil of Vega’s performance in which Carlos struck out 11 enemy batters.
The Red Devils struck for six runs in the opening frame to essentially put the game away and tallied additional markers in scattered innings the rest of the way. The combination of Carlos Vega’s strong pitching and a solid defense behind him kept Minuteman from ever making it a ballgame.
Pedro Hernandez swung a big bat for Chelsea, going 3-for-4 with a double, an RBI, and a run scored. Daniel Velastegui went 2-for-3 and scored two runs. Teammate Nelson Vega had two hits, a stolen base, an RBI, and two runs.
Two days later the Red Devils trekked to Minuteman’s turf for the other end of their home-and-home series. Unfortunately, things did not turn out as well for Chelsea in the rematch, as Minuteman pulled out a 4-3 win in extra innings.
“The second game with Minuteman was a complete turnabout from the first one,” said Beausoleil, who noted that his squad committed five errors and lacked timely hitting, leaving nine men on base.
Both teams scored a run in the first inning and two in the third to leave matters knotted at 3-3, where they remained until the eighth. The Red Devils loaded the bases in the seventh, but were unable to push across the tie-breaking tally.
Velastegui, who went all eight innings on the mound for the Devils, deserved a better fate. Daniel allowed just seven hits and only two earned runs. Minuteman’s winning run came via the scratch variety thanks to a pair of infield hits that placed a runner into scoring position.
On Monday the Red Devils came out on the short end of a decision to non-league rival East Boston. Frankie Rodriguez and Velastegui both had doubles for Chelsea and Carlos Vega had a hit and an RBI.
With their record now at 4-6 at the halfway mark of the season, the Red Devils will have to pick up their play over the second half of the campaign if they want to make the state tournament.
“The team is working hard every day and giving it their all,” said Beausoleil. “We’ve lost two games in extra innings and another by a score of 1-0. So we know that if we continue to play our best and catch some breaks, we can make a run for a state tourney berth.”
Chelsea will play half of its remaining 10 games over the next nine days. Beausoleil and his crew will trek to Shawsheen today (Thursday); host Mystic Valley tomorrow; entertain North Shore Tech Tuesday; travel to Whittier Wednesday; and host Lynn Tech Friday. All games start at 4:00.
CHS boys track rolls past Mystic Valley
The Chelsea High boys outdoor track team received a number of fine individual efforts to power past Mystic Valley last Wednesday, 92-44.
Ricardo Maldonado paced the Red Devils, scoring 20 points with triumphs in four events. Ricardo outsprinted all competitors in the 100 meter (in 11.5 seconds) and 200 meter dashes (24.2); cleared the high jump bar at 5-10; and tossed the javelin 156-9.
Other top scorers for the Red Devils with first place finishes were: Chester Rath in the mile in 5:10 and as a member of the winning 4 x 400 relay quartet; Brandon Horn with a triple jump of 37-4 and a 400 meter dash of 60.2, plus a second place in the 110 meter high hurdles, giving Brandon a total of 13 points on the day; Faisal Nasimi in the 800 meters in 2:23 and as a member of the 4 x 400 relay; Adriel Rodriguez in the shotput with a personal record toss of 37-9; and Tuan Tran in the discus with a fling of 83-2.
Adding three points to the Chelsea side of the scoresheet with second place efforts were: Jeffrey Estrada in the 400 meter low hurdles in 65.7, to go with his third place finish in the 110 high hurdles; Tony Nguyen in the two mile in 12:05; Jay Pedrero in the mile with a clocking of 5:39; Samuel Hernandez in the 400 meter dash to go with his third place in the 400 hurdles; Joseph Arroyo in the 800 meter event (Joseph also was part of the 4 x 400 relay); Brian Jimenez in the javelin with a throw of 112-6 and in the shotput with a heave of 35-0; Richard Andino in the discus with a twirl of 81-2; Mohammed Qasim with a triple jump of 35-4; and Eric Florez in the high jump with a leap of 5-2.
Adding a point for their third place finishes for Chelsea were Huthifa Kareem in the mile with a time of 5:40 and Michael Rendon in the 400 dash in 62.8.
The Red Devils have two meets on tap this week. They were set to take on Whittier Tech Tuesday and will face Greater Lowell tomorrow (Friday). “The Whittier meet should be very closely-contested,” noted CHS head coach Don Fay.
CHS girls track tops Mystic Valley
The Chelsea High girls outdoor track team remained undefeated with a 72-64 victory over Mystic Valley last Wednesday.
Leading the way for the Lady Red Devils was freshman Katherine Cabral who scored 11.25 points. Katherine captured first place in two individual events, the long jump and the 400 meter dash, and was a member of the winning 4 x 400 relay quartet who clinched the victory.
Senior Quinnee Valenzona was next on the point parade for Chelsea with nine points. Quinnee won the 100 high hurdles, took second in the javelin, and grabbed third in the 400 low hurdles.
Senior Cristal Rodriguez took first place in the javelin and also ran a leg on the winning 4 x 400 relay to place 6.25 points onto the Chelsea side of the scoresheet.
Sophomore Sara Beqo placed in two events, taking first in the two mile run and a third in the mile. Sophomore Sofia Falcon was a double point-scorer, winning the mile and grabbing a third in the 800. Junior Rebecca Torrento likewise took a first (discus) and a third (shotput). Senior Bahiya Nasuuna completed the first place finishers for Chelsea, winning the shotput.
Adding three points to the CHS total with second place efforts were: Senior Arandeni Ramos in the two mile run, junior Yessenia Motta in the 400 dash, senior Tatyana Almeida in the 800 (Tatyana also was a member of the winning 4 x 400 relay team and nabbed a third in the triple jump), junior Sarah Bourouis in the 200 dash (as well as a third in the high jump), and senior Lejla Skokic in the discus.
Three more Lady Red Devils added single points with third place finishes: Junior Stephanie Moni in the 100 dash; sophomore Chimene Agogo in the 400 dash; and senior Daisy Mejia in the discus.
“The girls worked hard and stayed focus,” said CHS head coach Kim Huffer. “We had a total of 28 personal bests on the day, so I’m excited to see where the team goes for the remainder of the season.”
Huffer and her crew were set to take on Whittier Tech Tuesday and will face Greater Lowell tomorrow (Friday).