During its final week of the 2018 regular season, the East Boston High School softball team defeated its opponents with a cumulative score of 31-12 en route a 12-5 record. The Jets defeated Snowden, 10-5, on Monday, May 21; Fenway, 14-2, on Tuesday, May 22; and Brighton, 7-5, on Wednesday, May 23; all at Noyes Playground.
The perfect week indicated the team’s remarkable turnaround at home. East Boston began their home play 0-3 but since then were able to finish the season 5-for-5 at home.
Partly a result of a top-heavy schedule, East Boston head coach Matt Sances said the team constantly improved throughout the season, citing their season matchup against Lynnfield.
The Jets launched their season with a 16-3 blowout against Lynnfield on April 4. By their second meeting on May 17, East Boston conceded 11 fewer points in a 5-1 loss on the road.
“The girls really just got better and better through time and commitment.”
As the season comes to a close, Sances said he was impressed by the team’s dedication both on and off the field. “The girls were [not only] up for the goal of winning the City North title,” but they also were “a very strong team academically,” he said.
East Boston now begins its postseason play at City Yards Field today in the Boston City Softball North Semi-Finals. The final will be held tomorrow at the Wentworth Institute of Technology’s Sweeney Field.
Sances said the Jets are entering the playoffs with the right amount of confidence.
“They’re not overconfident, but they know all the work we’ve been doing,” he said. “Winning a lot of games at the end of the season has showed that they’re ready to step up to the challenge.”
He added that the key to victory will be a team. “I really push for the team, believing in the team,” he said. “We have to support each other.”
The Sweeney Field is located at 464 Huntington Ave., Boston.