SOFTBALL
Gloucester 9, Masconomet 4: The Fishermen (10-2) got back into the win column and officially qualified for the Division 3 state tournament in the process. Olivia Madruga had a huge day offensively, going 3-for-4 with a pair of triples and five RBI. Julia Carrancho added two hits while Ava Paone scored four times. Freshman pitcher Abby Noble went all seven innings to earn the win.
Manchester Essex 8, Newburyport 5: The Hornets collected a big victory, moving to 5-4 on the season. Penelope Riggs went 3-for-4 at the plate with an RBI and two runs scored. Abby Aiello scored twice while registering a hit; Cordelia Riggs was 2-for-4 with a pair of doubles off the fence, driving in two; and Cami Friedrich worked her way on base three times to produce two runs. Defensively, Anna Gardner went the distance for the win, striking out eight on the day while allowing only two runners to reach on singles in the fifth, sixth and seventh innings. Manchester Essex returns to the field on Thursday when it hosts Pentucket for a 4:30 p.m. start.
North Reading 19, Rockport 0: The young Vikings (0-9) weren’t able to muster up much offense in Wednesday’s league setback. Gretel Marshall led the way in defeat with two hits while striking out two in her inning in the circle. Cecilia Chadbourne added a single for Rockport.
BOYS TENNIS Swampscott 3, Gloucester 2: The Fishermen (now 3-5) fell just short in a competitive match despite wins from Julian Nixon at third singles and the duo of Henry Harrison/Jackson Weber at second doubles. Freshman first singles standout Shane Widtfeldt was leading 7-5, 3-0 but ultimately couldn’t seal the deal, dropping the final two sets 3-6, 0-6. Noah Poulin and Ethan Parisi were also up early, leading 5-4 and 6-5 in the opening set at first doubles, but wound up dropping a 6-7, 0-6 decision.
“Bitter pill to swallow but a great effort from our young squad,” said Gloucester coach Derek Geary, his team falling to Swampscott by the same score in last year’s Division 3 state quarterfinals.
Gloucester will be back at it on Monday at Marblehead (4 p.m.).
GIRLS TENNIS
Amesbury 5, Rockport 0: The Vikings (now 4-4) dropped their second straight contest after winning their previous three matches. They’ll look to bounce back with a strong performance on Friday against defending Division 4 state champion Hamilton-Wenham.