Chelsea High’s baseball team secured a postseason berth by defeating Minuteman Regional 8-1 in rainy conditions on Monday afternoon. The victory brought the Red Devils’ record to 9-5 overall and 7-3 in the Commonwealth Athletic Conference (7-0 in the Small Division), establishing a two-game advantage over Northeast Regional Vocational High School, which stands at 5-5 in the CAC.
Adonys Urbaez delivered an outstanding pitching performance, working all five innings before the game was halted due to weather. The hurler allowed just three hits while striking out five Minuteman batters. Urbaez also made significant contributions at the plate, driving in a run with a triple and scoring three times himself.
Juan Encarnacion provided offensive firepower for Chelsea with two hits, including a double, along with two RBI and a run scored. Daniel Velastegui contributed three RBI, highlighted by a two-run single down the right field line during the third inning. The Red Devils built an early 4-0 advantage in the second inning, then added two runs each in the third and fourth innings to give Urbaez ample run support.
The previous Wednesday brought disappointment as Chelsea fell to Mystic Valley 7-3. A disastrous second inning featuring four errors allowed six MV runners to score and proved decisive. Starting pitcher Odanys Baez absorbed the loss despite recovering well after the rough frame, ultimately allowing eight hits and striking out four over six innings of work. Jose Pineda led the CHS offense with two hits, two RBI, a stolen base, and a run scored. Velastegui added a hit and a run, while Adonys Urbaez contributed a hit and an RBI.
“We’re in first place in our division and we’ve qualified for the tourney,” remarked head coach Alan Beausoleil. “We’ve had a great year thus far and we’ll be looking to close it out successfully in our final four games.” Chelsea travels to No. Shore Tech on Friday before hosting Greater Lawrence the following Wednesday.