Stoughton’s George Currier (right) slides in safely before Milford’s Matt Shaver applies the tag at second. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
STOUGHTON, Mass. – Over the closing stages of the regular season, Stoughton’s offense wasn’t tearing the cover off the ball, but the Black Knights were finding ways to win.
The same was the case in the opening round contest with Greater New Bedford as the Black Knights squeaked by with a 1-0 win.
But Stoughton’s offense could be heating up at the right time. In a rubber match with division rival Milford, the Black Knights doubled their hit production from the previous game and put a runner in scoring position in all but one inning.
The result was a convincing 7-1 win for the Black Knights in an all-Hockomock D2 South quarterfinal game, earning a season series win over the Hawks.
“I feel like we came out a little flat, especially after having so much energy on Saturday,” said Stoughton coach Mike Armour. “But I felt like we got our mojo back a little in the second inning there. Milford manufactured a run and it was like here we go, but our guys were able to get the bat on the ball. The bats had cooled off as of late. So if we can get the bats going, I know what we’re capable of. But we’re happy to have the opportunity to play again.”
Stoughton had a total of 14 base runners: scattering eight hits, reaching twice via walk, had two players get hit by a pitch, one reached on an error, and another on a fielder’s choice.
The only inning Stoughton didn’t put a runner on base, and it might have been the defense that gave the Black Knights momentum at the plate.
After squandering a bases-loaded, one-out chance in the bottom of the second, Milford came out and loaded the bases with no outs in the top of the third. Luke Rosa drew a leadoff walk and Nick Marcolini and Justin Applebee followed with bunt singles.
Matt Shaver drove in the first run of the game with a sacrifice fly but Stoughton junior lefty James Genest (6IP, 3H, 1BB, 1ER, 4K) limited the damage by getting a foul ball pop up to first and a swinging strikeout for the third out.
Junior George Currier (3-for-4, three runs, stolen base) led off with a single and beat the throw to second to allow Robbie Seaman to reach on a fielder’s choice. Currier moved to third on a fly ball by Genest and came home to score when Mike Nazzaro’s grounder was misplayed in the infield.
Cian Swierzewski walked to load the bases and junior Jacob Kaplan smashed a deep triple to left field to clear the bases and put the hosts up 4-1.
“Those are hits that change games and Kap’s been doing it for us all year,” Armour said. “We’ve talked before about how many hits he’s had this season with the bases loaded but I mean a bases-clearing triple in a tournament game…that’s just big time.”
Currier got things started in the bottom of the fourth with a one-out single, stole second, and moved to third on a deep fly ball from Zak Paquette. After Seaman was hit by a pitch by Milford starter Colby Pires (4IP, 6H, 1BB, 6R, 2ER, 3K), Currier raced home on a wild pitch to make it 5-1.
Seaman moved to third on a passed ball and scored when Genest drilled a two-out single through the right side for a 6-1 advantage.
Stoughton tacked on another run in the sixth inning with Currier being the catalyst again. Currier and Paquette had back-to-back singles with the former moving up a bag on a fly ball from Genest. With runners on first and third, a balk was called and Currier scored.
“It’s a tribute to these guys,” Armour said. “We knew it was going to be a battle with Milford coming to town, it always is. We had a lot of the 2017 [Stoughton] team here, [Milford] kind of came here and did us in that year and I think that was fresh in their minds being just a couple years removed. Our guys made the plays, defensively really fantastic.”
Milford didn’t have a hit after the third inning but did have a couple of chances to cut into the deficit. Rosa reached on an error to lead off the fifth inning, moved to second on a ground out but was tagged out on a ground ball. Applebee, who reached on the fielder’s choice, stole second but was stranded there.
The Hawks got to the Knights’ bullpen in the top of the seventh, adding a bit of drama to the game in the final frame. Rosa and Applebee both walked, sandwiched around Marcolini getting hit by a pitch to load the bases with two outs. But Stoughton senior Evan Jackman induced a ground ball to Currier at second. Currier finished with four putouts and four assists.
“Give a lot of credit to [Stoughton], Mike always has them ready to go and they are a good team, It’s always competitive,” said Milford coach Alex Dion. “The 2017 [Stoughton] team is here, and that was a similar story then when it was split in the regular season but we came out on top in the postseason, this year they come out on top. It’s always going to be a tough game but we didn’t take advantage of any opportunities we had and they got that big hit and I think after that, we were a bit deflated and couldn’t find a way to get it going again.”
Stoughton baseball (14-8) will host top-seeded Hopkinton (14-5), who knocked off Milton in the quarterfinal round, on Wednesday at 4:00. Milford finishes the season at 11-11.
Stoughton’s Brady Conlin (right) tags our Greater New Bedford’s Cam Barton for the final out of the game. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
STOUGHTON, Mass. – The visiting Greater New Bedford Bears came knocking on the door twice, including with the game on the line, and both times, the Black Knights slammed the door shut.
The visitors, seeded 12th in the MIAA D2 South tournament, tried on a pair of occasions to score on aggressive base running moves, but on each occasion, Stoughton junior catcher Mike Nazzaro and senior pitcher Zak Paqeutte denied the Bears, including on the last play of the game to secure a 1-0 win in a First Round matchup on Anthony Novello Field.
The fifth-seeded Black Knights took the lead into the final inning, putting the pressure on the visitors. Paquette (7IP, 3H, 2BB, 2HBP, 5K) hit the first batter he faced before getting a fly ball to center for the first out. A passed ball allowed pinch runner Cam Barton to take second, and a ground out advanced the runner to third. Evan Mello drew the first walk of the day against Paquette to put runners on the corners.
GNBVT’s Payton Leandre battled to draw a second straight walk that would have loaded the bases. But ball four was bobbled at the plate and Barton took off for home. Nazzaro quickly recovered and scooped the ball to Paquette and Barton retreated and tried to head back to third. But the Black Knights had the runner caught in a pickle and Paquette tossed to third baseman Brady Conlin and the sophomore applied the tag to end the game.
“That game was one play away from maybe going another direction so it was nice for the boys to hold on,” said Stoughton head coach Mike Armour. “Zak was obviously huge for us today, set the tone early. He was hitting the zone, challenging those guys. We talked about really challenging them and making them earn everything, I’m not sure how many walks he ended up with but not many.
“Hats off to Greater New Bedford, their guy pitched a good game. But we need to do a better job offensively, I felt like we had guys on base early just couldn’t get them in and that could have changed the game early. We let them hang around and anything can happen, and it almost did.”
Nazzaro and Paquette combined to deny the Bears of another run with a play at home. Leandre singled in the bottom of the fifth with his side trailing 1-0 and moved to second on a sac bunt from Jack Gifford. With leadoff man Ethan Almeida at the plate, a wild pitch got back Nazzaro and went to the backstop. Leandre sprinted to third but didn’t slide in, instead rounding the base and taking off for home without hesitation.
Paquette, who was halfway between the mound and plate, noticed and quickly sprinted home and Nazzaro fielded the loose ball and hit Paquette, who applied the tag for the third out of the inning.
“Fantastic plays,” Armour said. “And even Zak looking like he wasn’t covering the plate. He was locked in from the second he got here today so I don’t think he thought he was going to go and when he did, it was like OK, thanks for coming. I think it affected them on the bases going forward too.”
The lone run of the game came in the bottom of the third inning. Paquette clubbed a one-out single and it looked like the Black Knights would have runners on first and second when Robbie Seaman was hit on the back by the pitch. But halfway down the line, the home ump ruled Seaman didn’t make an attempt to get out of the way of the pitch and the at-bat continued.
Instead of first and second, the Knights had runners on the corners as Seaman smacked a single through the right side. Junior James Genest hit a fly ball deep enough to left field to allow Paquette to scamper home for a run on a sacrifice fly.
“In my eyes, he was hit between the 2 and the 1 so I’m not sure how he’s supposed to get out of the way,” Armour said. “But we took advantage of the situation. Umps are doing the best they can, it’s not easy. We don’t want to make excuses, we’re not shrugging our shoulders, we’re not complaining…you have to overcome.
“I’m proud of the guys, gutting it out. Those tight games can go either way, tournament games can go either way. We’ve been on both sides. I think the first one is the hardest so we’re excited to move on.”
Stoughton had someone reach base in four other innings, and get into scoring position each time, but couldn’t cash in any further against GNBVT starter Angel Quinones Gonzalez. Paquette walked in the first and stole second but back-to-back strikeouts stranded the runner there.
Nazzaro was hit by a pitch to lead off the second and an error on a hard hit ground ball from Jacob Kaplan moved him to second with one out, but Stoughton could only manage a pair of fly balls and no further damage.
Cian Swierzewski put the pressure on the Bears’ defense, beating out an infield dribbler and taking second on a throwing error but three straight soft line drives stranded the run there.
And in the fifth, Seaman had a two-out single, stole second, but was caught at third trying to swipe another bag.
“I didn’t think we hit the ball the way we are capable of hitting, but that’s baseball that’s going to happen. And you’re going to have some physical mistakes, that’s part of the game. But I think we did have some mental mistakes.”
Stoughton advances to the D2 South Quarterfinals and will host a familiar foe in division rival Milford, the 13th seed. The Scarlet Hawks knocked off #4 Southeastern in their opening contest. Milford beat Stoughton, 3-2, at Fino Field at the end of April but the Black Knights clinched the division title with a 6-3 win in mid-May at Novello Field. Stoughton will host Milford on Monday at 4:00.
Baseball
Canton, 5 vs. Wellesley, 3 – Final – Wellesley tied the game at 3-3 with a run in the top of the fifth inning but the Bulldogs took it right back with two in the bottom half to earn the win. Sophomore Matt Connolly went 2-for-3 with an RBI while Nate Quan (two runs), Rob Sullivan (RBI), and Chris Rota each had a hit for Canton. Mike Konzal, Steve Burbank, and Matt Pigeon each had a walk and a run scored. Sullivan got the win for Canton, allowing two earned runs on five hits in six innings of work. Rota didn’t allow a hit in one inning of work to get the save.
Milford, 7 @ Concord-Carlisle, 2 – Final – Milford senior Danny Corsini allowed just one hit in four winnings of work, allowing just one unearned run while striking out three to help the Scarlet Hawks get a win over Concord-Carlisle. Matt Shave had one hit and scored three runs while both Colby Pires (double, two runs, two RBI) and Tyler Almeida (two RBI) had two hits apiece. Luke Rosa struck out one with one hit allowed in two innings of relief.
Stoughton, 3 vs. West Bridgewater, 0 – Final – Stoughton sophomore Brady Conlin shined on the mound, throwing a complete game shutout to lead the Black Knights to a win. Conlin scattered four hits and three walks while striking out 11. Stoughton scored all three of its runs in the fourth inning. Robbie Seaman (reached on error) scored on an RBI single from James Genest, Jacob Kaplan used heads up base running to score on an infield hit from Mike Nazzaro, and Kyle Gagnon had a single that bought Nazzaro home.
Softball
Canton, 4 @ Boston Latin, 11 – Final – Canton sophomore Nikki Desjardins went 2-for-4, including hitting a home run, but the Bulldogs fell on the road. Freshman Sophia Santos pitched three scoreless innings with five strikeouts.
Milford, 1 @ Hopkinton, 13 – Final (6 Inn.)
Sharon, 3 vs. Duxbury, 4 – Final – Despite the loss, Sharon coach Heather Poliferno called it a “great game” against the Dragons. The Eagles rallied with two runs in the sixth inning to close the gap and added one in the seventh but couldn’t find the tying run. Emily Botvin was strong in the circle, throwing a complete game with four strikeouts and just one walk. She threw first pitch strikes to 29 of the batters she faced. Poliferno said that the Eagles made solid contact all game.
Taunton, 16 vs. Moses Brown, 5 – Final – After Moses Brown cut Taunton’s lead in half with five runs in the fifth, the Tigers responded with six runs in the sixth inning to pull away. Jaime Brown had a big day at the plate with four hits, including a pair of triples and five RBI. Hanna Aldrich (two RBI), McKenzie McAloon (double, RBI), and Ava Venturelli (double, triple, two RBI), each had two hits. Winning pitcher Kelsey White pitched the first five innings, allowing five unearned runs on four hits with three strikeouts and one walk. Alexa White came in for the final two innings, striking out five while allowing two hits.
Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 7 vs. Natick, 10 – Final – Canton stayed close with Natick for the entire game but couldn’t close the gap. Tommy Vaughan scored four goals and Griffin Roach netted three for the Bulldogs, who trailed 6-3 at the break.
North Attleboro @ Silver Lake, 4:00
Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 7 vs. Dartmouth, 17 – Final
Franklin, 10 @ Notre Dame Academy, 15 – Final
Girls Tennis
Mansfield, 4 @ Norton, 1 – Final – Mansfield swept doubles action and added two more wins in singles action to knock off Norton. Lizzy Elsner won 6-3, 1-6, 6-2 at first singles while junior Samantha Sternburg didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of senior Hannah Podolske and sophomore Alex Burnham earned a 6-4, 6-2 win at first doubles while sophomores Ally McDeuitt and Alex Wendland secured a 7-5, 6-2 win at second doubles.
Baseball
Attleboro, 11 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final (6 inn.) – Attleboro scored scored once in the second, added three runs in each the third and fifth innings and put the game out of reach with a four-run sixth inning to walk out of Frothingham Park with an 11-1 over the Tigers. Senior Eoin Kelleher shined on the mound as well as at the dish to pace the Bombardiers. He went six innings, scattering four hits and striking out six with one run allowed. He added a double, an RBI, and a run scored offensively while Sam Larkin (two RBI), Tim Callahan (two RBI), and Mason Houle (double, RBI) each had a pair of hits for Attleboro.
Canton, 2 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – Canton jumped out to a 2-0 lead but Stoughton scored four runs, all on two-out hits, over the final three innings to earn the win. The Bulldogs took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second and made it 2-0 in the top fo the fifth. In the bottom half, Robbie Seaman (2-for-3) connected for a two-out, two-run single to knot the score. The Black Knights added two more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the lead. Sophomore Brady Conlin (2-for-3) led off with a single and pinch-runner Jake Queeney came around to score on a two-out single from Mike Nazzaro (2-for-3). Zak Paquette then knocked in Nazzaro to make it 4-2. Paquette earned the win on the mound, tossing a complete game allowing six hits with two runs (0 ER), two strikeouts, and three walks.
Foxboro, 7 @ Milford, 8 – Final – Milford sophomore Carter Scudo put the ball in play and senior Matt Shaver scored from third as the Scarlet Hawks walked off with a win over visiting Foxboro. The Warriors held a 7-6 lead entering the final inning but were done in by three fielding errors in the bottom of the seventh. Scudo finished with a double, RBI, and a run scored while senior Tyler Almeida drew three walks and scored twice. Danny Corsini went five innings on the mound for the Hawks while Nick Marcolini earned the win in relief, allowing one hit and striking out one in two innings of work. Foxboro’s Michael Devlin went 3-for-4 with two runs and an RBI, Brian Duncan added three hits, an RBI, and a run scored, and Joe Cavaleri and Sean Yoest each recorded two RBI for Foxboro.
King Philip, 1 @ Taunton, 0 – Final (10 inn.) – Both King Philip starter David Morganelli and Taunton starter Logan Lawrence pitched into extra innings in a terrific pitchers’ duel on Wednesday afternoon. The Warriors were able to string together three hits in the 10th, the last being an RBI single from Morganelli to score Matt Munnafo for the winning run. Morganelli tossed 8.1 scoreless innings, striking out five while allowing five hits and two walks. Chris Sawyer earned the win in relief with 1.2 scoreless innings. Taunton junior Logan Lawrence pitched eight scoreless innings for the Tigers, scattering three hits and two walks while striking out seven.
Mansfield @ Franklin – Postponed to Saturday, 4/13 at 6:00.
Sharon @ North Attleboro – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Softball
Oliver Ames, 2 @ Attleboro, 15 – Final (5 inn.) – Attleboro’s Makenzie Killough had four hits, including a home run, and McKenzie Bergdoll allowed just three hits as the Bombardiers earned a win over visiting Oliver Ames. The Tigers scored a run in each the first and second innings but the Bombardiers’ offense proved to be too much. Killough also had two doubles and finished with two RBI, Kayla Baptiste went 3-for-3 with two RBI, Jordyn Lako had two hits, including a triple and three RBI, Lindsay Perry had a double and two RBI, and Bergdoll added two hits and two RBI at the plate. OA sophomore Grace Simone was 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Freshman Anna Balestino was 1-for-2 with an RBI while senior Colleen Larson scored the other run for OA.
Canton, 4 @ Stoughton, 7 – Final – Stoughton belted out 14 hits on its way its third win of the season, knocking off rival Canton, 7-4. Each player in the Black Knight recorded at least one hit with Karly Estremera leading the way with three. Jordan Lyons, Nikki Coppola and Lexi Baptista each had two hits for the Knights. Nicole Baker had another solid performance in the circle to earn the win. Canton’s Liz Bickett went 3-for-4 with a triple, a pair of singles, and two RBI for the Bulldogs.
Foxboro, 21 @ Milford, 5 – Final (5 inn.) – Riley Martignetti had three hits and drove in five runs and freshman Peyton Feldman had three hits and three RBI from the lead-off spot to power Foxboro to a big win on the road. Camryn Willis also had three hits for the Warriors, while Morgan Sylvestre went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Emma Rohan went the distance in the circle to get the win. Foxboro coach Mark Maguire called it a complete team performance, as Foxboro got contributions throughout the lineup and all nine starters recorded at least one hit. Milford sophomore Carly Ferreira went 2-for-2 with two RBI, two runs scored and two triples while junior Amanda Wenckus smacked a two-run home run for the Hawks.
Franklin, 11 @ Mansfield, 6 – Final – Mansfield scored three runs in the fifth and one in the sixth to cut Franklin’s lead to just three runs (8-5) but the Panthers responded with three runs in the top of the seventh to secure the lead and a win on the road. Franklin jumped out to an 8-0 lead, with Gabby Colace (2-for-2, double, three runs, five RBI) putting the Panthers ahead with a two-run home run in the second inning. The Panthers added five runs in the second and one in the fourth for the 8-0 advantage. After Mansfield cut it to 8-5 through six innings, Franklin senior Jackie Cherry launched a three-run home run to give the Panthers breathing room. Ally Shea (double), Anna Balkus, Peyton Aronne (two RBI), and Maddy White (RBI, run) each had two hits for Franklin. Mansfield left runners on base in every inning but the fourth, including leaving the bases loaded in the first, third, and the seventh. Ella Verheggen went 3-for-4 with a pair of RBI in the loss and the Hornets also got two hits apiece from Mary Muldoon and Sarah Cahill. Emma Roche came off the bench with her first hit of the year to start a sixth inning rally.
North Attleboro, 14 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – North Attleboro junior pitcher Bella Erti allowed just three hits and one walk while striking out 11 to help the Rocketeers pick up a win on the road. Annabelle Hebard paced North Attleboro’s offense by going 4-for-5 with two doubles and four RBI. Ashley Cangiano and Belle Clarkin each had three hits while Emily Nardelli (home run), Katy Daby, Erti, Alex Moulson and Emma Bailey each had two hits. North freshman Mandi Hanewich had a hit, stolen base, RBI, and a run scored. Julia Earley hit a two-run homer for the Eagles in the third inning.
Taunton @ King Philip – Postponed to Thursday, 4/11 at 3:45.
Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 7 @ Sharon, 8 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. 0 The Eagles took control of the game with a 4-0 run in the second half that turned a 5-3 halftime deficit into a 7-5 lead with eight minutes to play. Sharon made a defensive stand over the final minute to keep the Bulldogs out and hold on for the victory. Rowan Barnes had a goal and assist in the first quarter as Sharon jumped out to a 2-0 lead. Tommy Vaughan scored to cut the lead in half and then had a behind the back pass to David Allen for the tying goal early in the second. Vaughan then forced a turnover that led to a Chris Lavoie goal to put Canton in front 3-2, but Dan Lillenfeld responded immediately, catching the Bulldogs in transition, to tie it. In the final minute of the half, Griffin Roach and Matt Martin each scored to make it 5-3. Lillenfeld scored the lone goal of the third quarter to make it 5-4 and the Eagles tied it on a Drew Litner goal early in the fourth. Litner added his second to put Sharon ahead and Lillenfeld secured his hat trick with Sharon’s seventh. Roach got Canton back within one but Zack Waxman scored a man-up goal to double the lead. Vaughan got free for his second goal with two minutes left and Canton had possession in the final minute of the game but Adam Rabb made a big save and the Eagles held on.
Milford, 9 @ Attleboro, 8 – Final (OT) – Milford’s Josh Ligor scored the game-winner in overtime to deliver the Scarlet Hawks a dramatic win on the road. Ryan Hazard paced the Hawks’ offense with five goals and an assist while Brendan White scored twice and Mike Demko had one goal. Milford coach Jacob Scordato said Danny Farrell and Jack LeBlanc had great defensive performances in front of Evan Hazard (22 saves).
Franklin, 20 @ North Attleboro, 6 – Final – Franklin senior Jacob Alexander won 21-of-27 faceoffs, helping the Panthers control possession in a 20-6 win on the road at North Attleboro. Matt Lazzaro paced the Panther offense with five seven goals and four assists, Jake Davis added five goals, Ben Greco chipped in with two goals and two assists, and Alexander added a pair of goals and assists in the win.
Mansfield, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 11 – Final – Mansfield scored the first goal of the game but Oliver Ames rattled off seven straight to take a commanding lead at halftime and never surrendered that advantage. OA junior Shane Kilkelly scored three goals and assisted on four more while Colin Bourne had a strong game with four goals. Sam Stevens and Sandro Mascierelli each added a pair of goals while Nick Gillis made 13 saves in goal. Mike Reed scored twice and had an assist for the Hornets, Aidan Sacco scored once and had one helper, and Tom Norton and Brad Grant each scored once.
Foxboro @ Stoughton – Postponed to Thursday, 4/25 at 3:45.
Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 13 @ Milford, 14 – Final – Annie Flanagan scored five times and Emily Haley added four to lead the Hawks to a come from behind victory. Milford scored the game’s final four goals, including Flanagan’s winner with only 35 seconds remaining. Elena Bon Tempo and Riley Campbell each scored twice for the hosts, Sophia Bucal added one, and goalie Savanna Rosado made critical saves down the stretch to help the Hawks come out on top. Attleboro’s Kyra Lyons scored a game-high 10 goals while Rylee Fontes added two and Sydney DiLiddo added one for the Bombardiers.
Sharon, 8 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Rose Wald made nine saves in goal and the midfield collected 13-of-15 draw controls, including a team-high six by Bridget McManus, to help the Eagles hold off Canton in a big Davenport matchup. The Sharon attack clicked today, with five of the eight goals coming off assists. Emma Eberhardt was involved in all eight goals, scoring five and assisting on three others. Jenna Goldstein scored twice, Cass Barbera added one, and Mia Lappen had an assist for the Eagles. Kaitlyn Goyetch scored a hat trick for Canton in the loss.
Foxboro, 14 vs. Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final
North Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 19 – Final – Franklin notched its third win of the season with a big victory at home over visiting North Attleboro. Annie Walsh led the way with five goals and two assists while Kelsey MacCallum scored six goals with one helper. Franklin coach Kristin Igoe Guarino said Hailey Toolin had a strong day in the midfield and on defense with three draw controls.
Oliver Ames, 9 @ Mansfield, 15 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Mansfield pulled away in the second half to earn the Kelley-Rex division win. The Hornets led 7-5 at the half and just 9-8 early in the second half but closed the game on a 6-1 run to seal the victory. Katie Garvin scored seven times for Mansfield and Hayleigh Crawford added four. Katie McCarthy made three saves in the win and the Hornets got strong play on draw controls by Lauren Whitman. Maddie Kullen had a big game for the Tigers to keep the game close and head coach Nicole Lang rued OA’s inability to capitalize on the offensive opportunities it created.
King Philip, 19 @ Taunton, 7 – Final – Nine different players scored for the Warriors in a big road win. Caroline Klim led the way with five goals and Dana Truini added four for KP. Ali Wilson had two goals and Jessica Sullivan scored twice and assisted on a third, while Victoria Tormey and Jenna Hitchen each scored once. Three players scored their first varsity goals for the Warriors. Haley Izydorczak had her first two goals and an assist, Lily Brown scored her first goal and had an assist, and Julia Marsden opener her varsity account with a goal as well.
Boys Tennis
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Attleboro, 5 – Final
Stoughton, 2 @ Canton, 3 – Final – Canton freshman Suraj Ramanathan won his third match of the year at first singles, picking up a 6-0, 6-4 win to pace the Bulldogs to a win over Stoughton. Sophomore Minh Duong added a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles and the team of Tyler Duffy and Justin Luk were winners at second doubles won 6-1, 6-4 at second doubles for the Bulldogs. Stoughton freshman Anish Sinha won 3-6, 6-3, 12-10 at third singles while the team of Hassan Khan and LJ Ferrandiz secured a 6-0, 6-2 win at first doubles.
Milford, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro earned a pair of wins in both singles and doubles action to pick up a 4-1 victory over visiting Milford. Sophomore Jason Kandula won 7-5, 6-4 at second singles and freshman Bo Canfield earned a 6-1, 6-4 decision at third singles for the Warriors. The team of senior Brian Gardner and junior Sean McAvoy won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles while junior Noah Hicks and sophomore Justin Neale prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles. Milford’s Brendan O’Shaughnessy won 7-6 (3), 6-7 (4), 10-5 in a hard fought match at first singles.
Franklin, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this game. – Franklin swept doubles play and earned one more win in singles action to edge Mansfield at Memorial Park. Rohan Herur was the lone singles winner for the Panthers, earning a 6-0, 6-1 win at second singles. The team of senior Saketh Saripalli and freshman Vayshnav Malhotra won 6-0, 6-2 at first doubles and juniors Shoyaib Shaik and Shoumik Sompally prevailed 7-6 (3), 7-5 at second doubles. Mansfield’s Luke Nickerson won 7-5, 6-1 at first singles and Nilay Pangrekar scored a 6-0, 6-4 win at third singles.
North Attleboro, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – North Attleboro sophomore Jonah Manso prevailed in a three-set match at first singles but Sharon picked up wins in the other two singles matches while sweeping doubles play. Junior Alberto Olivei won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles and freshman Rueman Bhattacharyya secured a 6-4, 6-1 victory at third singles. Sharon’s Max Brody and Max Chen earned a 6-3, 6-0 win at first doubles while Alex Aspel and Jake Ross prevailed 4-6, 7-6, 7-5 in a tight match at second doubles. Manso won 7-6, 1-6, 6-1 at first singles for Big Red.
Taunton, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip won all five matches in straight sets to secure a sweep of visiting Taunton. Marco DiStefano won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Nick Putney earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at second singles, and Jack Cannon didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 decision at third singles. The team of Nate Ihley and Zak Ryan secured a 6-0, 6-0 win at first doubles and the team of Jake Mager and Tyler Dowd prevailed 7-5, 6-3 at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames swept singles play and added one more win from doubles action to pick up a victory over visiting Attleboro. Senior Sarah Leger battled back to win 4-7, 6-2, 11-9 at first singles, junior Maura Kiernan earned a 6-2, 6-4 win at second singles, and Kate McCormick picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Sarah Barron and Morgan Vasiliou won 6-2, 6-4 at second doubles for the Tigers. Attleboro’s Nicole Matheson and Lauren Anthony won 6-0, 6-3 at first doubles.
Canton, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Canton picked up a win on the road over Stoughton, winning all five matches in straight sets. Rachel Kupferman didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, Natalie Keppler picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and Sarah Hernandez earned a 6-2, 6-1 win at third singles for the Bulldogs. The team of Stelina Michaelidis and Jamie Cree won 6-0, 6-0 at first doubles while Kiara Cerruti and Lily Hazam secured a 6-1, 6-3 victory at second doubles.
Foxboro, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – Foxboro continued its unbeaten start to the season with a sweep on the road at Milford. Pam Nelson didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, Sarah Prag prevailed 6-3, 6-4 at second singles, and Maggie McAuliffe earned a 7-5, 6-2 win at third singles for the Warriors. The team of Kendall Milender and Paige Krockta secured a 6-3, 6-4 decision at first doubles while Kethry Milne and Neha Jammula won 6-2, 6-1 at second doubles.
Mansfield, 5 @ Franklin, 0 – Final – Mansfield picked up its second win of the season with a sweep on the road at Franklin. Senior Lizzy Elsner didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles, freshman Kate Martin won 6-1, 7-5 at second singles, and sophomore Aryana Khosravani earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of senior Hannah Podolske and sophomore Alex Burnham won 6-1, 6-2 at first doubles while junior Tori Detch and sophomore Alex Wendland prevailed 7-5, 6-1 at second doubles.
Sharon, 5 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – Sharon’s three singles players had a terrific showing, all winning in straight sets without dropping a game in a win at North Attleboro. Senior Nupur Shukla, freshman Valeria Barajas, and junior Makaila Cheung each won 6-0, 6-0 at first, second, and third singles, respectively. The team of Sophia Fein and Sachi Basin earned a 6-0, 6-3 win at first doubles and the team of Lauren Glass and Anjali Jha won 6-4, 6-0 at second doubles.
King Philip, 4 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – King Philip won two matches in both singles and doubles action to secure a victory on the road at Taunton. Junior Erin Regnier won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles while sophomore Katarina Schneider picked up a 6-1, 6-1 decision at second singles for KP. The team of Grace Ely and Katie Welch, both juniors, won 6-2, 6-2 at first doubles while sophomores Laura Davenport and Meghan Powers prevailed 7-5, 6-2 at second doubles. Taunton sophomore Jocelyn Pagliuca battled back to win 3-6, 6-4, 10-4 at third singles.
Baseball
Canton, 7 vs. Attleboro, 6 – Final (8 inn.) – Click here for a photo gallery from this game – Attleboro scored twice in the top half of the seventh inning to take the lead but Canton tied it in the bottom half to force extra innings then walked off with the win in the bottom of the eighth. Mike Konzal (2-for-4, run) drew a two-out walk, advanced to second on a single from Steve Burbank (2-for-4, run, RBI), and then scored the game-winning run on a hit from Matt Pigeon (3-for-4, two runs, two RBI) for the winning run.
Pigeon was the catalyst for the tying run in the bottom as the seventh as well. Trailing 6-5, Pigeon led off with a double, advanced to third on a fly out from Matt Connolly (double, RBI), and scored the tying run on a two-out double from Rob Sullivan (2-for-3, two RBI).
Each team scored in the first inning but Attleboro seized a 4-1 advantage with a run in the second and two more in the third. Troy Gamache drove in Tim Callahan (3-for-4, two runs) to put Attleboro up 1-0 but Canton responded in the bottom half as Pigeon brought Nate Quan (2-for-4, two runs) home with a sacrifice fly. Attleboro’s Bailey Camacho put the Bombardiers back in front, 2-1, with a sacrifice fly that plated Sam Larkin (double, two runs) in the second inning.
Attleboro extended the advantage to 4-1 when Alvaro Espinal tripled and scored on a wild pitch, and Larkin doubled and came home on an error by the Bulldogs. Canton scored once in the fourth (Rob Sullivan RBI double) to make it a two-run game before putting three on the scoreboard in the fifth to take the lead. Quan, Konzal, and Burbank each singled, the last hit bringing Quan to the plate for a run but Larkin gunned down a potential second run on the play. Canton’s offense continued to battle though, with Pigeon singling to put runners on the corners. A double from Connolly tied the game at 4-4, and an RBI single from Paul Corcoran put Canton up 5-4.
In the top of the seventh, Mason Houle (2-for-4, run, RBI) drove in Callahan with a base hit and scored the go-ahead run on a wild pitch.
Senior Kevin McGonigle earned the win in relief, tossing two scoreless innings without allowing a hit and striking out one.
Franklin, 5 vs. Milford, 4 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery from this game – Franklin trailed 4-1 heading into the fifth inning but scored two runs in the fifth and two more in the top of the seventh to pull out a come from behind victory over neighboring Milford at the Taunton High turf. Alex Haba drove in a pair of runs, including the game-tying run, and scored the eventual game-winner in the seventh, coming home on a sacrifice fly off the bat of JB Floris.
Milford jumped out to a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first. Nick Marcolini started the inning by getting hit by a pitch, moved into scoring position on a Matt Shaver single. Colby Pires, who also started for the Hawks and struck out four in 4-1/3 innings, plated the opening run with a single to left. Franklin tied the game in the top of the fourth. Haba walked, stole second, and scored on a single to right by Cooper Ross. The Hawks responded in the bottom half with three runs off the Panthers starter Liam Dailey. Danny Corsini started the rally with an infield single and moved to second on a wild pitch before scoring on a Nick Wimette single. Carter Scudo doubled to left to put two in scoring position. Luke Rosa looped a basehit to right to score one and then, after a pitching change, a balk brought in the fourth run.
In the fifth, the Panthers struck for two. Joe Lizotte walked and Jack Nally got hit by a pitch. Scott Elliott loaded the bases with an infield single. A Haba sac fly made it 4-2 and Jake Macchi singled in another to make it 4-3. In the seventh, Elliott walked and stole second before coming around on a Haba single to center to tie the game. With Haba at third, Floris hit a fly ball to left that was deep enough to get in the winning run. Jake Fitzgibbons closed out the game, earning the win with four innings of scoreless relief.
Oliver Ames, 5 vs. Stoughton, 11 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery from this game – Stoughton scored in each of the first four innings, jumping out to an 11-3 lead and never looking back to get a win over Oliver Ames. Cian Swierzewski, James Genest, and Mike Nazzaro each scored in the first inning to help the Black Knights jump ahead.
After Oliver Ames got on the board in the top of the second (Jake Erlich leadoff double, scored on infield single from Jared Spillane), the Black Knights cashed in on a pair of OA errors and walks to make it 4-1. Chris Pearsons (4-for-4, two RBI, two runs) had an RBI triple and scored on an error in the top of the third to make it a one run game at 4-3, but Stoughton tacked on three runs in the bottom half to regain a multi-run lead.
Three walks loaded the bases for the Knights in the bottom of the third. Stoughton scored on a passed ball, a wild pitch, and an RBI single from Cam Dirosa to make it 7-3. Stoughton pushed across four more runs in the bottom of the fourth inning. Jacob Kaplan walked, stole second, and came home to score on an infield error that was put in play by Clayton Rahaman. An RBI double from sophomore Brady Conlin made it 9-3. Swerziewski then connected on the first home run of the season for any Hock player, and first high school player to hit a home run at the new Taunton field, with a two-run blast to make it 11-3. Oliver Ames scored single runs in the fifth (Jacob Levine RBI double) and the seventh inning (Pearsons RBI double).
2018 Record: 9-11 2018 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Steve Dunlea
After missing out on the playoffs by just one game last season, the Bombardiers are hoping to their experience will help them reach the state tournament this year.
Attleboro has experience in its pitching staff, behind the plate, and both in the infield as well the outfield. The Bombardiers pitching was a strength last season and should be again this year. Eoin Kelleher, the 2017 HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year, returns for his senior season and will be the anchor on the staff. Junior Ryan Morry impressed during his outings last season and lefty Camden Fitzpatrick will be in the mix as well.
The Bombardiers will be very strong on the left side of the infield. Senior captain Mason Houle will man third base while junior Tim Callahan, a starter last season, takes over at shortstop. Junior Lorenzo Wilson is slated to take the job at first base while Morry and junior Nick McMahon will split time at second base. While it’s a strong group defensively, all four will be relied upon to step up offensively. Attleboro had just 80 runs total last year, least in the Kelley-Rex division.
Another big part of the offense will be center fielder Alvaro Espinal. Espinal is arguably the best fielding outfielder in the league and will also bring a spark to the Bombardiers lineup at the plate. Senior captain Robbie Furtado will fill in at left field while Sam Larkin and Troy Gamache will both see time in right as well as designated hitter. Behind the plate, Troy Van Vliet gives the Bombardiers some experience while sophomore Bailey Camacho gives first-year head coach Steve Dunlea some flexibility at the position.
“The strength of this team is its senior class leadership and team chemistry,” Dunlea said. “We really have a well-balanced team that is strong in all phases of the game. It’s going to be a fun group to watch this year.”
2018 Record: 5-15 2018 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Ben Shuffain
A strong core of returning players along with some young talent should make for a fun season for the Bulldogs in 2019.
After losing a few key pieces from 2018, there is a good mix of experienced players and talented youth for first-year head coach Ben Shuffain to work with. The Bulldogs will look to three senior captains to the lead the way: Matt Pigeon, Paul Corcoran and Robert Sullivan. Pigeon is a three-year starter behind the plate who batted .368 last season. Corcoran and Sullivan will anchor a deep pitching staff that has looked solid in the preseason.
The pitching staff will also include seniors Kevin McGonigle, Nick Murray, and Joe Bates. Along with them Shuffain will also lean on junior Chris Rota and sophomores Nate Hewitt and Matt Connolly on the mound.
The infield has a double play duo that has shown to work well together featuring senior Mike Konzal and returning second baseman Nathan Quan. Offensively Canton will look to senior Max Macort along with juniors Owen Lahane and Lucas Bryant, and sophomore Steven Burbank.
“We have been very fortunate to have a lot of work outside so far this spring and I think it is going to help us start off on a positive,” Shuffain said. “The team is coming together and we have a great group of kids who really want to turn this program around.”
2018 Record: 5-16 2018 Finish: Reached D3 South First Round Coach: Derek Suess
Foxboro graduated 10 seniors from last year’s squad but there are 12 Warriors returning with varsity experience looking to make another trip to the state tournament.
The Warriors will be relying on their pitching staff this year to lead the way. There is a lot of optimism surrounding the rotation with senior Anthony Mollica and sophomore Sean Yoest each possessing plenty of varsity experience. Those two will be the top guys in the rotation while sophomore Cam Prescott has impressed during the preseason and could fit into the third starting spot. Seniors Guy Quartarone, Brian Duncan, and Philip Thomas as well as juniors Michael Devlin and Joe Cavaleri will be in the mix as well.
When he isn’t on the mound, Mollica will be the anchor of the defense from the shortstop position. He will be joined by sophomore Michael O’Toole at first base, Cavaleri will man third, and Thomas will take over at second base. Senior Adam Lanctot will also see time at second base this season for the Warriors.
In the outfield, Duncan — a senior captain that missed all of last season — will be the anchor, with Devlin handling center field duties and junior James Kaeser rounding out the Warrior outfield. Junior Zach Jenkins will also be in the mix for time in the outfield while junior Kyle McGinnis takes over behind the plate and will be relied upon as a key piece of Foxboro’s offense.
“Mentally, we have to have the same focus, energy, and intensity every single game,” said Foxboro coach Derek Suess. “There are no easy games in the Hockomock League. We must be consistent in our everyday approach in order to have a chance to compete for a league title.”
2018 Record: 21-5 2018 Finish: Division 1A (Super 8) State Champions Coach: Zach Brown
Coming off the program’s first-ever Super 8 state championship, Franklin is going to have a big target on its back — and the Panthers know it.
Franklin lost its top three pitchers in Jake Noviello, Bryan Woelfel, and Jason Ulrickson. Those were the only three pitchers to play during the Panthers’ Super 8 run. This season, the Panthers will turn to the experience of Ben Guzman, Brennan Rivera, and Will Pacheco. All three made appearances a year ago with Guzman and Pacheco registering wins. Guzman is currently recovering from an injury suffered in the preseason but the Panthers are excited for his contributions when he returns. Juniors Liam Dailey and Cody Trotin will also be in the mix after starting for JV last season.
While the pitching staff gets settled in, the Panthers will rely on its defense and offense. After an up-and-down regular season last year offensively, Franklin will be trying to carry over the success it had in the state tournament. Senior Alex Haba is back at shortstop and is one of the best two-way players in the Hockomock. Jake Macchi had a terrific postseason and will be looking to carry that over into his final year starting at catcher for Franklin. Scott Elliott will be the veteran in the outfield for the Panthers as well as a top offensive weapon. All three players — Haba, Macchi, and Elliott — are committed to playing baseball at Merrimack.
Cooper Ross is coming off a strong postseason and will start at third base while junior Jack Nally had a standout sophomore campaign in center field and will move up to the top of the order to set the table for the Panther offense. JB Floris will move from the designated hitter spot to first base and brings an experienced bat with him. Senior Joe Lizotte should see time in the outfield while senior Shane O’Neil’s versatility gives Franklin a lot of options defensively.
“We know this isn’t last year, this is a totally different team with different dynamics,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown. “We like the makeup of our team, with guys working hard and the seniors being good leaders. I think we could be pretty good defensively, and we’ve shown at times in the preseason to be pretty versatile on offense.”
King Philip is returning a lot of experienced players from last year’s squad and is hoping that will turn into an improved season and berth in the state tournament.
One big reason for optimism is a seasoned pitching staff, which features seniors David Morganelli and Terry Murray. Morganelli posted a 1.99 ERA last season along with 43 strikeouts in 38.2 innings pitched. Murray will be the second starter for the Warriors while juniors Chris Sawyer and Robbie Jarest are expected to factor into the rotation as the season progresses.
“David’s size, strength, and velocity make him a formidable pitcher,” said KP’s second-year head coach Greg Kessler. “His slider and ability to locate his fastball are one of the best in the league. David has an opportunity to be one of the best pitchers in the Hock. He is competitive and has improved a lot in terms of accuracy.”
Sawyer and Jarest will handle the left side of the infield again this year, with Jarest returning as the starting shortstop and Sawyer back manning third base. Both players will be key pieces at the top of KP’s batting order. Senior Ian Zimmerman returns at second base while senior Jake Anderson and sophomore Conor Cooke will both see time behind the plate.
Timmy Nault (.311 last year) will lead the way in the outfield while Zachary Zarba will figure in as well. There is a lot of competition for some open spots in the KP lineup as well.
“We have a lot of work to do this season, we need to improve on our hitting and driving the ball,” Kessler said. “We have a great group of seniors who are dedicated and excited to compete for a Hock Title. This senior group is a collection of great student-athletes and really represent KP well. They are leaders on and off the field”
2018 Record: 19-5 2018 Finish: Super 8 First Round Coach: Joe Breen
Mansfield had a very successful 2018 season that saw the Hornets win the Kelley-Rex division and earned a berth into the Super 8 tournament. But the Hornets enter the 2019 campaign hungrier than ever.
After seeing an early exit from the Super 8, Mansfield is aiming to get back and make some noise in the tournament this year. There will certainly be holes to fill after graduating two top pitchers in Tyler Dalton and Kevin Dow, as well as the steady bat of Justin Pena and the terrific defense of catcher Cullin Anastasia. However, there are 11 players due back from last year’s team and a handful of new faces ready to make an impact of their own.
Junior John Carney and senior Kevin Moran will anchor the rotation; the Hornets unfortunately lost ace Connor Sheehan for the season to an injury. Both Carney and Moran have experience though, and Mansfield is looking to seniors Jake Gerraughty, Matt Scibilia, Aidan Angland, Connor Smith, and sophomore Greg Coyle to fill the relief and spot start roles.
Mansfield brings back two of its three outfielders from last year with centerfielder Sam Nugent and right field Dan Saraceno both returning. Speedy shortstop Mike Hargadon is also back so the Hornets have three key pieces from the top half of the lineup back to pace the offense this year. Look for Eric Longley, Jenkins, Smith, Gerraughty, and Scibilia to also factor into to the Hornet lineup this year.
“It’s been a wild offseason here between losing some of our top guys and coming down with the injury bug but we have a great group of self-motivated returning players that we will look to keep our program going in the right direction,” said Mansfield head coach Joe Breen. “There are a lot of positional battles and innings on the mound to be sorted out, but the staff is excited to see the boys compete over the first couple weeks of the pre-season to get ourselves ready for [the first game]. While we had some great success last season, the boys know that we are 0-0 and they are ready to carve their own path.”
2018 Record: 5-15 2018 Finish: Missed playoffs Coach: Alex Dion
After having a relatively young, inexperienced group in 2018, the Scarlet Hawks have flipped the script, bringing back six starters and eight total players and will be looking to ride that experience to an improved 2019 campaign.
Half of the returning starters are the three starting pitchers from last year, including senior Danny Corsini and juniors Colby Pires and Luke Rosa. Despite a 1-3 record last year, Rosa had a solid 2.97 ERA in 30.2 innings of work with 19 strikeouts. Corsini logged over 35 innings while Pires had over 24, so there is plenty of experience in the Hawk’s rotation.
Senior captain Matt Shaver returns to his shortstop position and will anchor the infield. Corsini and Pires will both see time at third base when they aren’t pitching, Justin Applebee is back for another season at second base, and Tyler Almeida continues his duties as the starting catcher for the Hawks. Senior captain Nick Marcolini gives the Hawks a left-handed option on the mound. Sophomores Carter Scudo (outfield) and Mario Lee (first, pitcher) will also factor in this year.
“I’m looking forward to the 2019 baseball season and am excited about the players that are on our team,” said Milford head coach Alex Dion. “This is a tough league with a lot of good teams and good coaches. I think we have an opportunity to be very competitive this year. I will lead on our returning seniors and captains to push this team in the right direction and I am excited about the young players we have in our program.”
2018 Record: 22-2 2018 Finish: Division 2 State Champions Coach: Mike Hart
North Attleboro is looking to replicate its success from last season, the best year in program history that resulted in the D2 State Championship. And with a solid group of returning players, there is optimism but the Rocketeers know it certainly won’t come easy.
“We are a team with a decent amount of returning players, but we will need everybody contributing to be successful,” said North Attleboro coach Mike Hart. “We are looking for guys to be more consistent, especially on the offensive side of the game.”
The Rocketeers have three returning starters in the infield, so that will certainly be relied upon as the season gets underway. Senior Nick Raneri started at third last season but will move over to first this year while seniors Shawn Watters and Ryan Warren will take care of business up the middle. Hart says there is a lot of competition for the final spot in the infield with a handful of players possibly seeing time. Brendan McHugh returns as the starting left fielder while Kyle Bolger, Russell Dunlap, and Kyle Briere are all in the mix.
Behind the plate, senior Todd Robinson and junior Owen Harding are battling for the starting spot.
While the Rocketeers look to get the offense going, they will rely on their pitching staff early on. Matt Wanless had a very strong junior year and will be counted on heavily this season while seniors Matt Seavey, Jake Palmer, Jake Carroll, as well as Dunlap and Briere, should be in the mix for innings. Sophomore Dennis Colleran will see an increased role this season and could emerge as a top option for the Big Red.
“We will rely heavily on our pitching staff to lead us, and with smart, mistake-free defense, we will be able to win some games,” Hart said. “I really like the competitiveness our team brings every day. If we can learn from our failures and grind through the tough parts of the season that are sure to come, I believe we can win some ball games.”
2018 Record: 16-8 2018 Finish: Reached D2 South Final Coach: Joe Abarr
Oliver Ames is coming off one of its most successful seasons, reaching the D2 South Final last year. The Tigers graduated some key pieces but there is a lot of players back that gives OA hopes at replicating last year’s success.
Senior Chris Pearsons will be a leader on and off the field for the Tigers, moving over from third base to take over the starting shortstop spot. Pearsons is one of the top players in the league, earning HockomockSports.com First Team honors last year after belting out 30 hits for an impressive .448 average. Not only is he a dangerous offensive player, he’s one of the top defensive players in the league as well.
Another key returner for the Tigers is catcher Jake Erlich, who will begin his third year starting behind the plate. Erlich is one of the top defensive catchers in the region and OA is looking for him to have a breakout season at the plate. Junior Jacob Levine showed flashes last season with some timely hits as a pinch hitter. This year, Levine takes over at first and the Tigers will be looking for him to bring a consistent bat to the lineup.
Reid Latham, who went 2-1 last season with a 2.85 ERA, focused heavily on pitching this offseason and will take over as the top starter in the Tigers’ rotation.
“We have an established lineup of varsity hitters with a handful of underclassmen that will be filling in gaps for us,” said Oliver Ames coach Joe Abarr. “Our pitching rotation should be solid as long as everyone stays healthy. Last year, the Hock proved to be one of the best leagues in the state. We need to show up and compete every day if we want to be successful.”
After a couple of seasons of being on the outside looking in, the 2019 Sharon Eagles are looking to make strides towards a state tournament berth.
Although it will be a relatively young group, there is strong senior leadership. Head coach Kee Arguimbau is hoping that a nice mix of veterans and new faces will result in a successful season.
Tarlin was also the ace of the staff for the past couple of seasons but senior Noah Kamens should be ready to step into the top spot after some real strong outings last year. A lefty, Kamens does a nice job mixing up his pitches and will be a key part of Sharon’s defense. Kamens will be complemented by 6’6 righty Max LeBlanc, who burst onto the scene a year and had some impressive outings. Jared Reef returns behind the dish and the Eagles are looking for him to have a breakout year offensively.
Junior Alec Filipkowski is moving in from the outfield to second base while sophomore Justin Brown returns to shortstop after picking up valuable experience last season as a freshman. Noah Martinez, who recently returned to Sharon after living in Florida, could be a key piece of the offense while playing the hot corner defensively.
Seniors Dairell Martinez and Matty Jacobsen will be doing their part for the Eagles in the outfield while = senior Ben Reinbold looks to have an impact for Sharon on the mound.
“This year’s team is young. Luckily, what we lack in experience, we make up for in solid leadership,” Arguimbau said. “The seniors have done a phenomenal job in establishing the culture for the team this season. The young guys in the program have followed their lead and have been working hard in the offseason and are ready to continue to put the work in every day.
2018 Record: 10-9 2018 Finish: Reached D2 South First Round Coach: Mike Armour
Stoughton had a solid season a year ago, but an early exit from the state tournament has left the Black Knights hungry for more in 2019.
It starts with the two co-captains for the Black Knights: senior Zak Paquette and senior Robert Seaman. Paquette emerged as Stoughton’s top option on the mound last season and will be counted on to take on a lot of innings again this season. Paquette isn’t the most flashy pitcher but he helps put Stoughton in position to win games. Seaman will start at shortstop and the Black Knights are looking to him for a big bat in the middle of the lineup.
Last year’s HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year George Currier is looking to pick up where he left off last season, giving the Black Knights flexibility with his ability to play anywhere on the field defensively. Seniors Cian Swierzewski, Kevin Dixon, and Kyle Gagnon are all experienced outfielders, James Genest III gives Stoughton a nice presence at the plate offensively, and Mike Nazzaro will handle catching duties.
Newcomers Clayton Rahaman and Jacob Kaplan should log some innings in the outfield, along with Cam Dirosa in the infield and Brady Conlin in the infield and on the mound. Senior pitcher Evan Jackman has impressed so far this preseason and will be a key piece of Stoughton’s starting rotation.
“The goal this season will be to compete every time we set foot on the field, playing sound fundamental baseball and doing the little things to put us in a position to win some ballgames,” said Stoughton head coach Mike Armour. “The boys have been working hard and I expect us to have some fun this year and play the game the right way.”
2018 Record: 1 2018 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round Coach: Blair Bourque
There is a lot of excitement in Taunton with its new turf field, but the Tigers are hoping it’s their performance on that field that will have people talking by the end of the year.
It all starts with pitching for Taunton this year. With two DI commits in Jack Moynihan (Siena) and Josh Lajoie (St. John’s), the Tigers will certainly be boasting one of the top pitching groups for another season. Moynihan posted a 1.44 ERA with 43 strikeouts while Lajoie fanned 36 batters and had a 1.52 ERA.
Both Moynihan and Lajoie provide a lot of offense as well, but the Tigers will need others to step up to fill some voids from graduation. Tyler Medeiros (.375) and Trevor Pietrzyk (.373) both graduated some Taunton’s offense so head coach Blair Bourque will be looking for some new faces to step up.
The Tigers will be looking to senior Evan Melo to give the offense a spark. Melo will patrol center field and set the table to the offensively from the leadoff spot. Junior Logan Lawrence impressed last year batting .336; Taunton will need his bat to provide pop in the middle of the lineup in 2019.
“We’re certainly excited about having the opportunity to showcase our new turf field,” said Taunton head coach Blair Bourque. “It’s really a dream come true. There’s something special about this year’s team, the senior leadership and camaraderie are substantial.”
Baseball
Attleboro, 3 @ Taunton, 2 – Final – Taunton scored two runs in the bottom of the first inning but Attleboro chipped away with single runs in the third and fourth innings and then scored the winning run in the top of the fifth. Dakota Kirby had a leadoff single in the third and scored when Jon Candiales drew a bases-loaded walk. In the fourth, Troy Gamache led off with a single and scored to tie the game on an RBI double from James Weir. The Bombardiers took the lead in the fifth when Corey McKenna had a two-out single, stole second, and scored on an RBI single from Gamache. Ryan Morry earned the win, allowing two first-inning runs in a complete game effort. Morry allowed six hits — four in the first inning — before settling down, striking out three and walking one.
North Attleboro, 13 @ Foxboro, 3 – Final – North Attleboro’s Nate Pearce launched a grand slam in the second inning, highlighting the Rocketeers’ sixth run frame in a win over Foxboro. North scored two runs in the first inning and tacked on five more in the third inning. Nick Sinacola improved to 7-0 on the season, allowing one run on two hits and one walk, striking out six in four innings of work. Matt Seavey earned the save, striking out five in three innings of work. Brendan McHugh went 3-for-3 and Zach DeMattio was 2-for-2 with five RBI.
Stoughton, 9 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Stoughton got off to a great start, pushing across six runs in the first inning and never looked back. The Black Knights added three more in the second inning to build a large lead. Evan Gibb got the win on the mound, going 6.2 innings with three earned runs allowed on seven hits with two walks and three strikeouts. Gibb, Ruben Gonzalez, and George Currier each had two hits. James Genest added a two-run single, Robbie Seaman had a double with two walks, and Mike Nazzaro had two RBI and two stolen bases. Jack Brown got his first varsity hit and Tim Kellogg played stellar defense in the field for the Black Knights.
King Philip, 2 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin senior Jake Noviello scattered five hits, struck out five, allowed two runs and didn’t issue a walk in a complete game effort to lead the Panthers to a win. Steve Luttazi (two doubles, RBI, run) and Jack Nally (RBI, run) each had two hits for the Panthers while Alex Haba (triple, run), Jake Macchi (RBI), and Colby Fitzgibbons (double) each had a hit. Pat Limerick (RBI, run), Jeremy Rhines (RBI), and Ian Zimmerman each had a hit for KP.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final (8 inn.)
Softball
Taunton, 21 @ Attleboro, 6 – Final (6 inn.) – Taunton held a one-run lead after five innings but exploded in the sixth for 15 runs to get the win. Kya Enos had four hits, including a double, with five RBI and four runs, Hanna Aldrich (double, home run, six RBI) and Mackenzie Handrahan (two runs) each had three hits, and Liana Duarte went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored. Jaylin Couto got the win with four strikeouts and three runs allowed in 3.2 innings of work. Kelsey White came on in relief and struck out five with two runs allowed in 2.1 innings of work.
Canton, 0 @ Stoughton, 7 – Final – Gina Carafa was 2-for-3 with a triple, two RBI and a run scored, Karly Estremera and Nikki Coppola each had two hits, and Taylor Levine contributed with a hit and two RBI. Carafa picked up her sixth win of the season, striking out five and allowing only four hits.
Foxboro, 3 @ North Attleboro, 16 – Final – Bella Erti struck out sixth, recording her 100th of the season and went 3-for-4 with a double at the plate to pace the Rocketeers to a win over Foxboro. Olivia Capobianco was 3-for-3, including a leadoff home run and had four RBI, Annabelle Hebard added three hits and two runs, and Jaclyn Buckley had two hits and four RBI. Emily Nardelli and Stephanie Inglese both added two hits while Emily Pastore and Katherine Munley had one hit apiece and a run scored.
Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 9 – Final – Brooke Taute set the tone early with a first-inning grand slam to help the Warriors sweep the season series against Franklin. Sydney Phillips, Jessica Bonner (two-run home run) and Brianna Lacy each had two hits. Elise Pereira pitched a complete game shutout, giving up only three hits while striking out five.
Oliver Ames, 9 @ Mansfield, 7 – Final
Boys Lacrosse
Taunton, 2 @ Attleboro, 12 – Final
Foxboro, 7 @ Xaverian, 17 – Final
Franklin, 17 vs. Dover-Sherborn, 7 – Final – Franklin’s offense had another strong game, picking up a win over D3 powerhouse Dover-Sherborn. Eric Civetti was responsible for 10 of those goals, scoring seven and assisting on three more. Jake Davis (three goals, one assist), and Matt Lazzaro (two goals, two assists) each had four points while Nitin Chaudhury and three assists. Jacob Alexander dominated the face-off X, winning 24 of 28 attempts. Connor O’Rourke made nine saves while Will Davis came in and made two stops.
King Philip @ Westford Academy, 5:00
Mansfield, 11 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final
North Attleboro, 8 @ Scituate, 7 – Final
Oliver Ames, 17 @ Southeastern, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames recorded its 12th win of the season, setting a new program mark for regular season wins. The Tigers had 11 different goal scorers in the win with Owen Gallagher leading the way with three goals and three assists.
Girls Lacrosse
Taunton vs. Southeastern, 3:30
Attleboro @ Oliver Ames, 3:45
Canton, 7 @ Holliston, 15 – Final – Leah McClellan scored three goals and assisted on three others for the Bulldogs in the loss. Maggie Connolly had a goal and an assist, while Caroline Tourgee, Molly Colburn and Rachel Beatty had one goal apiece. Vicki Revanche made 21 saves in defeat.
Foxboro, 13 @ Wellesley, 14 – Final
King Philip, 15 vs. Bishop Feehan, 4 – Final – Caroline Klim continued her all-star season with six goals to lead KP to a big win over a potential playoff opponent. Alli Meehan added four goals and an assist and Olivia Tormey had two goals and an assist for the Warriors. KP also got goals from Shayla Weitzman, Jess Sullivan, and Mackenzie Mazur.
North Attleboro, 4 vs. Natick, 18 – Final – Julia Tolfa scored two goals for North but the Rocketeers fell at home to Natick.
Sharon, 13 @ Ursuline Academy, 12 – Final – For the second time this season, the Eagles rallied from four goals down at halftime to beat Ursuline. Sharon went on an 8-3 run in the second half and won the game on Sabrina Robbins’ fourth goal of the afternoon with just one second remaining. Emma Eberhardt scored five goals to lead the Eagles, adding the 100th of her career in the process. She also had two assists. Rose Wald made nine saves, including six in the second half. Maeve Barbera scored a pair of goals and Cass Barbera and Lydia Chase each had one.
Boys Tennis
Taunton, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final
Canton, 3 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Stoughton won at first and second singles but the Bulldogs got the win at third singles and swept doubles play to beat the Black Knights. Freshman Minh Duong won 7-5, 6-2 at third singles, the team of Charlie Malloy and Aidas Jakubenas earned a 7-6, 6-3 win at first doubles and Ethan Nguyen and Justin Luk picked up a 6-1, 7-6 (4) win at second doubles. Stoughton freshman Waseem Sablon won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles and junior Erik Anderson earned a 6-2, 6-2 win at second singles.
Foxboro, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – North Attleboro’s three singles players combined to lose just a single game in a convincing sweep over Foxboro. Richard Bermudez won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles while Christian Bermudez and Jonah Manso each won 6-0, 6-0 at second and third singles, respectively. Ben Pfeffer and Vikram Senthilakumaran pulled out a 6-3, 6-2 win at first doubles and senior Alex Rinaldi and freshman Sam Gallagher notched their fourth straight win, 6-3, 6-2, at second doubles.
Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip clinched its second straight Kelley-Rex title with a sweep over Franklin. Marco DiStefano earned a 6-1, 6-4 win at first singles, Nick Putney prevailed 5-7, 6-0, 6-2 at second singles and Jack Cannon won 6-1, 6-4 at third singles. The team of Sean Desroches and Nate Ihley emerged with a 7-5, 3-6, 10-5 at first doubles and Nick Ihley and Aidan Ignatius teamed up for a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second doubles.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final
Sharon, 5 @ Martha’s Vineyard, 0 – Final – Sharon swept the first of two matches with Martha’s Vineyard, winning all five matches with proset rules. Fred Bondar won 8-2 at first singles, Andre Olivei earned an 8-6 win at second singles and Danujan Thirumavalavan won 8-5 at third singles. The team of Max Brody and Ashwin Sreevatsa picked up an 8-5 win at first doubles and Arie Chinnappan and Alex Asprevailedaled 8-5 at second doubles.
Sharon, 3 @ Martha’s Vineyard, 2 – Final – Sharon earned its second win on the day with a 3-2 proset win. Fred Bondar won 8-3 at first singles, Danujan Thirumavalavan earned an 8-7 (7-1) win at third singles, and Arie Chinnappan and Alex Aspel recorded an 8-2 win at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton earned its second win of the season over the Bombardiers, this time taking all five matches and doing so in straight sets. Junior Jillian Pagliuca won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles, senior Vanessa Rosa picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and freshman Jocelyn Pagliuca walked away with a 6-0, 6-0 decision at third singles. Juniors McKenzie Lucie and Samantha Martin won 6-0, 6-3 at first doubles and seniors Amanda Pugh and Gabrielle Fagundes earned a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles for the Tigers.
Stoughton, 0 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Canton freshmen Natalie Keppler and Rachel Kupferman had strong performances on the day with neither losing a game in their respective matches. Keppler (first singles) and Kupferman (second) each won 6-0, 6-0 while sophomore Sarah Hernandez picked up a 6-0, 6-4 win at third singles. Senior Caitlin Matthews and sophomore Stelina Michaelidis won 6-1, 7-6 (6) at first singles and the team of seniors Jenna Moyle and Anjali Mandal earned a 6-1, 6-4 win at second doubles for the Bulldogs.
North Attleboro, 2 @ Foxboro, 3 – Final
King Philip @ Franklin, 3:45
Mansfield, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames swept doubles play and earned a win at third singles to edge Mansfield. Kristin Bloumbas and Emily You prevailed 7-6 (5), 6-0 at first doubles, Olivia Groebe and Rachel Stryke picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at second doubles, and sophomore Maura Kiernan dropped just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. Mansfield’s Sarah Doyle recorded a 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles while Elizabeth Elsner emerged victoriously, 6-4, 7-5, at second singles.
Baseball
Attleboro, 6 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – Attleboro senior James Weir shined on the mound, allowing just two hits with four strikeouts in a complete game effort. Weir earned the win with just one earned run allowed. Eoin Kelleher (double) and Dakota Kirby each had a pair of hits for the Bombardiers along with an RBI each. Jon Candiales added a pair of hits and three runs scored for Attleboro.
Foxboro, 3 @ Sharon, 8 – Final – Sharon junior Noah Kamens tossed a complete game without allowing an earned run to help the Eagles pick up their first win of the season. Kamens stuck out four while walking three in the win. Senior Drew Naisuler went 2-for-2 with two runs scored and an RBI while junior Jared Reef added two hits, an RBI, and a run scored.
Canton, 2 @ North Attleboro, 6 – Final – North Attleboro broke open a tie game with three runs in the top of the fourth and then escaped a bases-loaded jam in the fifth to earn a win over Canton. In his varsity debut, senior Ben Arrighi came on with the bases loaded in the top of the fifth and induced a ground ball to get out of the inning. Arrighi then escaped another bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh to earn the save (2.1 IP, 0 R). Jeff Gale went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate, including a triple, and had an RBI single in the sixth inning to put Big Red up 6-2. Nick Sinacola added two hits while Peter Cohen earned the win on the mound. Canton’s Matt Casamento had a two-run home run in the third that tied the game 2-2.
Taunton, 3 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – Mansfield took the lead in the bottom of the first inning but Taunton answered with three runs in the top of the second to earn the win. Jack Moynihan earned the win on the bump, scattering five hits with five strikeouts and just on unearned run allowed. Josh Lajoie didn’t allow a hit in two innings of relief, striking out four to earn the save. Offensively, Trevor Pietrzyk (2-for-4) knocked in one run and Jacob Crawford had two RBI. Moynihan also had a hit and scored a run. For Mansfield, Sam Nugent went 2-for-3 and Tyler Dalton had an RBI single. Sophomore John Carney struck out five without allowing a hit in 3.2 innings of relief.
Stoughton, 10 @ Milford, 3 – Final – Stoughton’s offense exploded for seven runs in the top of the eighth inning to pick up a victory on the road. Sophomore James Genest went 3-for-5 (double, run, RBI), while Ruben Gonzalez (double, run), Robbie Seaman (double, two runs), and George Currier (run, RBI, SB) each had two hits. Sophomore Michael Nazzaro chipped in with a two-run double. Zak Paquette started for Stoughton and went 5.1 innings, allowing three runs (1 earned) on five hits with seven strikeouts. Junior Evan Gibb got the win pitching 2.2 scoreless innings allowing just one hit.
Softball
King Philip, 7 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – King Philip’s Elise Pereira allowed just four singles and one run while striking out 12 batters to lead the Warriors to a win on the road. Brianna Lacy paced the offense with three hits, including a home run. Faith Turnese added two hits and Sydney Phillips had two RBI in the win.
North Attleboro, 20 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Bella Erti (three innings, one hit allowed) and Jaclyn Buckley (two innings and two hits allowed) combined for the shutout for North, which has scored at least 20 runs in each of its two games this season. Ashley Cangiano and Olivia Capobianco each went 3-for-3 with a homer and two RBI, while Abby Warren went 3-for-3 with two triples and six RBI. Erti also went 3-for-3 at the plate and drove in a pair and Emily Nardelli had one RBI and three runs scored. North coach Bill Wallace said Andrea Miceli had a great game in the field.
Sharon, 7 @ Foxboro, 18 – Final – Foxboro seniors Hannah Davis and Mandy Ryan, and freshman Nicole Theriault each had three hits to pace the Warriors to a big win at home. Junior Emma Rohan recorded 10 strikeouts for the Warriors.
Oliver Ames, 3 @ Franklin, 15 – Final (6 inn.) – Franklin scored five runs in the first inning and never looked back to secure its first win of the season. The Panthers tacked on four more in the second, five more in the fourth and a single run in the sixth inning. Kylie Bouzan and Meg Caron finished with two RBI apiece while Emily Valentino earned the win, striking out four while scattering six hits. For Oliver Ames, Marissa Guarino was 1-for-2 with a double and a run scored, Kayla Georgeu added a double, and Katie Abreu scored a run.
Mansfield, 4 @ Taunton, 13 – Final – Taunton sophomore Jaylin Couto allowed just one earned run on four hits in four innings of work. Couto also struck out four while Kelsey White finished with three innings of no-hit ball with three strikeouts. McKenzie McAloon (3-4, two doubles, three RBI), Hanna Aldrich (2-3, two doubles, three RBI), Jaime Brown (2-3, double), Kya Enos (1-2, two RBI), and Kelsey White (triple, two RBI) paced the Tigers’ offense. Grace Benton went 2-for-3 on the game for the Hornets, recording half of the team’s hits on the day.
Milford, 4 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – Milford rallied for four runs in the top of the seventh inning to escape Stoughton with a win. The Hawks put the bat on the ball but Stoughton played phenomenal defense to keep them off the board for six innings. In the top of the seventh, Emily Hartman (2-for-2, run) led off with a double, Shannon Cormier walked and Maddy Bonvino loaded the bases with a bunt single. Kelley Reichert gave Milford the lead with a two-run single and Sabrina Haarstick gave the Hawks insurance with another two-run single. Antonia Bonina had another strong day offensively, going 3-for-3 while Reichert earned the win, striking out seven with three hits allowed and just one unearned run. Stoughton took the lead when Nikki Coppola led off the bottom of the first with a walk, took second on an error and scored on a ground ball to short from Jordan Lyons. Gina Carafa tossed a complete game for Stoughton, allowing just six hits.
Boys Lacrosse
Franklin, 18 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final
Milford, 2 @ Canton, 14 – Final – Canton senior Charlie O’Connor made his season debut and didn’t lose a face off, scoring two goals as well, to help the Bulldogs pick up a win over visiting Milford. The Bulldogs had eight different players score a goal including junior Teddy MacDonald, who notched his first career goal. Freshman goalie Dylan Coyne had a shutout in net in the fourth quarter for Canton.
Stoughton, 1 @ Foxboro, 19 – Final – Louis Piccolo recorded six points while Andrew Whalen and Pete Conley each picked up five points as Foxboro improved to 4-0. Piccolo had three goals and three assists, Whalen scored once and had four assists, and Conley scored four times and chipped in with one helper.
Mansfield, 10 @ King Philip, 14 – Final
Oliver Ames, 7 @ North Attleboro, 17 – Final – North Attleboro senior Jason McNeany dominated the face off X (18-for-20) to help the Rocketeers pick up a win at home over OA. Sophomore Andy DeMattio scored five goals, Damien Curtis scored four goals, and McNeany added four points in the win. Nate D’Amico made eight saves in net for the Rocketeers. Eric LeBlanc had three goals for Oliver Ames while Shane Kilkelly found the back of the net twice.
Sharon, 14 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Brothers Brett and Drew Litner each finished with six points to pace the Eagles to a win on the road. Brett had five goals and one assist while Drew had one goal and five assists. Kadin Nestler added three goals for Sharon while Johnny Greenberg posted the shutout.
Girls Lacrosse
Taunton, 2 @ Sharon, 15 – Final – Sharon coach Shara Ginthwain called the Eagles’ win a “total team effort,” as eight different players scored goals. Sabrina Robbins had another strong overall game with three goals, three assists, and six ground balls, while Emma Eberhardt also finished with a hat trick and three assists and added 10 draw controls as well. Freshman Jenna Goldstein made it a hat trick of hat tricks for the Eagles and Cass Barbera chipped in with six ground balls. Taunton’s Hannah Moniz and Alana Tavares each scored once while Lorna Li made 11 saves in net.
Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 20 – Final – Halle Atkinson and Shannon D’Arcangelo each recorded three goals to pace the Panthers to a win at home. Alex Field scored her goal of the season while Victoria Quinn had a strong game in midfield with four draw controls. Grace MacCallum anchored the defense with three ground balls.
Canton, 7 @ Milford, 6 – Final – Maggie Connolly scored a first half hat trick to help the Bulldogs pull out their first win of the season and first under new coach Laurie Chabot.
Foxboro, 10 @ Norwell, 11 – Final
King Philip, 12 @ Mansfield, 8 – Final – KP made it three wins in three games to start the season with six different players finding the back of the net. Katie Crowther and Caroline Klim each scored three goals for the Warriors, while Alli Meehan added two goals and an assist, Dana Truini had a pair of goals, Jess Sullivan had a goal and an assist, and Olivia Tormey scored in the win. Caroline Watson made 13 saves in the win.
North Attleboro, 18 @ Oliver Ames, 10 – Final – For Oliver Ames, Ella Hogan and Olivia Piazza each netted three goals while Chloe Kilkelly and Sofia Masciarelli added two goals apiece.
Boys Tennis
King Philip, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – King Philip lost a total of three games in singles play on its way to a sweep on the road at Attleboro. Marco DiStefano won 6-2, 6-0 at first singles, Nick Putney didn’t lose a game in a win at second singles and Jack Cannon took a 6-0, 6-1 decision at third singles. The team of Nick Ihley and Nate Ihley registered a 6-0, 6-1 win at first doubles and Zak Ryan and Jake Mager made their varsity debuts with a 6-2, 6-2 win at second doubles.
North Attleboro, 5 @ Canton, 0 – Final – North Attleboro picked up its third win of the season, sweeping Canton on the road. Senior Richard Bermudez won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles and Christian Bermudez won with the same score at second singles. Freshman Jonah Manso won 6-0, 6-0 at third singles. The team of Ben Pfeffer and Vikram Senthilkumaran won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles and Alex Pfeffer and Sam Gallagher teamed up for a 6-2, 6-0 win at second doubles.
Sharon, 5 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – Sharon picked up its third win of the season with a sweep on the road against division foe Foxboro. Fred Bondar notched a 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles, Andre Olivei picked up a 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles and Danujan Thirumavalavan didn’t lose a game at third singles. Junior Max Brody and senior Russell Rapaport won 6-0, 6-2 at first doubles while Sharon’s pairing of Ashwin Sreevatsa and Arie Chinnappan, won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin earned a clean sweep, dropping just one game in the five matches. Rohan Herur and Saketh Saripalli each won 6-0, 6-0 at first and third singles, respectively. Liam Marr recorded a 6-0, 6-1 win at second singles for the Panthers. The team of Tyler DiPalma and Derek Wu (first doubles) and the pairing of Tony Calderone and Dan Angermeier (second doubles) each won 6-0, 6-0.
Mansfield @ Taunton, 3:45
Milford, 0 @ Stoughton, 5 – Final – Stoughton picked up its first win of the season, sweeping Milford. Freshman Waseem Sablon picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win at first singles, junior Erik Anderson recorded a 7-5, 6-1 win at second singles and LJ Fernandiz won 6-3, 6-3 at third singles. Stoughton’s team of Hassan Khan and Andrew Chiang won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles and the pairing of sophomores Brendon Buckley and Mike Veliotis won 6-0, 6-3 at second doubles.
Girls Tennis
Taunton, 5 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – Taunton won in straight sets in all five matches to notch a victory on the road. Jillian Pagliuca won by default at first singles, senior Vanessa Rosa won 6-1, 6-3 at second singles, and freshman Jocelyn Pagliuca earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at third singles. The team of juniors McKenzie Lucie and Sam Martin won 6-3, 6-3 at first doubles for the Tigers and senior Amanda Pugh and junior Brianna Fevrier won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles.
Attleboro @ King Philip, 3:30
Canton, 1 @ North Attleboro, 4 – Final – North Attleboro picked up a pair of wins in both singles and both doubles to beat Canton. Senior Jordan Willis won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles and senior Katie Ovoian won 6-1, 7-5 at second singles. The team of seniors Leah Marceau and Shurobhi Nandi won 6-0, 6-3 at first doubles while juniors Mae McLaughlin and Tara Nair emerged with a 6-3, 6-1 win at second doubles. Canton freshman Rachel Kupferman won 6-0, 6-1 at second singles.
Foxboro, 2 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – Sharon emerged with a 3-2 victory in a showdown with division rival Foxboro. The Eagles picked up wins at second singles and both doubles matches. Lulu Yuan won 6-0, 6-0 at second singles, Katie Merport and Emily Wen prevailed with a 6-2, 6-1 win at first doubles and Rithika Neti and Sophia Fein teamed up for a 6-2, 6-2 win at second doubles. Foxboro’s Sophia Prinos won 6-2, 7-5 at first singles and freshman Pam Nelson earned a 6-0, 6-2 win at third singles.
Franklin, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 5 – Final – Oliver Ames defended its home court with a sweep of visiting Franklin. Sarah Leger won 6-1, 6-0 at first singles, Tate Hadges took a 6-0, 6-1 decision at second singles and Maura Kiernan didn’t lose a game in a win at third singles. The team of Kristin Bloumbas and Emily Yu recorded a 6-2, 6-0 win at first doubles while Rachel Stryke and Olivia Groebe prevailed 6-1, 6-1 at second doubles.
Baseball
Sharon, 5 @ Attleboro, 13 – Final – Attleboro overcame a 4-1 deficit, scoring three runs in the fifth inning to tie it, two more in the sixth in the take a lead, and then seven runs in the final inning to put the game to bed. Attleboro senior Drew Pagano earned the win in relief, tossing 2.1 scoreless innings. James Weir went 2-for-4 with two stolen bases and two RBI, Troy Gamache had two hits and an RBI and Sam Larkin chipped in with two hits. Sophomore Alvaro Espinel drew five walks, stole three bases and scored three runs while senior Corey McKenna had a two-run double and three stolen bases.
Foxboro, 3 @ Franklin, 0 – Final – Foxboro senior Steve McLaughlin tossed a complete game shutout, scatting three hits while striking out three to lead the Warriors to a win over Franklin. Chad Bearce (single) and JT Burke (double) each recorded an RBI as Foxboro scored single runs in each the first, second, and fourth innings. Anthony Mollica and Joe Cavaleri each had a hit for Foxboro. Franklin’s Jake Noviello struck out 11 batters in five innings of work with just two walks and no earned runs allowed.
King Philip, 17 @ Canton, 4 – Final – King Philip’s offense exploded for 17 runs in its season opener to pick up a win on the road. Sophomore Robbie Jarest went 3-for-3 with an RBI while Jeremy Rhines had two hits, including a double, and an RBI. Rhines earned the win on the mound with five innings of work, striking out four batters without allowing an earned run. KP head coach Greg Kessler said Collin Cooke and Nolan Bradley had strong games defensively.
Mansfield, 9 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final – Mansfield broke open a 1-1 game with two runs in the fifth and then added four more in the sixth, and two more in the seventh inning to turn a close game into a big win in both teams’ season opener. Hornets senior Tyler Dalton scattered four hits over four innings of work while striking out four to earn the win. Kevin Dow pitched three scoreless innings of relief. Offensively, Sam Nugent (RBI, run), Mike Hargadon (two RBI, run), Cullin Anastasia (RBI), Eric Longley (run), and Dow (two RBI, run) each had two hits for the Hornets. For Stoughton, Ruben Gonzalez, Mike Nazzaro and Will Eckhart each had a pair of hits. Eckhart allowed three earned runs in five innings of work while striking out four.
Taunton, 5 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Taunton senior Tyler Medeiros allowed just four hits in five-plus innings of work, striking out seven with two runs allowed to earn the win. Taunton scored three runs in the top of the fourth to take a 3-1 lead, added another run in the fifth inning, and tacked on an insurance run in the top of the seventh. Josh Lajoie (save), Christian Simoes, and Jacob Crawford each had two hits for Taunton while Jack Moynihan had a two-RBI triple in the fourth inning. For Milford, Danny Corsini allowed just two earned runs in six innings of work with three strikeouts. Colby Pires (RBI) and Matt Shaver (walk, two runs) each had a pair of hits for the Hawks.
Oliver Ames, 2 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – North Attleboro senior Nick Sinacola dazzled in his season debut, striking out 11 batters over six innings of work with five hits and two walks allowed. North scored single runs in the first, third, fourth, fifth and sixth. OA had a chance to tie the game with the bases loaded in the seventh inning but Peter Cohen came in to get the final out via strikeout. Nick Raneri went 2-for-3 with a double, Zach DeMattio went 2-for-3, and Nolan Buckley had a two-out RBI triple in the fifth for the Rocketeers. Oliver Ames senior Mitch Goulet was 1-for-3 with an RBI.
Softball
Sharon, 1 @ Attleboro, 13 – Final (6 inn.) – Attleboro’s McKenzie Bergdoll had a strong day in the circle and at the plate to help the Bombardiers open the season with a win. Bergdoll struck out eight in four innings of work, allowing just two hits and one unearned run. At the plate, she had two hits and two RBI. Jenna Gittle finished the final two innings in the circle, striking out three while allowing two hits. Makenzie Killough and Ashley Macia each had big days at the play; Killough went 3-for4 with four RBI, including a home run while Macia was 3-for-4 with five RBI and a home run. Jordyn Lako chipped in with three hits and two RBI for Big Blue. “This was a good start with only three practices outside so far,” said AHS coach Mark Homer. “Everyone in the starting lineup contributed offensively.”
Canton, 0 @ King Philip, 25 – Final (5 inn.) – King Philip’s Meghan Gorman had four of the Warriors 15 hits, including a two-run home run and a pair of doubles, finishing with five RBI. Brooke Taute contributed three hits, including a triple, and three RBI while Faith Turnese and Hailey McCasland each had multiple hits. Elise Pereira earned the win with a complete game, six strikeouts and just one hit allowed.
Foxboro, 3 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Chelsea Gibbons went 2-for-4 to lead the Warriors, while Hannah Davis and Jill Finn each had an RBI single in the victory. Foxboro’s Emma Rohan went the distance in the circle to get the win.
Stoughton, 1 @ Mansfield, 10 – Final – Mansfield coach Lori Letendre called the opening game of the season “a great team effort,” as the Hornets got a strong start from Sarah Cahill, who allowed only three hits and struck out five, and had six players record at least two hits. Mady Bendanillo and Caty DeMassi both went 3-for-4 with DeMassi just a double away from the cycle. Sydney Woods, Felicity McMullin, Ella Verheggen, and Cahill each went 2-for-4. Every player in the Mansfield lineup had at least a hit or an RBI. Kerran Holmes also made a big play in left, turning a double play after a shoestring grab.
Oliver Ames, 0 @ North Attleboro, 22 – Final (5 inn.) – Bella Erti struck out six and allowed only three hits in five innings of work, while also registering three hits at the plate. Ashley Cangiano led the offense, going 4-for-4 with a homer and five RBI. Abby Gallagher scored four runs, while Olivia Capobianco scored three times and had a stolen base and Annabelle Hebard and Katy Daby each had triples. All four finished the game with two hits apiece. Lexie Campbell, Kayla Georgeu, and Katie Mills each had a hit for Oliver Ames.
Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 2 @ King Philip, 15 – Final
Canton, 2 @ Foxboro, 13 – Final – Foxboro built a 7-0 lead by halftime and never looked back to earn a league win over division foe Canton. Louis Piccolo collected eight points – three goals and five assists – to pace the Warriors’ offense. Shayne Kerrigan went 15-for-17 at the face-off X and Bobby Yerardi chipped in with three goals.
Sharon, 4 @ Franklin, 13 – Final – Franklin junior Jacob Alexander dominated the face-off X, winning 17 of 21 attempts to help give the Panthers the edge in possession. Eric Civetti paced the offense with six goals and assist while Zach Alexander, Jacob Alexander, Jake Davis and Nitin Chaudhury each scored once for the Panthers. Will Davis made five saves in net for Franklin.
Mansfield @ Stoughton – Postponed to a date and time to be announced.
Oliver Ames, 10 @ Milford, 8 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Eric LeBlanc had a hand in over half of the Tigers goals, helping his side earn its first win of the season. LeBlanc scored five goals and had one assist to pace the offense while Shane Kilkelly added two goals and three assists and Frankie Ireland finished with a goal and two assists. Milford freshman goalie Evan Hazard made 15 saves in net while Andrew Gallagher had a team-high five points with two goals and three assists. Mike Demko and Brendan White each scored a pair of goals while Chase Blanchette had a strong game defensively with six ground balls.
Taunton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 12 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
North Attleboro, 16 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – North Attleboro had eight different goal scorers, as new coach Colleen Carchedi gets her first win on her Rocketeers debut. Kayla Moulin earned the shutout in net. Alana Tavares grabbed two draw controls for the Tigers, while Hannah Moniz and Rosemary McGrath each had three ground balls.
King Philip, 17 @ Attleboro, 3 – FinalKP had seven different scorers and improved to 2-0 on the season. Katie Crowther led the way for the Warriors with seven goals and two assists, while Caroline Klim chipped in with three goals and three assists. Alli Meehan and Olivia Tormey each added two goals and an assist, while Dana Truini, Victoria Tormey, and Ali Wilson each scored once in the win. Caroline Watson made eight saves for KP.
Foxboro, 19 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Sophia DiCenso scored three goals and Caroline Boudreau recorded four assists, as Foxboro used 13 different goal scorers to get the division win. Sara Addeche picked up the shutout in goal.
Franklin, 18 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Franklin junior Annie Walsh and sophomore Erin Walsh combined for 15 points to lead the Panthers to a win on the road at Sharon. Annie had seven goals and two assists while Erin finished with four goals and two assists. Katie Jones added two goals and two assists while Nicole Houlihan had two goals and Corinne Lewis had a strong game defensively with two ground balls. Gianna Cameron made seven saves in the win while Kate Morse made her season debut after suffering an ACL injury this past Fall. Sabrina Robbins scored a pair of goals, grabbed four draw controls, and three ground balls, while Emma Eberhardt added a pair of goals and five draw controls for the Eagles. Sharon also got a goal and an assist from Lydia Chase and 13 saves from goalie Rose Wald.
Mansfield, 16 vs. Holliston, 12 – Final
Milford, 6 @ Oliver Ames, 16 – Final – Oliver Ames’ Chloe Kilkelly and Olivia Piazza combined for seven goals and six assists to lead the Tigers to a win.
Boys Tennis
Sharon, 5 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – It was a clean sweep for Sharon with all five matches ending in straight sets. Fred Bondar won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles, Danujan Thirumavalavan, won 6-1, 6-1 at second singles and Ashwin Sreevatsa won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles for the Eagles. The team of Max Brody and Russell Rapaport earned a 6-2, 6-0 decision at first doubles while Arie Chinnappan and Alex Aspel won 6-1, 6-2 at second doubles.
Canton, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip’s Marco DiStefano rallied after losing the first game to win the second and take a third set tiebreaker to complete the Warriors sweep. DiStefano won 2-6, 7-6 (5), 10-7 while Nick Putney (6-2, 3-6, 6-1) also went three sets at second singles. Jack Cannon won 6-1, 6-1 at third singles, Aidan Ignatius and Nick Ihley won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles and Sean Desrochers and Nate Ihley didn’t lose a single game (6-0, 6-0) at second doubles.
Foxboro, 1 @ Franklin, 4 – Final – Franklin swept singles play and took another win at first doubles to beat Foxboro. Rohan Herur (6-1, 6-3), Liam Marr (6-0, 6-1) and Tony Calderone (6-4, 6-3) took care of business in singles action while Tyler DiPalma and Derek Wu rallied from one set down to earn a 3-6, 6-2, 6-3 win. Foxboro’s team of Justin Neale and Brady Gardner earned a 6-3, 3-6, 6-3 win at second doubles.
Stoughton, 1 @ Mansfield, 4 – Final – The Hornets picked up a pair of wins in singles as well as doubles to defend home court against Stoughton. Luke Nickerson won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles and Peter Lally earned a 6-1, 6-0 decision at third singles. The team of Jalaj Singh and Danny Radev notched a 6-0, 6-0 win at first singles while Ben Salden and Yash Sakitarkar won by the same score at second doubles. Stoughton’s Erik Anderson won 6-4, 6-4 at second singles.
Milford, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton’s Mike Briggs (third singles) and Alex Pugh and Trevor Hart (second doubles) each won in straight sets without dropping a game to pace the Tigers. Francois Hennaux won 6-0, 6-2 at first singles, Brett Beaulieu earned a 6-1, 6-0 at second singles and the team of Charlie Fiske and Dylan Kullas notched a 6-0, 6-2 win at first doubles.
North Attleboro, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – North Attleboro won all five matches in straight sets without dropping a single game to record a win on the road. Richard Bermudez (first singles), Christian Bermudez (second singles) Jonah Manso (third singles), the team of Ben Pfeffer and Sam Gallagher (first doubles) and Alex Pfeffer and Alex Rinaldi (second doubles) all won 6-0, 6-0.
Girls Tennis
Taunton, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final – The Tigers notched a pair of wins in singles play and two more in doubles to take home a win from Milford. Vanessa Rosa won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles and Jocelyn Pagliuca took a 6-2, 6-1 decision at third singles. The team of McKenzie Lurie and Sam Martin dropped just one game (6-0, 6-1) at first doubles and Amanda Pugh and Brianna Ferrier did the same (6-1, 6-0) in a win at second doubles. Milford’s Julie Rabinowitz won 6-3, 6-3 at first singles.
Attleboro, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon dropped a total of three games in singles action and two total in doubles play in a sweep over Attleboro. Nupur Shukla won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, Lulu Yuan didn’t lose a game (6-0, 6-0) at second singles and Emily Wen earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Katie Merport and Sophia Fein earned a 6-2, 6-0 win at first doubles while Rithika Neti and Lauren Glass didn’t lose a game in a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles.
King Philip, 5 @ Canton, 0 – Final – King Philip won all five matches but some were closer than the score indicates. Erin Regnier won 6-0, 7-5 at first singles, Meghan Sepich earned a 6-1, 6-4 victory at second singles and Caitlin Gonser walked away with a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Grace Ely and Mia Valencia squeaked out a win at first doubles (5-7, 6-4, 10-8) while Katarina and Schneider and Lucy Barnard dropped just two games in a 6-0, 6-2 win at second doubles.
Franklin, 0 @ Foxboro, 5 – Final – Foxboro won three matches without losing a single game in a sweep at home over Franklin. Sophia Prinos (first singles), Pam Nelson (third singles), and the team of Julia Muise and Sarah Prag (first doubles) each won their match 6-0, 6-0. Kayla Prag won 6-0, 6-3 at second singles for the Warriors and Olivia Dantona and Kendall Milender emerged victorious (6-2, 6-3) at second doubles.
Mansfield, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Mansfield opened its season with a win, winning all three singles matches in straight sets. Senior Sarah Doyle won 6-0, 6-2 at first singles, Elizabeth Elsner took a 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles and freshman Aryann Khosravani won 6-1, 6-3 at third singles. Junior Tessa Garufi and sophomore Samantha Sternberg won 6-3, 6-1 at first doubles while junior Hannah Podolske and senior Cindy Gu prevailed with a 6-3, 3-6, 10-7 win at second doubles.
Oliver Ames, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – North Attleboro edged out Oliver Ames with a pair of wins in singles play and one win in doubles. Jordan Willis had a convincing 6-1, 6-0 win at first singles, senior Katie Ovoian won 6-1, 6-4 at third singles and the team of seniors Leah Marceau and Shurobhi Nandi prevailed 6-4, 7-6 (7-0) at first doubles. For Oliver Ames, Tate Hadges won 3-6, 6-4, 6-4 at second singles and Olivia Groebe and Rachel Stryke notched a 4-6, 6-0, 6-2 win at second doubles.
Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 3 @ Brockton, 0 – Final – Taunton picked up a convincing win on the road behind a balanced attack. Malik Charles had a team-high eight kills while Alex Tavares (four blocks), Lens Esquil (three blocks), and Lance Law (four aces) all registered seven kills. Ricardo DaFonseca finished with 32 assists for the Tigers.
Foxboro, 67 vs. Lake Mary Prep (FL), 43 – Final – Foxboro outscored Lake Mary Prep 16-6 in the second quarter to create a 37-24 lead heading into the halftime break and never looked back. Sophomore Brandon Borde scored eight of his 14 points in the opening quarter while senior Joe Morrison had all 11 of his points in the first half. Sophomore Ryan Hughes scored 10 of his career-high 16 points in the final quarter to help secure the win.
Franklin, 62 vs. Malden Catholic, 36 – Final – Franklin senior Paul Mahon poured in a game-high 20 points to lead the Panthers past Malden Catholic and into the Somerville Hoop Fest final. The Panthers will play Arlington in the championship on Thursday.
King Philip, 71 vs. Dorchester, 74 – Final (OT)
Oliver Ames, 70 vs. Brockton, 84 – Final
Taunton, 77 vs. Charlestown, 67 – Final – Taunton senior Lens Esquil scored a career-high 20 points as the Tigers helped force 30 Charlestown turnovers to advance to the Skip Karam Tournament final. Esquil led the defensive charge with six steals while sophomore Naz Kenion (eight points, three assists) had three steals. Junior Lou Vendrell added 17 points, sophomore Dante Law had 13 points and nine rebounds, and junior John Martins finished with seven points, three rebounds, and three assists. Taunton will play host Durfee in the final on Thursday at 6:30.
Boys Hockey
Canton, 0 vs. Needham, 0 – Final – In a first-round game of the Joe Donnelly Tournament, Canton and Needham finished scoreless for a tie for MIAA purposes. Needham won the game in overtime to advance to the finals while Canton will play Pembroke in the consolation round.
King Philip, 6 vs. North Quincy, 2 – Final
North Attleboro, 5 vs. Cumberland, 1 – Final
Stoughton, 7 vs. Tri-County, 1 – Final – Stoughton’s offense exploded for seven goals and the defense had its best performance of the season to get the win. Freshman Matt Brown led the offense with a hat trick while Brendan Campbell, Sean Doherty, Mike Nazzaro, and Josh Hough each scored once.
Taunton, 4 vs. Dennis-Yarmouth, 2 – Final – Taunton’s Dylan Nichols scored the game-winning goal and had an assist to lead the Tigers to a victory over visiting Dennis-Yarmouth. Mike Albert scored twice while Tanner Lopes found the back of the net once. Cam Sneyd and Will Walsh each chipped in with two assists while Jeremy Chapell and Haden Weyant each had one assist. Sean Bunker made 25 saves to earn the win in net.
Girls Hockey
Canton, 2 vs. Westwood, 1 – Final – Junior Maggie Malloy scored the game-winning goal inside the final five minutes to lift the Bulldogs to a win and into the championship round of the Canton Ice House tournament. Kendra Farrelly scored Canton’s first goal while senior Colleen Kelleher made 35 saves in net to earn the win. Canton will play Milton in the final on Saturday at 4:50.
Franklin, 8 vs. Bishop Stang, 1 – Final
King Philip, 5 vs. Mount St. Charles, 3 – Final – King Philip’s offense got a boost from its blue line as Nicole Connor scored once and had one assist and Jess Daniels found the back of the net once and had three helpers. Olivia Donovan opened the scoring for the Warriors and Ali Wilson scored her second goal in as many games.
Stoughton, 3 vs. Scituate, 8 – Final
Wrestling
Marshfield Tournament (Mansfield, North Attleboro, Oliver Ames, Sharon, Taunton), 9:00AM
Gymnastics
Attleboro vs. Norton, 5:00
Mansfield @ Taunton, 11:00AM
Indoor Track
Boston Holiday Challenge – Mansfield girls indoor track had three top 10 finishes, two by Amanda Mangano. Mangano was fourth overall in the 55-meter dash, clocking in at 7.50 and was seventh overall in the long jump (16’1.25). Madison Haughey ran a PR in the 55M hurdles (9.38) to take ninth overall.
