Tag: Alexa White
2019 Hockomock League Softball All Stars
Below are the official 2019 Hockomock League Softball All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.
Hockomock League MVP
Kelsey White, Taunton
Hockomock League All Stars
Mckenzie Bergdoll, Attleboro
Makenzie Killough, Attleboro
Lora Woyton, Attleboro
Liz Bickett, Canton
Morgan Sylvestre, Foxboro
Jackie Cherry, Franklin
Ally Shea, Franklin
Anna Balkus, Franklin
Meghan Gorman, King Philip
Faith Turinese, King Philip
Mady Bendanillo, Mansfield
Lucy Creedon, Milford
Ashley Cangiano, North Attleboro
Abby Gallagher, North Attleboro
Bella Erti, North Attleboro
Katie Daby, North Attleboro
Karly Estremera, Stoughton
Alexia Baptista, Stoughton
Nicole Baker, Stoughton
Hanna Aldrich, Taunton
Jaime Brown, Taunton
Alexa White, Taunton
Kelsey White, Taunton
Tigers Can’t Cash In Against Feehan In South Semifinal
TAUNTON, Mass. – Sophomore Kelsey White and the Taunton softball team didn’t give third-seeded Bishop Feehan many chances, but the Shamrocks took advantage of the little opportunities they had.
Meanwhile, the Tigers had a handful of opportunities, putting at least one runner in scoring position in five innings, and a runner on base in six of the seven innings, but an uncharacteristic performance from second-seeded Taunton put an end to its season.
Bishop Feehan scored single runs in the first, sixth, and seventh innings while Taunton was limited to just one run, leaving six runners on base in scoring position as the Shamrocks earned a 3-1 win a D1 South Semifinal contest.
“We had many chances,” said Taunton head coach Dave Lewry. “It comes down to a game of execution. You have to execute at the plate, in the field, and on the bases, and we picked the wrong game not to execute. It wasn’t a good game for us all around. We didn’t execute. We took too many called strike threes. We played well all year, but the wrong game to play poorly.”
The Shamrocks got off to an ideal start with leadoff hitter Jessica Levesque clubbing a triple to right center field. White (7IP, 6H, 1BB, 3R, 1ER, 3K) induced a ground ball to shortstop and the runner originally held, but after a brief bobble a throwing error allowed Levesque to score and the Feehan runner to get to second.
After a walk, McKenzie McAloon started a double play to get two outs and White got a fly ball to center to strand a runner at third and minimize the damage to just one run.
Taunton had a bevy of chances to tie the game and even take a lead, but couldn’t find the timely hit necessary.
“We had timely hitting,” said Feehan coach Bill Milot. “We did not play a flawless game but fortunately [Taunton] wasn’t able to capitalize on our mistakes and we were able to capitalize on theirs.”
In the bottom of the first, sophomore Hanna Aldrich ripped a two-out double but Feehan pitcher Brooke Scorzinski (7IP, 4H, 4BB, 1ER, 9K) got a pop up in foul territory behind the plate for the third out.
Heads up base running allowed White to get to second on an error in the second with one out, and quickly moved to third on a ground out. But the Tigers couldn’t get the run in as Scorzinski got one of her nine strikeouts to end the frame.
Jaime Brown doubled with one out in the third inning, Alexa White walked, and both advanced on a passed ball to put runners in scoring position with one out. But again Scorzinski got a big strikeout (looking) for the second out. McAloon was hit by the pitch to load the bases but Taunton couldn’t manufacture anything as Scorzinski got a soft line drive back to the circle.
A walk and an error put Kelsey White and Paige Silvia on first and second with no outs but neither runner would advance any further as the Tigers failed on a sac bunt attempt and had three straight fly ball outs.
“I would definitely say it was uncharacteristic,” Lewry said. “Defensively we had a couple of silly little plays, not being aware of the base runners…not being able to get down bunts, that was critical. We tried three or four times and we didn’t get one down. We talked about executing bunts all year, we’ve practiced it all year, we just didn’t do it tonight.
Meanwhile, Kelsey White was cruising on the mound. She retired the side in order in each the second and fourth innings and didn’t let a one-out single past first in the second. A two-out single from Sierra Basara went nowhere in the fifth went nowhere when White got a big strikeout.
“Kelsey had to really battle tonight,” Lewry said. “Some of her pitches weren’t working the way they normally do so we had to go a different way and I thought she did a heck of a job. We could have been out of there allowing one run if we made a couple of plays, it came down to execution and we didn’t get it done.”
The Shamrocks added to their lead with a run in the top of the sixth inning as Caroline Deem blooped a one-out single and took second on a ground ball. Scorzinski sliced a single to right field that Abbie McDonough fielded, firing a throw home but it wasn’t handled at the plate and the runner from second came across.
Taunton finally broke through in the bottom of the sixth but again left runners in scoring position. Silvia had a one-out single and moved to second on a two-out walk from Rylie Murphy. Brown sliced an RBI double to left field to bring a one run in and make it 2-1. With runners on second and third, Scorzinski got the third out with a strikeout.
Feehan tacked on a big insurance run in the top of the seventh inning. Haley Coupal had a one-out single and moved to third on a soft grounder in front of the plate. With two outs, Levesque was able to reach when her grounder was bobbled at first, and Coupal ran all the way from second to home before the Tigers could fire a throw home.
The Tigers brought the heart of their lineup for the seventh inning but Scorzinski retired the side in order for the first time all game.
Taunton softball finishes the season at 22-3 while Bishop Feehan will play Bridgewater-Raynham in the D1 South Final on Sunday.
Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/11/19
Today’s games are listed below.
Baseball
Super 8
#7 Mansfield vs. #5 BC High – Postponed to Wednesday, 6/12 at 4:00 at Campanelli Stadium.
Softball
D1 South
#10 Marshfield, 0 @ #2 Taunton, 1 – Final – Taunton sophomore Kelsey White was masterful on the mound and senior Alexa White drove in the game-winning run as the Tigers walked off with a win over the Rams. White didn’t issue a walk and allowed just two hits, striking out six in a complete game shutout, getting help from McKenzie McAloon at second and Jaime Brown at second. McAloon (two hits) got things started with a single in the seventh and moved to second on a sac bunt from Payton Ceglarski. Kelsey White drew a walk and Alexa White clubbed a two-out single towards second for the game winning hit. Paige Silvia had a double for the Tigers in the win. Taunton will host #3 Bishop Feehan on Thursday at 7:00.
Girls Lacrosse
D1 East
#3 Concord-Carlisle, 11 vs. #2 Franklin, 10 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
D2 East
#4 Foxboro, 15 vs. #1 Wayland, 13 – Final – Sophia DiCenso, Meg Curran, and Jaime Notarangelo each scored a hat trick to pace the Warriors past the top seed. Foxboro will play #4 Medway in the D2 East Final on Friday at 7:00 at Walpole.
Taunton Starts Title Defense with Shutout of KP
TAUNTON, Mass. – Defending state champion Taunton kicked off its title defense on Monday night at Jack Tripp Field against a familiar foe. It is never easy to play a team three times in a season, especially when it is a league rival and annual competitor for the league title.
The Tigers made it a clean sweep against King Philip and earned their third shutout of the Warriors this season, earning a 4-0 victory and getting started on the road to a potential repeat.
“First game of the tournament is always tough,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry about facing an atypical No. 15 seed in the opening round. “We’ve been there before but all the kids were saying they had the butterflies and were a little nervous early on, so get this out of the way and we can move onto tomorrow.”
Senior outfielder Alexa White added, “It’s definitely a relief to have the first one in the books. We have a young team, so we made sure to talk to them yesterday at practice to be prepared that the atmosphere is different, everything’s different, so you need to keep the energy up and you need to relax, at the plate or in the field.”
King Philip (13-9) had been outscored 19-0 in two regular season meetings with Taunton, but the Warriors came into Monday confident that they could pull the upset and had an early chance to get on the board. Raegan Simeone bunted for a hit with one out in the first and then stole second. After a strikeout, Liliana Rolfe walked to put two on base, but Taunton starter Kelsey White snagged a comebacker by her opposite number, Faith Turinese, to end the inning.
The Warriors wouldn’t have another base runner until a one-out single by Rolfe in the fourth. Rolfe was controversially called out on a steal attempt and a pop up to first baseman Tayah DaCosta ended the threat.
“It’s been a struggle against most quality pitchers,” Beauchemin said about the lack of offense. “You’ve got to get that key hit, but we didn’t have many hits to begin with.”
Taunton wasted no time jumping in front. JJaime Brown led off the bottom frame with a double to right center. Abigail McDonough dropped down a bunt to move Brown to third and a wild pitch allowed her to come home with what would turn out to be the game-winning run.
Beauchemin said, “You can’t make any mistakes against this team. They’re as strong as they were last year, if not stronger.”
It stayed 1-0 until the third inning. With one out Brown drew a walk and again McDonough dropped down a bunt to move her into scoring position. Hanna Aldrich, who was robbed of a single in the first by KP shortstop Meghan Gorman, lined a base hit to left to double the lead.
Lewry said, “I just had a feeling it was going to be one of those games, so we want to get runs any way we can, chip away one at a time if we have to and it seemed to work out.”
In the fourth Taunton gave itself a cushion with a two-out rally. Turinese got a pair of fly balls, including one to deep center by Kelsey White, and seemed to be cruising through another inning, but Paige Silvia took a pitch off her thigh. Alexa White followed with a triple that was crushed into the gap in left center. White scored on a double by eighth grader Ava Venturelli.
“It brings the confidence in the next batter up to keep it going and it definitely gets the girls pumped,” said Alexa White about the importance of two-out rallies.
There was one more threat by the Warriors in the seventh, as they tried to keep their season alive. Rolfe was hit by a pitch with one out, reaching base for the third straight time, and Turinese hustled to beat out an infield single. Taunton’s defense made the plays it needed to with Aldrich and Brown grabbing grounders and getting the outs to seal the win.
“I think the kids gave a very good representation today, we played hard,” said Beauchemin. “We’re not young, but we’re inexperienced and I think next year we’re going to be a very formidable team.”
Lewry praised the Warriors and was happy to get through a third meeting with KP. He said, “I think they’re a much better team than they were at the beginning of the season and I thought they played an excellent game tonight. Their defense was good, their pitching was real good, and they just had some trouble hitting Kelsey, which is good for us.”
When asked if things felt any different entering the playoffs defending last year’s title, White said that the Tigers were just trying to focus on the moment rather than the ultimate destination.
“We’ve got a tough road ahead, we know that, but I think we have the talent to do it,” she said. “It’s about pulling everything together with clutch hits and keeping those rallies going. We have the mentality to take every game one step at a time. Just focus on the game you’re playing.”
Taunton (21-2) will host No. 10 seed Marshfield on Tuesday night at Jack Tripp Field.
Taunton Bounces Back With Big Win Over King Philip
TAUNTON, Mass. – No team wants to lose a game, but that doesn’t mean there aren’t any benefits from doing so.
Taunton softball dropped just its second game of the season on Friday night, falling behind North Attleboro early and seeing its rally come up short. With one game left to correct things before the state tournament, the Tigers bounced back in a good way.
The defending state champs belted out 12 hits, scoring three runs in each the fourth and fifth innings before exploding for five more in the sixth to earn a 12-0 win over potential playoff foe and league rival King Philip.
The win clinches the Kelley-Rex division title outright for the Tigers, their third ever Hockomock title and second division crown since 2016.
“I don’t take losses very lightly myself but you’d like to think some good can come out of a game like [last night],” said Taunton head coach Dave Lewry. “Cocky is too strong of a word but maybe we were a little overly confident. Hopefully, it let us know we are human, that you have to play the game. Hopefully, we can look back on it and that is the one that propelled us.
“We started the hitting last night and it seemed like it carried over to today. It took us a couple of innings to get going but we started putting the bat on the ball and started looking more like the Tigers that we think we are.”
The hosts took the lead in the bottom of the second inning with a solo run but the offense really got going over the final three innings. Taunton pushed across three runs in the fourth (all with two outs), three more in the fifth, and ended the game via mercy rule with a five-run sixth inning against the Warriors, the two-time defending division champs.
“It’s nice to get the Kelley-Rex, that’s not an easy championship to win,” Lewry said. “There are some really good teams in this league. Franklin had a heck of a year, KP came back and played well…everybody. It feels good to win it. I really didn’t want jackets with co-champs on it.”
Kelsey White got back on track after suffering a loss to the Rocketeers the night before. The sophomore tossed six scoreless innings, allowing just three hits — a two-out grounder up the middle in the first, a bloop single that didn’t reach the outfield in the third, and a dribbler up the third base line in the fourth. She had one walk (in the first inning) and struck out five, retiring the final seven batters in order.
KP had one of its best changes in the opening inning as senior Meghan Gorman drew a two-out walk and Liliana Rolfe singled to put runners on first and second, but White got a chopper back to the circle for the third out.
The Warriors’ biggest threat came in the third when Destiny Goyco hit a bloop single to second. Courtesy runner Kara McWhinnie took second after a nice basket catch from Jaime Brown in foul territory on the third base side and advanced to third on a sac bunt. But White prevented what would have been the tying run from crossing by getting a strikeout for the third out.
“Kelsey pitched much better today, she definitely did,” Lewry said. “She didn’t have all of her good breaking balls but they were good enough and her changeup was excellent tonight, and she was spotting everything. She did a real nice job and she needed that too, she was a little bit shaken by her quick exit last night.”
Taunton took the lead in the bottom of the first inning behind a leadoff walk from Payton Ceglarski. Courtesy runner Kylie Thorpe moved to second on a sac bunt from Kelsey White and came around to score on a two-out bloop single from Alexa White to make it 1-0.
Kelsey White helped her own cause in the bottom of the fifth with a two-out double. Paige Silvia and Alexa White followed suit with back-to-back RBI doubles, and the latter scored on a single from Ava Venturelli up the middle to push the advantage to 4-0.
The Tigers stayed hot in the fifth inning, putting up three more runs. Abbie McDonough showed off her wheels with a leadoff triple and scored on a single from Hanna Aldrich. McKenzie McAloon clubbed an RBI double, Tayah DaCosta advanced the runner with a fly ball, and Kelsey White drove in a run with a sacrifice fly.
Venturelli got the big sixth inning started with a leadoff walk and pinch hitters Skylar Rheaume and Olyvia Mendonca both walked to load the bases. Aldrich hit a hard ground ball to third and beat the throw at first to bring courtesy runner Haylee Hartung in and keep the bases loaded.
Pinch hitter Kaysie DeMoura brought a run in by drawing a bases-loaded walk and Thorpe, in a pinch-hit situation, drove in two more runs with a hard hit ball through the right side. Kelsey White brought in the final run with a hard hit ball to left that was mishandled, allowing DeMoura to score.
“We swung the bat good, we made good contact,” Lewry said. “We have to hit…we have the pitching and defense but we have to hit to score runs, you’re not going to score many unless you do.”
Both Taunton (14-2 Hockomock, 20-2 overall) and King Philip (11-5, 12-8) will now await seeding for the MIAA D1 South Sectional tournament. The Tigers are likely to be a top four seed while the Warriors could potentially host a preliminary game.
North Holds Off Taunton Rally to Win Finale
TAUNTON, Mass. – As she walked off the field following the final out, North Attleboro third baseman Annabelle Hebard, smile on her face, head back, lifted her outstretched arms up and took a big breath. It had been a long couple of days for the Rocketeers, who traveled to Taunton on Friday night for their third game in three days. After suffering back-to-back losses, North went into the regular season finale against its fellow league champion trying to build momentum entering the playoffs.
North showed no ill effects from its busy schedule, jumping out to a four-run lead in the first inning, twice led by the Tigers by five runs, and then held off a late Taunton rally to earn a 6-5 victory at Jack Tripp Field. It was exactly the response that head coach Bill Wallace wanted from the Davenport division champions.
“We kind of needed this tonight,” North coach Bill Wallace explained. “We lost two games that weren’t the easiest to swallow, if you know what I mean, and this one, the kids are like okay we’ve got our mojo back. We did the little things, we bunted, we moved runners along.”
While North had been playing every day, Taunton had been off for five days and there was a little rust at the beginning of the game. Starting pitcher Kelsey White retired the first two North hitters, but then Ashley Cangiano beat out an infield hit on a slow roller to short. Hebard followed with almost the exact same play. Katie Daby made it three straight hits, lining a single to right to score the first run.
After Emily Nardelli drew a walk, Alex Moulson got North’s third infield hit, this time right up the third base line, and brought in the second run. Belle Clarkin, North’s No. 8 hitter, doubled the lead with a bloop single to right that scored a pair of runs.
“They came through with the hits when they needed them,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry, “but sometimes you’ve got to make those dribbler plays when you need them too. We were a little bit slow reacting today.”
A one-out error proved costly in the second inning for Taunton. Cangiano bunted Abby Gallagher to third with two outs and Hebard got her second hit of the day, grounding it right back up the box, to make it 5-0. All five runs were scored with two outs.
“That was really helpful,” said Wallace. “Bella [Erti] has thrown 24 innings in the last three days against three really good teams, so I think she could relax a little bit. She’s got more guts and that’s what it was, a gutsy performance.”
Despite having pitched 17 innings in the previous two days, including an 11-inning outing against Dartmouth on Wednesday, North starter Bella Erti came out firing. She struck out a pair in the first and didn’t allow a hit until the third. She only allowed six hits overall.
Taunton got one back in the fourth inning. Hanna Aldrich drilled a lead-off homer to straightaway center that made it 5-1. An error put McKenzie McAloon on and it looked like the Tigers might be able to start chipping away at the deficit but Moulson and Nardelli turned a quick 6-4-3 double play that effectively ended Taunton’s momentum.
The reason that Taunton was still in the game was the relief effort from Alexa White. The senior replaced her sister in the circle with two outs in the second and retired the first 11 batters she faced, nine of them by strikeout. She finished with 12 strikeouts in just 5-1/3 innings and allowed only one hit.
“She was amazing, especially considering she hasn’t pitched much in the last month,” said Lewry about White. “She pitched an inning or two here or there, so I really didn’t know what to expect. Today she was right on, kept us in it.”
North did manage a crucial insurance run in the sixth. With one out, Clarkin hit a deep fly ball to left that went off the fielder’s glove. Mandi Hanewich dropped down a sacrifice bunt to move Clarkin to third and then lead off hitter Olivia Capobianco stunned Taunton with a perfect safety squeeze to get the run in.
That run proved to be the game-winner because the potent Taunton offense found its footing against a tiring Erti in the bottom half of the inning.
Abigail McDonough singled to center with one out to start the rally. Aldrich ripped a single up the middle and then both runners read a pitch in the dirt to move into scoring position. McAloon walked to load the bases and then Payton Ceglarski belted a single to right to score a pair.
After a fly ball for the second out, Paige Silvia got her first hit of the game, singling to center to score another two runs and bring the Tigers back within one. Erti managed to escape with the lead, getting a grounder to third to end the threat.
“I think we developed some character tonight,” said Lewry. “We haven’t been in that position this year, we haven’t had to play from behind. I didn’t know how they would react, but they reacted pretty well. We learned that we can come back and we had some kids come through with some big hits tonight.”
Erti made quick work of the seventh, getting the Tigers in order to secure a win that has ramifications in the league title race, in the seeding for the upcoming tournament, and for North Attleboro (15-5, 13-3) confidence as it looks to make a run at bringing home a trophy.
Wallace said, “Part of what made this so important for a lot the kids is that we haven’t done very well against the Kelley-Rex (four of North’s five losses came against teams from the opposite division) and we were wondering, where are we? Now, we showed we can play with anyone.”
Taunton (19-2, 13-2) will now go into Saturday night’s rivalry game with King Philip needing a win to secure the outright league title and also to hang out to one of the top two or three seeds in D1 South.
“It’s a big game tomorrow,” Lewry admitted. “We want to win the Hock outright, so we need to win tomorrow. It’s as simple as that. It’s another big game, we just need to play from inning one not inning four.”
Sunday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/26/19
Today’s games are listed below.
Softball
Taunton, 9 @ Coyle & Cassidy, 0 – Final – Taunton sophomore Kelsey White tossed a perfect game, striking out 12, to lead the Tigers to a win in the City Championship. It was White’s first career perfect game and no-hitter, improving to 15-1 on the season. Senior Jaime Brown had two hits, including a double, and two stolen bases while Alexa White had a double and drove in two runs.
Attleboro, 6 @ Franklin, 7 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/21/19
Today’s games are listed below.
Baseball
Attleboro, 8 @ Bishop Feehan, 9 – Final – Attleboro junior Camden Fitzpatrick had a day to remember at the plate but the Bombardiers fell just short on the road at Bishop Feehan. Fitzpatrick went 3-for-4, hitting a grand slam, a solo home run, and an RBI single for Attleboro.
Canton, 3 @ Milford, 7 – Final – Milford scored three runs in the bottom of the fourth to take the lead and tacked on two runs in each the fifth and sixth innings to beat visiting Canton. Colby Pires was strong on the mound, tossing a complete game with three runs allowed and two strikeouts. Matt Shaver went 3-for-4 with two RBI and a run scored while Justin Applebee had two hits, an RBI, and a run scored for the Hawks.
King Philip, 0 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.
Sharon, 6 @ Holliston, 12 – Final
Taunton, 3 @ Mansfield, 8 – Final – Mansfield broke open a scoreless game in the bottom of the third, exploding for six runs and then tacked on two more in the bottom of the fourth to earn a win over visiting Taunton. The Tigers plated two runs in the top of the fourth to cut the lead to 6-2 before Mansfield answered with two runs of its own to make it 8-2. Kyle Moran (two RBI, run), Eric Longley (RBI, two runs), and Jake Gerraughty (run, RBI) each had two hits to pace the Hornets’ offense. John Carney earned the win on the mound, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks, striking out seven in five innings of work. Matt Scibilia allowed an unearned run on two hits and a walk in two innings of relief. Taunton junior Nic Notarangelo went 2-for-3 with two runs scored while sophomore Danny MacDougall went 1-for-3 with two RBI.
Softball
Attleboro, 2 vs. Bishop Feehan, 6 – Final
Milford, 13 @ Canton, 12 – Final – Milford senior Lucy Creedon came through in the clutch with the bases, delivering a two-run single in the top of the seventh to give the Hawks a win on the road in a close, back-and-forth contest with Canton. The Bulldogs built an early 6-0 lead, and led 8-3 after three innings before Milford’s offense roared to life with an eight-run fifth inning to take an 11-8 lead. Canton responded with a four-run sixth inning to go ahead 12-11 before Creedon put the visitors in front for good in the seventh. Milford freshman Gianna Cacciola went 3-for-4 with two RBI and three runs scored, hitting a home run that sparked the Hawks’ big fifth inning. Freshman Olivia Morelli went 4-for-4 with three runs and a two-run double for Milford. “Our girls never gave up, they never quit, ” said Milford head coach Steve DiVitto.
Oliver Ames, 7 @ Whitman-Hanson, 2 – Final – Oliver Ames senior Colleen Larson had a game to remember, earning the win in the circle and hitting a home run to pace the Tigers to a win on the road. Larson struck out five in a complete game effort and smacked a three-run home run in the seventh inning to give OA the cushion it needed for the win. OA scored in the seven, third, and fifth innings to build a 4-2 lead. Grace Simone (two runs, RBI), Kayla Georgeu (run, RBI), Katie Abreu (two runs) and Abbi Holmes each had two hits for OA.
Taunton, 9 @ Dighton-Rehoboth, 3 – Final – Taunton scored three runs in the first, tacked on four more in the fifth, and plated two more insurance runs in the sixth to sweep the season series with Dighton-Rehoboth. Kelsey White improved to 12-1 on the season, allowing three runs (one earned) on seven hits, no walks, and nine strikeouts. White helped her own cause with outstanding defense and drove in three runs offensively. Abbie McDonough went 3-for-3 with an RBI and stolen base while McKenzie McAloon (RBI, SB), Alexa White (two runs), Payton Ceglarski, Jaime Brown, Ava Venturelli (RBI), and Tayah DaCosta (RBI) each had a hit for the Tigers.
Sharon, 2 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – In a game continued from Monday, Stoughton scored two runs in the final innings to grab a win over visiting Sharon. The Eagles held a 2-1 lead on Monday before freshman Sydney Menz (3-for-3) singled, took third on a bunt single from Karly Estremera, and scored on an RBI from Jordan Lyons. On Tuesday, Menz was the catalyst for the Black Knights again, smacking a one-out triple to right and scoring on a bunt single from Estremera. Lyons grabbed her second RBI by knocking in Estremera with a single. Nicole Baker grabbed her 12th win of the season, stirking out seven with four hits allowed.
Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro vs. Bishop Feehan, 5:15
Franklin, 15 @ Canton, 7 – Final – Franklin raced out to a 5-0 lead after a quarter but Canton chipped away to get within two (9-7) early in the fourth quarter, but the Panthers scored the final six goals to pull away and secure a perfect record in Hockomock League action. Jake Davis had three goals and three assists for Franklin while Owen Palmieri scored five goals, Ben Greco had a goal and four assists, and Jacob Alexander (who had a strong day at the faceoff X) added two goals. Griffin Roach (assist) and Andrew Canto each had three goals for Canton while Tommy Vaughan had one goal and two assists. LSM Nick Mackay had his best all-around game of the season and won some key faceoffs for the Bulldogs.
Milford, 3 @ Foxboro, 18 – Final
Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro @ Bishop Feehan, 3:45
Foxboro, 18 @ Milford, 2 – Final
Sharon, 14 @ Mansfield, 19 – Final – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.
Boys Tennis
Milford, 1 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Canton swept all three singles matches and grabbed another win in doubles to beat Milford. Freshman Suraj Ramanathan picked up a 6-0, 7-5 win at first singles, sophomore Minh Duong earned a 7-6 (7-0), 6-0 win at second singles, and sophomore Ethan Nguyen secured a 6-2, 7-5 win at third singles for the Bulldogs. The team of senior Tyler Duffy and junior Justin Luk emerged with a 7-5, 6-4 win at first doubles. Milford’s Ben Johnson and Dylan Wang earned a 6-2, 6-3 win at second doubled.
North Attleboro, 4 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – North Attleboro went on the road and swept all three singles matches and added a fourth win at second doubles to beat the Warriors. Jonah Manso (first singles) and Sam Gallagher (third singles), both sophomores, won 6-0, 6-0 while junior Alex Pfeffer secured a 6-1, 6-1 win at second singles. The team of Saketh Uppuluri and Justin Strom picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win at second doubles. Foxboro’s Brian Gardner and Justin Neale won 6-2, 6-3 at first doubles.
King Philip, 4 @ Xaverian, 1 – Final – King Philip went on the road and knocked off Xaverian in a non-league showdown. Marco DiStefano won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles, Nick Putney won by the same score at second singles, and Jack Cannon completed the singles sweep with a 6-1, 6-0 result at third singles. KP’s first doubles team of Nate Ihley and Zak Ryan earned a 6-0, 6-1 win.
Oliver Ames, 3 @ Brockton, 2 – Final – Oliver Ames completed a season sweep of the Boxers with a 3-2 win on the road. The Tigers won all three singles matches to beat Brockton. Senior captain Henry Simone battled to a 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) win at first singles, freshman Kylash Ganesh won 6-4, 6-4 at second singles, and junior Yusaf Hameed prevailed 6-4, 6-3 at third singles.
Sharon, 3 @ Bishop Feehan, 2 – Final – Sharon junior Alberto Olivei prevailed in a tiebreak to win the second set, his match, and the entire match on the road at Bishop Feehan. Olivei won 6-2, 7-6 (7-5) at second singles while freshman Rueman Bhattacharyya picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of senior Max Brody and freshman Max Chen won 6-2, 6-0 at first doubles.
Taunton, 4 @ New Bedford, 1 – Final – For the third straight season, the Taunton boys tennis team is headed to the state tournament. The Tigers qualified by beating New Bedford, sweeping all three singles matches and getting one more win in doubles action. Brett Beaulieu (first singles), Dylan Kullas (third singles), and the team of Barrett Hodgson and Tyler Goddard (second doubles) each won 6-0, 6-0 while Charlie Fiske picked up a 6-3, 6-0 win at second singles.
Girls Tennis
Franklin, 3 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Franklin swept doubles action and earned one more point with a victory in singles action to beat Attleboro. Krissy Stoyonova earned a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles, the team of Brynn Jacobs and Ashvika Boopathy won 6-4, 4-6, 6-4 at first doubles, and Vagmi Kantheti and Tessa Cacioppo teamed up for a 3-6, 6-3, 6-4 win at second doubles. Attleboro’s Ella Lynch-Bartek won 7-5, 4-6, 6-4 at first singles and Bri Aronne picked up a 6-4, 6-0 win at second singles.
Canton, 5 @ Milford, 0 – Final – The Bulldogs won all five matches in straight sets to knock off Milford on the road. Rachel Kupferman (first singles) and Natalie Keppler (second singles) each won 6-0, 6-0 while Sarah Hernandez pulled out a 6-2, 6-1 decision at third singles. The team of Nyah Claiborne and Rose Hazam earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at first doubles while Lily Hazam and Kiara Cerruti won 6-0, 6-0 at second doubles.
Oliver Ames, 2 vs. Brockton, 3 – Final – Oliver Ames won both doubles matches but suffered two three-set heartbreakers in singles action and another very tight two-set match at third singles. The team of Eva Belanger and Morgan Vasiliou won 6-1, 6-3 at first doubles while Erika Mekler and Kathryn McCarthy secured a 6-3, 6-3 at second doubles.
Sharon, 5 vs. Bishop Feehan, 0 – Final – Sharon defended home court with a dominant win over Bishop Feehan, winning four of the five matches in straight sets. Nupur Shukla (first singles) and Valeria Barajas (second singles) each won 6-0, 6-0 and Charlie Martinez picked up a 6-1, 6-2 win at third singles. The team of Sophia Fein and Sachi Bhasin won 2-6, 6-2, 6-3 at first doubles while Jessie Tarnoff and Lauren Glass earned a 6-3, 6-2 win at second doubles.
Taunton, 5 vs. New Bedford, 0 – Final – Taunton fended off visiting New Bedford, winning all five matches in straight sets. Jillian Pagliuca (first singles) and Jocelyn Pagliuca (third singles) each won 6-0, 6-0 while McKenzie Lucie earned a 6-1, 6-4 decision at second singles. The team of Sam Martin and Brianna Fevrier picked up a 6-2, 7-5 win at first doubles with Ogechi Ariguzo and Kayla Parrett teaming up for a 6-0, 6-1 win at second doubles.
Boys Volleyball
King Philip, 3 vs. Norwood, 0 – Final – After nearly two weeks since their last game, King Philip returned to action with a 3-0 (25-18, 25-15, 25-13) sweep over Norwood. Cam Corey dished out 30 assists and had six digs, Kyle Desrochers added 13 service points (one ace), and six digs, and Max Armour chipped in with eight service points and four aces. Eric Altobello paced the offense with 11 kills and two digs, Jimmy Peterson added seven kills and a block, and Mike O’Brien finished with five kills.
Milford, 3 vs. Bellingham, 0 – Final – Milford’s Matt Dague had a team-high five kills while Gabe Brandao added four and the Hawks earned a 3-0 sweep (25-13, 25-4, 25-10) over Bellingham. Nuno Mestre dished out 13 assists in the win.
Taunton Uses Small Ball To Get Past Panthers
TAUNTON, Mass. – The Taunton softball team has been one of the most lethal and dangerous offenses in the state over the past couple of seasons, and with 165 runs scored this year, they are among the best again this year.
While the Tigers can certainly mash and string together hit after hit, one thing that Taunton is focusing on as the state tournament approaches is cashing in when the opportunity arises.
Taunton turned to small ball on Wednesday night at Jack Tripp Field, scoring the first three runs of the game via squeeze plays, earning a 5-0 win over Franklin in a battle of top teams in the Kelley-Rex.
The win avenges the Tigers’ lone loss, which was to the Panthers back in April, a loss that snapped the defending D1 State Champions’ 28-game win streak.
“It’s something that we’ve used in the past and it depends on the situation and the batters,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry of the small ball approach. “We haven’t been great at bunting this year but we’ve hit so well its kind of been hidden. But tournament time, you have to be able to bunt.”
Taunton scored once in the third inning on a squeeze play and then used back-to-back bunts in the fourth inning to bring in two more runs. Sophomore Kelsey White, who threw a complete game shutout with four hits allowed and eight strikeouts, smashed a two-run home run in the fifth inning for insurance runs.
“Tonight and the other night game against Feehan, a night game between two good teams, a playoff-like atmosphere,” Lewry said. “That’s why we try to have these games towards the end of the year because it helps come tournament time.
“That was a huge win, I thought both teams played very, very well. We have a tough schedule coming up so It’s a lot nicer to have a two-game lead gap than it is to be in a tie, that’s for sure.”
With first place in the Kelley-Rex division up for grabs, both teams had a bit of a nervous start. Franklin’s Ally Shea smacked a single to lead off and Anna Balkus dropped a bunt down to put the first two Panthers on base with no outs. White answered with back-to-back strikeouts and induced a grounder back to the circle for the third out and no damage done.
“We missed our opportunities against an outstanding team, they are a great team without a doubt,” said Franklin coach Kate Fallon-Comeau. We missed our chances, we had a good chance in the first inning getting the first two on, and you can’t do that against a team like that.”
Jaime Brown singled to open for the Tigers and moved to second on a wild pitch but Franklin starter Jackie Cherry (6IP, 7H, 3BB, 5K, 5ER) fanned the next two batters and got a fly ball to center to escape the first.
After a scoreless second, Brown led off the bottom of the third with a walk. Alexa White dropped down a sac bunt and Brown used heads’ up base running to scamper all the way to third. With an emphasis on bringing in the first run, Lewry elected to have sophomore Hanna Aldrich — who leads the league in home runs — drop down a bunt for a squeeze play and Brown sprinted home to make it 1-0.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had Hanna bunt, certainly not this year, I can’t remember before that,” Lewry said. “But you have to get that first run. Hanna is a good bunter too. Payton Cegarlski bunted a few games ago for us. It doesn’t matter who’s at the plate, you have a runner at third with one out or no outs, you have to get in that run.”
Ceglarski drilled a deep single to lead of the fourth and pinch runner Kylie Thorpe moved up to second on a sac bunt from Kelsey White. A wild pitch third strike put runners on the corners and Lewry again called for the squeeze. Eighth-grader Ava Venturelli laid the bunt down and Thorpe was able to score when the ball was mishandled at home.
On the next pitch, Abbie McDonough dropped another bunt and Paige Silvia came sprinting home to make it 3-0. The Tigers loaded the bases but Cherry got a fly ball to center and Balkus gunned a runner at home for a double play to prevent any more runs.
White retired eight straight before Franklin’s Maggie Hobby singled through the left side with two outs in the fifth. After Shea was hit by a pitch, the Panthers had runners on first and second but white got a ground ball to Brown at third for the third out.
In the bottom of the fifth, Aldrich had a leadoff single before Cherry retired the next two batters. After bunting in her previous at-bat, Kelsey White got a hold of a pitch this time and sent it over the center field fence for a two-run home run.
A two-base error was erased by Kelsey White on a fielder’s choice in the sixth, and then she retired the side in order in the seventh, getting the final two outs on strikes.
“Kelsey was amazing tonight, huh?” Lewry said. “She had everything going, the changeup was probably the best she’s had all year and she got a lot of kids with that nice change. She’s been struggling a little at the plate, I told her yesterday I was thinking about flexing for her and she told me she was ready. She got into that pitch though and hit it pretty darn good.”
Taunton softball (10-1 Hockomock, 14-1) takes sole possession of first place with a game in hand. The Tigers return to action on Saturday night against Attleboro at 7:00. Franklin (9-3, 10-4) returns home for a game against Oliver Ames on Friday afternoon.