Tag: Alfred Mucciarone

Taunton Uses Fast Start to Beat Franklin, Repeat as Champs

Taunton baseball
Taunton baseball celebrates its second straight D1 state championship after beating Hock rival Franklin. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


WORCESTER, Mass. – There are few secrets between league rivals. When Franklin and Taunton squared off at Polar Park on Sunday night for the Div. 1 state championship (a rematch of the 2022 title game), it was the third meeting of the year and sixth in the past two seasons. Both teams knew exactly what they were up against in the final.

Going up against Franklin ace Alfred Mucciarone, Taunton’s strategy was to be aggressive, not allowing the Hockomock MVP to get up in counts and to try and get on the board first. The strategy worked perfectly.

Taunton (21-4) took advantage of uncharacteristic defensive lapses from the Panthers, got clutch hitting from the top of the order, and scored six runs in the opening two innings to support a stellar pitching performance from sophomore Jonny Escobalez. It all came together in a 7-2 victory, a second straight D1 crown, and the program’s third title in the past four seasons.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“With Mucciarone, he’s the best pitcher in the state, we knew we were going to be aggressive,” said Taunton coach Blair Bourque. “If he could get ahead, we knew we’d be in trouble, so we were trying to be very aggressive, barrel balls up, get guys on, we were able to capitalize.”

“This is crazy, winning it two years in a row,” said senior Dawson Bryce. “It’s something very few people can do. We played how we always do throughout this season and even in this game, we stuck to what we know. That’s what you have to do in games like this.”

The Tigers wasted no time putting pressure on Franklin (23-4). Braden Sullivan led off the game by ripping a single to left. He was forced out on a grounder by Brayden Cali, but it set the tone. Bryce chased Ryan Gerety deep into center for the second out, but Ryan MacDougall dropped a base hit into shallow left and Cali was flying around the bases to come all the way home.

After Escobalez pitched around a Gerety single in the first, Taunton took control of the game in the second. Mucciarone had back-to-back throwing errors. The first allowed AJ Lewis to get to second base and the second, on a Dwayne Burgos bunt, brought Lewis in to score.

Mucciarone came back with a strikeout, but then walked Andrew Cali. A throwing error on a pickoff attempt moved two runners into scoring position. Sullivan came through again, his second hit in as many at bats would plate a pair. Brayden Cali followed with a single and Bryce shot a double right over the first base bag to bring in two more runs.

“Any time you play a team like Taunton, you can’t make mistakes against them and unfortunately we played our worst inning of the year in the second inning of a state title game,” said Franklin coach Zach Brown. “We made some uncharacteristic plays and that led to a crooked number and we were kind of chasing it the rest of the way.”

The five-spot that Taunton put up in the second gave Escobalez a six-run cushion with which to work, taking some of the edge off for the young pitcher. He allowed a one-out single to Luke Sidwell in the second but made a nice play to knockdown and stick with a Tyler Bellan line drive and got out of the inning.

“He’s been awesome,” Bryce said about Escobalez. “As soon as he came up to varsity, he’s been lights out. He’s been a great addition to the team and he’s going to be really dominant again next year.”

MacDougall added, “Today, you couldn’t keep him sitting down. He was amped all game, pitched amazing, the game of his life, and I don’t think you could throw a better game as a sophomore.”

Franklin got one back in the third. Rex Cinelli reached on an error. Escobalez came back with a strikeout and Sullivan atoned for his miscue with a nice charge of a slow bouncer and throw on the run. He nearly made an even better play to end the inning when he picked a hard hit ball by Eisig Chin up the middle, but the throw wasn’t handled and Cinelli came in to score.

Taunton tried to answer back, as Sullivan got his third hit of the day. With Austin Campbell in to relieve Mucciarone, Bellan made a great play after taking a while to find a pop up behind the plate. Sullivan tagged and went to second, but got caught in a rundown after leaving the bag.

Bryce followed with a double that one-hopped the wall in right and back-to-back walks loaded the bases. Campbell got a grounder to Sidwell at second to escape the jam.

“Those guys have been hitting well for the last couple games,” Bourque said about the top of his order. “They perform when the pressure is on and on the biggest stage, so those guys are clutch and that’s why they’re on top right now.”

In the fifth, the Tigers grabbed an insurance run. Burgos started it with a walk and Shawn Cali got a free pass right behind him. Campbell came back with a pair of strikeouts, but Brayden Cali made sure Taunton cashed in, ripping an RBI-double into the gap in left center.

Escobalez was in cruise control. He retired the side in order in the fourth and fifth innings. Henry DiGiorgio finally gave the Panthers a base runner with a one-out single in the sixth. A wild pitch moved him to second and Sidwell singled to center to drive in a run.

“A seven-inning game goes fast,” said Brown. “You have one bad inning and you’re behind the eight-ball. It’s extremely difficult. These guys have played tremendous baseball all year and more importantly they’re just tremendous young men.”

Things looks so comfortable for Escobalez, who came back out to close the game in the seventh. He struck out the first batter and then got fly balls to right and left, sealing an impressive win on the biggest stage and clinching another title for the Tigers.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Bourque was asked what the common thread has been through the three titles that the Tigers have won. He replied, “A lot of talent. I try to stay out of the way. Those guys are phenomenal players. They are able to do their thing and when the lights are the brightest they perform their best.”

Sullivan added, “We knew this year was going to be harder than last year. We knew we had what it took if we went in and did our job, we’d have a shot. We came out on top today, that’s all I can ask for. I couldn’t ask for anything more junior and senior year, winning the championship, it’s awesome.”

It was an extra special day for Bourque. Hours before leading the baseball team in a state championship, he was in Amherst to watch his daughter Bella, an eighth grader on the Taunton softball team, bring home the D1 title.

“I haven’t really let it sink in yet, but it’s super cool,” he reflected. “I’m going to remember this day for a long time. I told her at the beginning of the year, you just want to make varsity. Whatever happens, make varsity, be on that team because they were very talented, great coaching, they were going to go far. I didn’t know it was going to happen on the same day or on Fathers Day, but here we are and I couldn’t be happier.”

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/10/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Division 1
#9 Bridgewater-Raynham, 1 @ #1 Franklin, 2 – Final – Alfred Mucciarone was terrific in a complete game effort and the Panthers provided him enough offense to avenge a loss to B-R from earlier in the season with a 2-1 verdict, earning a spot in the Division 1 Final 4. Mucciarone fanned 11 batters while allowing one run on just four hits and two walks to get the win on the mound. Franklin broke the stalemate with the first run of the game in the third inning when junior Henry Digiorgio had a two-out single to bring home classmate Rex Cinelli, who had a leadoff single to start the frame. The Panthers pushed across the winning run two innings later in the bottom of the fifth when Jase Lyons (fielder’s choice) came home after Digiorgio put it in play and reached on an infield error. Mucciarone retired the side in order in the top of the seventh, including a pair of strikeouts. #1 Franklin will play the winner of #4 Central Catholic and #21 Methuen in a Division 1 state semifinal game on a date and time to be announced.

#7 BC High, 2 @ #2 Taunton, 3 – Final – Taunton erased an early two-run deficit, scoring three unanswered including the go-ahead run in the fourth inning to secure a spot in the state semifinals with a win over visiting BC High. The Eagles scored once in the first and again in the top of the third to stake a 2-0 lead but it didn’t last long as Taunton plated a pair in the bottom of the third to tie the game. Shawn Cali (walk), Andrew Cali (single), and Braden Sullivan (single) all reached to load the bases for Taunton, and junior Brayden Cali put the ball in play and reached on an error that allowed two runs to come home to tie the game. An inning later, AJ Lewis led off with a triple and came home to score on a sac fly from Shawn Cali to put the Tigers ahead. Sophomore Johnny Escobalez earned the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on three hits, two walks, and struck out five in five innings of work. Brady Morin tossed a scoreless inning in relief and Ryan MacDougall earned the save, working around a two-out walk and a hit by pitch to get the final out. #2 Taunton will play the winner of #3 Westford Academy and #6 St. John’s Shrewsbury in a Division 1 state semifinal game on a date and time to be announced.

Division 2
#6 Westwood, 0 @ #3 King Philip, 1 – Final – King Philip senior Brendan Sencaj launched a deep double to center field in the bottom of the seventh to plate freshman Johnny Prater to deliver the Warriors a dramatic walk-off win over Westwood, 1-0. Prater earned a one-out walk and moved to second on a single to right from junior Max Robison. Sencaj sent a 2-0 pitch over the head of the center fielder to score the winning — and only — run of the game to book a spot in the Division 2 state semifinal. Rudy Gately delivered an outstanding pitching performance to silence the Wolverine’s offense, scattering five hits and two walks, striking out three in six scoreless innings of work. Tommy Martorano tossed a scoreless seventh inning with one strikeout. Sencaj, Matt Kelley, and Aiden Astorino each had two hits on the day. #3 King Philip will play #10 St. Mary’s in a Division 2 state semifinal game on a date and time to be announced.

#15 Mansfield, 3 @ #10 St. Mary’s, 4 – Final

Division 3
#6 Foxboro, 2 @ #3 Bishop Stang, 8 – Final

Softball
Division 1
#11 Woburn, 0 @ #3 Taunton, 12 – Final – Taunton’s offense might have been quiet for the first two innings, but the Tigers roared to life in the next four to score a convincing win over #11 Woburn. The Tigers went down in order in the first two innings but a leadoff home run from senior Mia Fernandes in the bottom of the third inning ignited an offensive onslaught the rest of the way. Taunton pushed five runs across in the inning and then four more in the bottom of the fifth on a grand slam from sophomore Brooke Aldrich, scoring Ava Venturelli, Kaysie DeMoura, and Hayley Krockta, who all walked to load the bases. Eighth grader Bella Bourque smashed a two-run homer in the sixth and DeMoura had an RBI single in the inning to cap the scoring. In the circle, junior Sam Lincoln took care of business with 11 strikeouts, allowing only two hits and one walk in six scoreless innings while Cate Larson tossed a scoreless seventh with a pair of strikeouts. #3 Taunton will play the winner of #2 King Philip and #7 Bishop Feehan in a Division 1 state semifinal game on a date and time to be announced.

Boys Lacrosse
Division 1
#5 Hingham, 9 @ #4 Franklin, 6 – Final

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 06/05/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Division 1
#32 Lexington, 1 @ #1 Franklin, 5 – Final – Franklin jumped out to an early lead and Alfred Mucciarone took care of the rest as the Panthers started their postseason run with a win over Lexington. The Panthers plated a pair in the bottom of the first inning and tacked on three more in the second inning. Mucciarone allowed just one unearned run on five hits and two walks, striking out 10 in a complete game effort for the win. A two-out walk from Eisig Chin sparked the hosts in the first inning; Chin stole second and came home to score after a single from junior Henry Digiorgio, who made it all the way to third after an error. Ben Jarosz followed with a base hit of his own to bring Digiorgio home for an early 2-0 lead. After Mucciarone retired the side in order in the top of the second, Franklin cashed in with two outs once again in the bottom half. Rex Cinelli singled and Ryan Gerety singled, and after a wild pitch and a stolen base helped moved the runners along, Jase Lyons delivered a clutch hit with a two-run single. Chin was hit by a pitch, Digiorgio singled to load the bases, and Jarosz brought another run in with a walk. Top-seeded Franklin will host #17 Walpole on Wednesday at 7:00.

#31 Durfee, 4 @ #2 Taunton, 9 – Final – A five-run second inning helped the Tigers establish an early advantage and Taunton went on to earn its third win over the Hilltoppers this season. Dwayne Burgo smacked a two-out, two-run single to center to hand Taunton a 2-0 lead after an inning, and after sophomore Johnny Escobalez worked around a two-out single in the top of the second, the Tigers erupted for five runs in the bottom half. Braden Sullivan tripled in Andrew Cali (leadoff single) and then came home to score on Brayden Cali’s sacrifice fly to make it 4-0. Ryan MacDougall kept the inning alive with a two-out single, AJ Lewis followed with a walk, and courtesy runner Jared Spencer came home to score on another RBI single from Burgo. Sean Murphy was hit by a pitch to load the bases and Shawn Cali was also hit, bringing a run home. A passed ball brought Burgo home to make it 7-0. Escobalez pitched well in a no decision, allowing two runs on five hits and two walks, striking out six in 3.1 innings of work. Brady Morin earned the win in relief, allowing one run on five hits in 2.2 innings, striking out one. #2 Taunton will host the winner of #15 Natick and #18 Springfield Central.

#22 Beverly, 0 @ #11 Milford, 2 – Final – Milford senior Evan Cornelius dazzled on the mound, leading the Scarlet Hawks to a shutout win over visiting Beverly. Cornelius was close to untouchable on the night as he allowed just one hit — a one-out single in the second that was erased at second — and didn’t issue a walk, striking out 13 for the win. The Hawks cashed in for two runs in the first inning and that was all the run support Cornelius needed. Damien Carter had a one-out walk and scored on a big double from Keith Lee. After Beverly got the second out, Louis Consigli came through with a clutch hit to right to bring Lee home to make it it 2-0. #11 Milford will travel to #6 St. John’s Shrewsbury on Wednesday at 4:00.

Division 2
#35 Agawam, 1 @ #3 King Philip, 12 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

#18 Westboro, 3 @ #15 Mansfield, 4 – Final – Junior Drew Urban delivered the big hit in the sixth inning as the Hornets secured a close win over upset-minded Westboro. Mansfield jumped ahead 3-0 with a big fifth inning but the momentum didn’t last as the visiting Rangers rallied for three runs in the top of the sixth to tie the game. In the bottom of the sixth, senior Will Lund kept the inning alive with a two-out walk and then came scampering home when Urban launched a double deep to left field to make it 4-3. Connor Curtis (7 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 5 K) worked around a leadoff walk in the top of the seventh to get three straight outs to close the game out. Lund and Urban helped ignite Mansfield’s big fifth inning as Lund had a one-out walk and Urban doubled. Aiden Jones drove in the first run of the game with a single up the middle, Jake Maydak scored courtesy runner Kyle Marnikovic after reaching on an error, and Sam Martin made it 3-0 with a two-out single to left to bring Conner Zukowski home. #15 Mansfield will travel to #2 Leominster on Wednesday at 6:30 at Doyle Field.

#19 North Attleboro, 2 @ #14 Duxbury, 1 – Final – North Attleboro’s Jordan Paradis and Dillon Harding combined to deliver a strong pitching performance as the Rocketeers landed an upset on the road against Duxbury. Paradis allowed one run on just two hits, walking five and striking out six in five solid innings to earn the win while Harding tossed two shutout innings in relief, issuing just two walks with no hits against. Offensively, North scored once in the third and once in the fourth; the Dragons’ lone run came in the bottom of the fourth. Paradis got it done on the offensive end as well, smacking a solo home run to right field in the third to hand North the lead. In the fourth, Jack Munley and Chris Hanewich had back-to-back singles and Nate Kelly walked to load the bases. Reed Collins grounded into a fielder’s choice with the force out at second but Munley came home to score to make it 2-0. Duxbury put the tying run on with a two-out walk in the seventh but Harding induced a grounder to Zach Corsetti at short for the final out. #19 North Attleboro returns to familiar territory as they will travel to Wrentham to take on Hock rival #3 King Philip on Wednesday at 3:45.

Division 3
#38 Watertown, 0 @ #6 Foxboro, 1 – Final – Foxboro’s first inning run proved to be enough for the Warriors in a tight 1-0 win over visiting Watertown. Tyler Prescott led off the bottom of the first with a walk and made his way to third after a pair of outs from the Warriors. That set the stage for sophomore Ryan O’Leary, who delivered the biggest hit of the game with an RBI single to center. O’Leary took care of business from there as he allowed just four hits, walking one with five strikeouts in five scoreless innings on the mound. Senior Sean O’Leary came in and tossed a scoreless seventh inning for the save, working around a one-out single with back-to-back strikeouts to end it. #6 Foxboro will host #22 Archbishop Williams on a date and time to be announced.








Softball
Division 1
#35 Wellesley, 1 @ #3 Taunton, 13 – Final (5 Inn.) – Taunton started its playoff run with a bang, earning a mercy-rule win over visiting Wellesley. The Tigers scored three runs in the first, four more in the second inning, five more times in the fourth, and plated one in the fifth. Mia Torres led the offensive charge as she went 3-for-3 with two RBI and a run, Bella Bourque (2 RBI, 2 runs) and Morgan Fitzgerald (RBI, run) each added two hits, and Ava Venturelli drove in a pair and scored twice for Taunton. Sam Lincoln was strong once again in the circle, allowing one unearned run on two hits and no walks, striking out 12 in five innings. #3 Taunton will host Hock rival #19 Franklin, who upset Westford Academy, on Wednesday at 7:00.

#19 Franklin, 12 @ #14 Westford Academy, 2 – Final – A six-run second inning set the tone as Franklin upset Westford Academy in convincing fashion with a 12-2 win. The Panthers had five of their 17 hits in the second inning, resulting in an early 6-0 lead over the Grey Ghosts. Reece Allen (double) and Katy Liberman (error) both came to score on a one-out double from Dana Stott, who came home to score on an RBI from Avery Chalk. Sarah Boozang delivered a big two-out single to bring another run home and Carly Johnson-Pellegri followed with a two-run home run to center to stake a 6-0 lead. Westford Academy got on the board with a run in the bottom half, and tacked on another in the third, but Franklin scored once in the fourth, pulled away with four runs in the fifth, and tacked on another insurance run in the fifth. Boozang finished 4-for-5 with three RBI and a run, Kiera Kotwicki (two runs) and Chalk (four RBI, run) each chipped in with three hits, and Allen (two doubles) and Stott (two RBI, two runs) each had two hits. Kotwicki allowed two runs (one earned) in the start, scattering six hits and one walk, striking out three in three innings. Sophia Sacramone closed the door with four scoreless innings in relief, allowing three hits and no walks while fanning five batters. #19 Franklin takes on a familiar foe in the next round as the Panthers will travel to #3 Taunton on Wednesday at 7:00.

#28 Milford @ #5 Peabody – Postponed to Tuesday, 6/6 at 5:00.

Division 2
#28 Norwood, 0 @ #5 North Attleboro, 5 – Final– Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

#30 Stoughton, 1 @ #3 Tewksbury, 9 – Final




Boys Lacrosse
Division 1
#29 Methuen, 0 @ #4 Franklin, 20 – Final – Franklin came out flying in its playoff opening, finding the back of the net 13 times in the first quarter on its way to a convincing win over Methuen. Tyler Sacchetti had three goals and three assists in the Panthers’ big first period while Luke Davis scored a hat trick. Jayden Consigli (one assist) and junior Dylan McEvoy (three assists) each chipped in with a pair of goals for Franklin. #4 Franklin will host the winner of #13 Needham and #20 Natick, who are playing on Tuesday, on Thursday at 6:00.

Division 2
#24 Whitman-Hanson, 6 @ #9 Mansfield, 19 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

#27 Oliver Ames, 5 @ #6 Scituate, 17 – Final – Oliver Ames kept it close in the first half and trailed by just three at the break but the hosts pulled away with a strong second half. Ben Reardon had a hat trick for the Tigers while Shaun Teehan and Victor Romeiro each scored once.

#20 Canton, 7 @ #13 Plymouth South, 9 – Final

#17 Tantasqua, 8 @ #16 Sharon, 11 – Final

#19 North Attleboro, 10 @ #14 Westwood, 18 – Final

Division 3
#19 Holliston, 4 @ #14 Foxboro, 12 – Final – Foxboro picked up where it left off, finishing off a game started last week and landing a 12-4 win over visiting Holliston. Jon Sachetti led the charge offensively with four goals and one assist, Tony Sulham netted a hat trick, Conor Noone added three points with two goals and one helper, and freshman Cam Deleskey found the back of the net once. Adam Addeche made eight saves in the win. #14 Foxboro will travel to #3 Newburyport on Tuesday at 5:00.




Girls Lacrosse
Division 1
#18 King Philip, 6 @ #15 North Andover, 11 – Final – King Philip’s tournament run was cut short as the Warriors fell on the road to North Andover. Makenzie McDevitt, Nikki McDonald, and Abby MacDonald each scored twice while Kelly Holmes played well on the draw and registered two assists for KP. Senior Ilah Weiblen had a strong game on defense and Emily Campbell played well in net.

Division 2
#28 Oliver Ames, 8 @ #5 Leominster, 18 – Final
#18 Canton, 5 @ #15 Billerica, 14 – Final

Boys Tennis
Division 2
#22 Nauset @ #6 Sharon – Postponed to Wednesday, 6/7 at 3:45.
#13 Mansfield, 0 @ #4 Hingham, 5 – Final

Division 3
#14 Foxboro @ #3 Dover-Sherborn – Postponed to Tuesday, 6/6 at 3:00.

Girls Tennis
Division 3
#18 Wilmington @ #15 Foxboro – Postponed to Tuesday, 6/6 at 3:00 at the Woburn Racquet Club.

Saturday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/27/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 4 vs. Melrose, 2 – Final – Attleboro put the finish touches on the regular season with a 4-2 decision over visiting Melrose. Sean O’Hara tossed a complete game for the win, allowing only two runs (one earned) on five hits and one walk, striking out four. Cooper Johnson had a big day offensively for the Bombardiers as he went 3-for-3 with an RBI double in the first and scored on a wild pitch in the fifth. Casey Victorio scored two runs for the hosts, Owen Lombardo had a hit and an RBI, and Peter DelPozzo scored one run and had two walks.

Franklin, 4 vs. Natick, 5 – Final – Jase Lyons had another big day at the dish for Franklin but the Panthers suffered their second straight setback after allowing four unearned runs to Natick. Lyons went 2-for-3 with two RBI and two runs scored. Ryan Gerety (run), Ben Jarosz (RBI), and Rex Cinelli also had a hit apiece for Franklin. Alfred Mucciarone was not part of the decision after scattering five hits and four walks, allowing four runs (just one earned) while striking out 10 in 6 innings.

Softball
King Philip, 5 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 6 – Final (8 inn.) – King Philip took the lead in extras on a solo home run from Sarah Cullen but the host Trojans rallied in the bottom half to walk off with win. KP built an early lead as Maddie Paschke drove in two in the top of the first and Ali Gill doubled in a run in the top of the second to make it 3-0. After B-R cut the deficit to one, Libby Walsh scampered home after a fielder’s choice to make it 4-2. B-R tied the game in the sixth and could have taken the lead but Charlotte Raymond saved multiple runs with a terrific sliding catch in left. The Warriors left nine runners on base in the loss.

Canton @ Cardinal Spellman, 10:00AM

Boys Lacrosse
North Attleboro, 8 @ Catholic Memorial, 10 – Final

Thursday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/18/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Canton, 0 @ Foxboro, 8 – Final – Sophomore Ryan O’Leary went the distance, striking out 10 and scattering six hits, to pick up his first career win and keep the Warriors even with Mansfield in the win column atop the Davenport division. The game was scoreless to the bottom of the third when Foxboro exploded for seven runs. The Warriors tacked on one more in the sixth. Ryan Leclair sparked the offense with two hits, two runs scored, two RBI, and two stolen bases. Ben Angelini also drove in a pair of runs and scored once. Sean O’Leary had a double and scored and Mike Marcucella added a hit. For Canton, Matt Hart was 2-for-2, while Owen Lane, Matt Chafin, and Hayden Rose added hits.

Franklin, 4 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final (10 Inn.) – Ben Jarosz had a leadoff single in the top of the 10th inning and eventually came around to score as the Panthers fended off an upset bid from the host Bombardiers. Pinch runner Evan Cournoyer advanced to second after an infield error and went to third on a sacrifice from Ethan DePaolo. Cournoyer beat the throw home on a grounder from Rex Cinelli for the go-ahead run. Attleboro put the tying run on twice in the bottom half, but the first was picked off and the second was stranded at first. Jake Shaughnessy (2.2 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 5 K), Dillon Cashin (2.2 IP, W, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 K), and Alfred Mucciarone (1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB) all pitched well in relief for the Panthers. Sean O’Hara (5 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 BB, 4 K) and Danny Johnson (5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 2 K) both pitched well for Attleboro. Luke Sidwell had two hits and Tyler Bellan had two RBI for Franklin while Ryan Landry went 3-for-5 and Cooper Johnson went 2-for-4 with two RBI and a run for the Bombardiers.

King Philip, 3 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – Sophomore Cameron Hasenfus tossed a gem for King Philip, hurling a one-hitter complete game to lift the Warriors over North Attleboro. Hasenfus allowed a leadoff walk and a one-out single both in the seventh inning while striking out five in the win. KP held a 1-0 lead through the first six innings after an RBI single from Brendan Sencaj in the third inning, but pushed across two key insurance runs in the seventh. Tommy Martorano (single) scored on a squeeze bunt from Hasenfus, and Rudy Gately (single) scored on a sac fly from Max Robison. Dillon Harding was also strong on the mound, allowing three runs on eight hits and no walks, striking out two in a complete game for the Rocketeers.

Mansfield, 16 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – Stoughton staked a 4-1 lead through five innings but Mansfield’s offense exploded for 15 runs in the final two innings to earn a big win. Jeriel Cuello drove in Sean Farley with a single and then scored on a passed ball, and pinch runner Joey McEachern (in for Hunter Malkin, who doubled) came home to score as well to hand Stoughton a 3-1 lead. The Black Knights extended the lead to 4-1 on an RBI from Dom Belle in the fifth inning. The Hornets offense was buzzing in the final two innings, scoring six in the sixth inning and nine more in the seventh. Drew Urban went 2-for-2 with a double, four RBI, and two runs scored, Anthony Saraiva also had two hits, including a double, an RBI, and two runs scored, Jake Maydak went 2-for-5 with four RBI and a run, and Sam Martin was 2-for-4 with two runs scored. Malkin pitched well for Stoughton, allowing six runs (none earned) on five hits and two walks, striking out seven in 5.1 innings.

Milford, 2 @ Taunton, 9 – Final – Milford put host Taunton on upset alert when it took the lead in the top of the fourth but the Tigers scored eight unanswered runs in the next three innings to get the win. Back-to-back two-out RBIs from Sean McGee and Joe Butler gave Milford a 2-1 lead in the top of the third inning. Taunton bounced back with two runs in the bottom half on a two-run single from Caden Lindskog and never looked back from there. Sean Murphy had an RBI triple, AJ Lewis followed with an RBI single, and Lindskog singled in another run as Taunton extended its lead to 6-2. Brayden Cali and Ryan MacDougall each tacked on an RBI in the sixth while Jared Spencer scored on a wild pitch. Jack Cali was strong in his return to the mound, allowing one run on three hits, one walk, and three strikeouts in 3.2 innings while Brady Morin (2.1 IP) earned the win in relief, striking out two with one run allowed on four hits and no walks. Charles Rabel and David DaSilva combined for a shutout inning in relief.

Sharon, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 17 – Final (5 Inn.) – Oliver Ames pushed across seven runs in the first inning and never looked back in its second straight big win. Jack Perron had a team-high three hits along with a pair of RBI and three runs scored while Ryan Lemay (RBI, run), Patrick Finnerty (RBI, run), Drew Hall (RBI, run), and Andrew Zagami (RBI, three runs) each had two hits for the Tigers. Finnerty earned the win on the mound, scattering four hits in four innings, walking a pair with two strikeouts and two earned runs allowed. Ian Kelly tossed a scoreless inning in relief with three strikeouts and two walks. Palash Raina had a pair of hits (single, triple), an RBI, and a run for Sharon.








Softball
Attleboro, 13 @ Franklin, 8 – Final

Foxboro, 14 @ Canton, 2 – Final

North Attleboro, 0 @ King Philip, 12 – Final (5 Inn.) –

Stoughton, 1 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Mansfield scored a pair in the fourth and one more in the fifth while Dani Jameson was strong in the circle to score a win over Stoughton. Consecutive singles from Molly Kucharski, Jill Koppy, Avery Lake (RBI) and Jameson (RBI) resulted in a 2-0 lead for the Hornets, who added another run in the fifth after a fielder’s choice from Liv Madeira. Jameson allowed four hits and struck out seven in the win.

Taunton, 9 @ Milford, 2 – Final – Milford kept pace with the visiting Tigers through five innings, trailing just 4-2, but Taunton plated five runs in the final two innings to pull away for the win. Bella Bourque had another outstanding day at the dish, going 3-for-4 with a double and two triples, driving in three runs and scoring once. Kaysie DeMoura also had three hits, two RBI, and a run for the Tigers. Hayley Krockta launched a two-run homer in the seventh to help Taunton put the game away. Cae Pellegrini had a solo home run for Milford in the third to cut the deficit to 2-1 while Camille Bonina had a two-out single in the fifth to make it 4-2.

Oliver Ames, 10 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. – Oliver Ames clubbed out six doubles and scored nine runs in the first three innings to take a win over Sharon. Katie Melendy (two RBI) and Crystyliah Covel (RBI, three runs) each had two doubles while Devon Morris (3-for-5, three RBI, two runs) and Paige Taylor (RBI, run) each had one. Sophomore Emily Martin went 2-for-4 with two runs for the Tigers. Ally Foulsham had five strikeouts and Manasa Josyula struck out six for the Eagles. Natalie David, Kendra Kodira, and Manasa each had an RBI for Sharon.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro @ Taunton, 3:45

Oliver Ames, 6 vs. Boston Latin, 8 – Final – Ben Reardon scored four goals while Ryan Jaco and Alex McAndrew each found the back of the net once for the Tigers. Noah Isleib was strong in the cage, making 14 saves for OA.

Sharon, 7 @ Holliston, 6 – Final




Girls Lacrosse
Taunton, 5 @ Attleboro, 17 – Final – Eight different Bombardiers found the back of the net in a well-balanced attack and a win over visiting Taunton. Junior Molly Moore (three assists) and freshman Amelia Collins (one assist) led the charge with four goals apiece, senior Jordan Mooney, junior Addison Papagolos, and freshman Makenah Stokes each added a pair of goals, and sophomore Ryann Mooney, sophomore Isabella Cavallini, and freshman Abigail Titmas each chipped in with one. Cali Melo had four goals and one assist for Taunton while Raquel Azevedo added one goal. Mel Jesus made 19 saves in net for the Tigers.

Foxboro, 13 vs. Holliston, 7 – Final – Foxboro notched another impressive non-league win, this time rolling past visiting Holliston. Paige Curran picked up right where she left off from yesterday, potting four goals and three assists to lead the offensive charge while Val Beigel netted a hat trick. Cate Noone (two assists) and Mary Collins (two goals, one assist) both added a pair of goals, and Mya Waryas (three assists) and Grace Riley each chipped in with one goal apiece. Audrey Campbell turned away eight shots in net for the Warriors.

Oliver Ames, 14 @ Ursuline Academy, 17 – Final

Stoughton @ Hull – Postponed to TBD.

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – The Bombardiers landed a sweep in singles action and added one more in doubles to take down host Franklin. Kyle Neuendorf prevailed from a tough battle at first singles with a 6-3, 1-6, 6-3 win, Tyler Rocchio took a win in straight sets at second singles (6-3, 6-3), and Shashank Shridhar emerged from third singles with a 6-3, 7-6 (5) win. Attleboro’s first doubles team of Luke Hinton and Brody Rosen took a 6-3, 6-0 win. Franklin’s second doubles team of Andrew Amante and Aaron Ramaswamy picked up a 6-2, 7-6 (5) victory.

Foxboro, 3 @ Canton, 2 – Final – Foxboro’s first doubles team of Evan Paluzzi and Ryan Fossella emerged from a hard-fought match with a three-set victory to clinch the win for the Warriors. After splitting the first two sets, Paluzzi and Fossella clamped down a 6-4, 3-6, 6-3 win. Foxboro also got wins at second doubles and third singles (Luca Meyer, 6-1, 6-1). Canton’s Max Kupferman earned a 6-1, 6-3 win while Bharata Ramanathan came out on top in a well-played second singles match (7-5, 6-3).

North Attleboro, 2 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip’s second doubles team of Leo Manning and Logan Riley rallied from a one-set deficit to take a win, clinching a 3-2 victory for the Warriors. Manning and Riley overcame a loss in the first set for a 4-6, 6-4, 6-2 win, Arjun Kollu added a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second singles, and freshman Luke Bailer landed a 6-4, 6-3 third singles win. North’s Brody Carter picked up a 6-3, 6-3 win at first singles while the team of Brody Gaulin and Carson Dameron prevailed from first doubles with a 6-1, 5-7, 6-1 victory.

Stoughton, 1 @ Mansfield, 4 – Final – Mansfield bounced back from a tough loss to Sharon by earning the season sweep of Stoughton. The Hornets swept the three singles matches, loing only two games in the process. Iniyan Karruppusami won his match at first singles 6-0, 6-0 and Nikhil Nain and Jesse Colchamiro each won 6-0, 6-1. The doubles team of Justin Lim and Liam Lasbury-Casey won their match 6-1, 6-2. Stoughton got its lone point in doubles, as the team of Hadid Khond and Anthony Maylock won 6-3, 6-4.

Taunton, 2 @ Milford, 3 – Final – Behind two singles wins and one more at doubles, Milford notched a 3-2 win over Taunton a match played in pro sets. Senior Tyler Andreotti (10-5) and sophomore Corey Rattray (10-4) had wins at first and third singles, respectively, for the Hawks while the team of sophomores Todd Ostertog and Luke Fabry (10-6) added a second doubles win. Taunton’s Martin Frankinet landed a 10-3 second singles win while Derek Desseault and Collin Lofgren rolled to a 10-0 win at first doubles.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon took all five matches in straight sets to fend off visiting Oliver Ames. Jacob Slavsky lost just one game in a 6-1, 6-0 first singles win, Matthew Lally added a 6-1, 6-3 second singles win, and Alex Budovalcev completed the singles sweep with a 6-1, 6-2 victory at third singles. Sava Kassev and Joey Zwicker were victorious at first doubles (6-1, 6-1) while the Eagles’ second doubles team of Henry Chen and Andrew Xin landed a 6-3, 6-4 win.




Girls Tennis
Franklin, 3 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – The Panthers picked up wins at second singles, third singles, and first doubles to edge host Attleboro. Junior Chloe Essam had a strong showing at second singles (6-0, 6-2) while junior Brooke Taylor only dropped one game at third singles (6-1, 6-0). Sophomores Brooke Daniels and Sydney Tolonen continued their impressive campaign at first doubles with a comeback win, 4-6, 6-3, 6-2. Attleboro junior Maddie Fuscaldo recorded a 6-4, 6-2 win at first singles and the second doubles tandem of Julia Leonardo and Bree Paulette notched a 6-4, 7-6 (9) victory.

Canton, 1 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Foxboro found wins at first and second singles as well as both doubles matches to take down visiting Canton. Hailey Kornbluth (6-3, 6-0) and Makayla Peck (6-1, 6-1) won at singles for the Warriors, Analisa Tia and Audrey Paulino (6-2, 6-0) notched a first doubles win, and Emily Stow and Katelynn Dineen (6-1, 6-4) prevailed at second doubles for Foxboro. Canton’s Katherine Powers rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 win at third singles.

King Philip, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – A singles sweep, highlighted by a comeback at second singles, lifted North Attleboro to a 3-2 win over visiting King Philip. Sophomore Megan Atwood bounced back from dropping the first set to secure a 4-6, 7-5, 6-3 win at second doubles in a three-hour long match to clinch the win. Junior Lauren Hunt (6-4, 6-1) and senior Grace Noreck (6-0, 6-1) won at first and third singles, respectively, for North. KP won both doubles matches with Priya Riar and Carlie Burns taking a 6-4, 6-3 decision at first doubles, and Lauren Casper and Jaelyn Dang securing a second doubles win.

Mansfield, 3 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Mansfield earned its second win of the season and spit the series with Stoughton. Caroline Guravage got an important point for the Hornets at third singles, winning 6-2, 6-1. Mansfield sealed the win by sweeping doubles. Jillian Hanley and Savannah Carey won 6-1, 6-3 and Rachel Goldman and Anushka Srivastava won 6-4, 6-0. Stoughton won at first and second singles. Ally Lada took her match 6-1, 6-1 and Nadia Prokopiuk won 6-3, 6-3.

Milford, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton earned a clean sweep, taking all five matches in pro sets due to time constraints. Brooke Bell (8-5), Ava Alves (8-3), and Morgan Smith (8-3) all won in singles action, while the team of Janelle Garcia and Courtney Martin (8-3), and the duo of Caroline Pietnik and Sam Parrett (9-8 (8-6)) swept doubles play.

Sharon, 4 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – Behind a pair of wins from both singles and doubles action, Sharon returned from Easton with a 4-1 win over Oliver Ames. Navya Shukla (6-1, 6-1) and Ale Aguilar (6-1, 6-0) had impressive wins at second and third singles, respectively for the Eagles. The team of Jenny Sand and Olivia Landstein earned a straight set win (6-1, 6-2) at first doubles, while the team of Grace Zhang and Zeina Cheima prevailed in a super tiebreaker (4-6, 6-2, 10-8) at second doubles. OA’s Hannah Farber played well in a 7-5, 6-3 win at first singles.

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 0 @ Milford, 3 – Final

Franklin Clinches Kelley-Rex With Win Over Taunton

Alfred Mucciarone Franklin baseball
Franklin senior Alfred Mucciarone celebrates after recording his 10th strikeout to seal the win over Taunton. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 FRANKLIN, Mass. — The Hockomock League runs through Franklin — again.

The Panthers clinched their fourth straight Kelley-Rex crown with a 7-4 verdict over rival Taunton, sweeping the season series against the Tigers and staying undefeated at 15-0.

The bottom of Franklin’s lineup spearheaded a six-run second inning and senior right-hander Alfred Mucciarone struck out 10 — his fifth double-digit strikeout performance in six starts — in a complete game effort.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

“It’s a balancing act,” said Franklin head coach Zach Brown of dealing with all of the storylines surrounding the matchup with the Tigers, including a second rematch of last year’s Division 1 state championship. “Sometimes when you have all this motivation it can work against you in baseball. We have to trust our leadership and when you have these veterans, who are saying all the right things, it makes it easier.”

After leaving the bases loaded in the first, Franklin’s big offensive inning came an inning later. Senior and seven hitter Ethan DePaolo found a hole in the left side for a leadoff single and senior Luke Sidwell battled back after falling behind 0-2 to leg out an infield single. Senior Ryan Carlucci, inserted into the lineup at first base due to an injury, smoked the second pitch he saw to the base of the center field fence to plate the first run of the game.

“It just lengthens us,” Brown said of the production from the bottom of the lineup. “We were playing today without Benny Jarosz, and Ryan Carlucci comes up and has that big double, and he was really good the other day against King Philip too. The bottom part of our lineup has been really productive and they’re relentless with their at-bats. They go down two strikes and they battle away, extending at-bats, seeing more pitches. Sometimes they will go down but what they’ve done is made it easier for the next guys coming up. It’s a team approach to offense and those guys have really developed their own identity. We can do a lot of different things with them and they now know what we’re looking for from them and how they can be effective out there.

“The bottom part of our order is relentless and they got us going there. That gave our more veteran guys an opportunity with runners in scoring position. They’ve worked really hard, great attention to detail, and to see it pay off in games is rewarding.”

That set the stage for the heart of the lineup as leadoff hitter Ryan Gerety (Northeastern) ripped an opposite field double to bring in two. After a single from Jase Lyons, senior Eisig Chin (Stonehill) had a line drive to right — Franklin’s sixth straight hit — for another run. A balk brought a run home and junior Henry Digiorgio (Northeastern) had an RBI groundout to extend the lead to 6-0.

Franklin had only allowed a total of eight runs in its first 14 games so the big second inning certainly put the Panthers in prime position.

But Taunton answered quickly and kept it close the rest of the way. Junior Andrew Cali and senior braden Sullivan had back-to-back one-out singles before Mucciarone got the second out with a strikeout. Senior Dawson Bryce, who will be joining a slew of former Panthers next year at Merrimack, delivered the big hit as he smacked a three-run homer over the left field fence to make it 6-3.

The bottom half of Franklin’s lineup delivered again as Sidwell, the eight hitter, turned a routine base hit into a double with his speed in the bottom of the third. A groundout from Carlucci moved the runner to third and Sidwell came flying home on a wild pitch to give the Panthers another insurance run.

“All year, we’ve been able to limit damage but we knew coming in we wouldn’t be able to afford too many mistakes,” said Taunton head coach Blair Bourque.
“They made us pay the price and we have to do a better job of limiting it. Dawson’s swing got us back in it and we got a little momentum there but Mucciarone is the best pitcher in the state for a reason. We knew it’d be a dogfight and we’d have to be at our best but we weren’t good enough.”

Mucciarone didn’t have much trouble the rest of the way, retiring the side in order in the fourth (two strikeouts), working around a two-out walk to Ryan MacDougall in the sixth, and sat the Tigers down in order in the seventh, punctuated with his 10th strikeout.

Taunton was able to pull one back in the fifth when Cali reached on an error, stole second, took third on a throwing error, and came home to score on Sullivan’s groundout.

“He’s just a special competitor,” Brown said of Mucciarone, who improved to 6-0 on the year with 62 strikeouts. “He’s everything you’d want in an ace: he’s got great stuff, he has tremendous ability, but more importantly are all his intangibles. He’s a tremendous competitor, a great leader for our younger pitchers, and he does so much on a daily basis in our dugout. We’re thankful we have him, he can make you look like a good coach.”

As the Tigers battle some injuries to their rotation, they did get some positive innings from both MacDougall, who was making just his second appearance on the mound, and Bryce, who made his fourth relief appearance of the year.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

MacDougall allowed one hit and two walks, striking out two in two scoreless innings while Bryce had two strikeouts while pitching a shutout sixth inning.

“With Jack [Cali] and Shawn [Cali] injured, we’ve kind of had to rely on some other guys,” Bourque said. “We weren’t anticipating having to use Ryan too much on the mound but we’ve had to start to have him throw some bullpens. Dawson’s been able to come in all year, and we’re being cautious with his arm, and his stuff is electric but we can’t use him much more.”

Franklin baseball (13-0 Hockomock, 15-0 overall) is back home on Tuesday evening to take on the Rocketeers of North Attleboro at 7:00. Taunton (9-4, 11-4) has a non-league matchup at Plymouth North on Monday.

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/25/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Franklin, 5 @ North Attleboro, 1 – Final – A strong start offensively and another stellar start from senior Alfred Mucciarone helped the Panthers land a key win over division rival North Attleboro. Franklin wasted little time as it pushed a pair of runs across the plate in the first and another run in the second handed the visitors an early 3-0 lead. A two-run fifth inning extended the lead; North Attleboro got on the board with a run in the bottom of the sixth. Mucciarone threw six innings, scattering five hits (and no walks) for one run, striking out 12, and Dillon Cashin struck out two in a scoreless inning in relief. Ben Jarosz was hit by a pitch with the bases loaded and Tyler Bellan hit a sac fly to give Franklin its 2-0 lead, and a sacrifice fly from Jase Lyons in the second made it 3-0. Bellan added a two-run, two-out single in the fifth for Franklin. Chris Hanewich led off the bottom of the sixth with a single and scored on a double from Jordan Paradis to get the Rocketeers on the board. Dillon Harding pitched well for North, allowing five runs (two earned) on five hits and two walks, striking out four in five innings while Ayden Delaney tossed two shutout innings in relief.

Softball
Oliver Ames, 6 @ Canton, 4 – Final – A four-run fifth inning helped Oliver Ames surge ahead and secure a win on the road over Canton. The Bulldogs built a two-run lead in the bottom of the first inning on an RBI single from Chloe Guerschuny that scored Kailyn Durham (double), and back-to-back walks to Abby Stock and Shealyn Murphy — the latter with the bases loaded. OA cut the deficit in half with an RBI single from Devon Morris in the third, but the most damage came two innings later. Samantha Johnson led off with a single and courtesy runner Skylar Dearborn came home to score after Caitlin Miller reached on an error, making it 2-2. Morris brought in two more runs after getting on base via error, and an RBI double from Crystyliah Covel capped the big inning making it 5-2. Canton cut into the deficit on an RBI from Olivia Mackwell but OA answered with an RBI double from Emily Martin an inning later. Canton threatened in the bottom of the seventh with an RBI from Mackwell, but Katie Melendy got her sixth strikeout of the game, stranding the tying run at second. Durham and Sam Grady each finished with two hits for the Bulldogs while Mackwell had three RBI; for OA, Covel finished with three hits, and Maddie Homer and Johnson each had two.








Boys Lacrosse
Milford, 6 @ Foxboro, 12 – Final – A balanced offensive effort and strong goaltending helped Foxboro take down visiting Milford. Sophomore Jon Sacchetti led the offensive charge with four goals and two assists while Tony Sulham had a big game with a hat trick and one helper. Mike McCabe chipped in with a pair of goals and one assist while both Conor Noone (one assist) and Cam Deleskey each scored one. Adam Addeche was busy in net, making 16 saves in the win.

Taunton, 12 @ Norton, 3 – Final – After slipping past Norton in double overtime in the first meeting, the Tigers showed off their improvement as they rolled to a big win over the Lancers on Tuesday. Senior middie Tommy Selfridge paved the way for the Tigers, scoring a team-high five goals while senior attack Thomas Murphy also had a strong day with a hat trick. Connor McGrath and Colt Kennedy both recorded three points in the win with a goal and an assist each, and Liam McFarland and Jake Matos each scored once to round out the Tigers’ scoring. Freshman Oren Cullins was terrific in net, making 16 saves on 19 shots.

Franklin, 19 @ Bishop Feehan, 11 – Final – A big fourth quarter helped Franklin avoid a scare from visiting Bishop Feehan, outscoring the Shamrocks 7-2 in the final frame. The Panthers led by just one at the end of the first quarter (3-2) and at halftime (7-6), and the advantage was only three (12-9) going into the fourth quarter. Luke Davis was nearly unstoppable as he scored an impressive 10 goals to pace the offense, including six in the second half. Jayden Consigli added three goals and two assists, Tyler Sacchetti netted a pair with one helper, and Eddie O’Brien (two assists), Anthony Lampasona, and Ben Paterson each scored once.




Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 18 @ Stoughton, 4 – Final – Amelia Collins had seven points and Isabella Cavallini added six points as the Bombardiers rolled to a big win on the road over the Black Knights. Collins scored a hat trick and added four assists while Cavallini scored five goals with one helper for Attleboro, which led 9-3 at halftime. Addison Papagolos and Jordan Mooney each added three goals in the win, Molly Moore chipped in with a pair of goals, and Mekenah Stokes and Megan Ferreira each scored once. Papagolos (five draw controls) and Jess Harrington (four draw controls) both played well. Casey Groppi scored a hat trick for the Black Knights and Amanda Reid scored once.

Foxboro, 16 @ Milford, 3 – Final – Foxboro made it two wins in a row as they returned home from Milford with a big victory. Paige Curran scored four goals for the second straight game, adding three assists, and Val Beigel (one assist) also found the back of the net four times to pace the Warriors’ offense. Mary Collins had a hat trick and one helper, Cate Noon scored twice and set up three goals, Mya Waryas (two assists), Kaelin Connors, and Addie Riley (one assist) each added a goal apiece, and Grace Riley recorded two assists. Audrey Campbell earned the win in net, making four saves. Emily Croteau, Carly Haley (from Jordan Douglas), and TJ Downing (from Kaitlin Landry) each scored for the Hawks while Caitlyn Bangert made nine saves in net.

North Attleboro, 3 @ Franklin, 20 – Final – The Panthers snapped a rare two-game skid, getting back into league action with a big win over North. Franklin used a total team effort to earn the win and senior Katie Peterson scored her 100th career goal.

King Philip, 17 @ Mansfield, 7 – Final – King Philip’s Makenzie McDevitt had a memorable performance, leading the Warriors to a win on the road at Mansfield. McDevitt had 10 draw controls in the game, including the 100th DC of her career, while also recording a team-high eight points in the win. Alyssa Legere added five points and both Abby MacDonald and Sammy Cloutier added four points for KP. Ava Adams and Ella Palanza (assist) each scored a pair of goals for the Hornets, who also got a goal from Rose Maher (assist), Brooke Butler (assist), and Carys Colby. Lana DiSangro made 13 saves in net for Mansfield.

Oliver Ames, 15 @ Sharon, 7 – Final

Boys Tennis
Franklin, 0 @ Attleboro, 5 – Final – Attleboro took care of business and defended home court with a clean sweep over shorthanded Franklin. Kyle Neuendorf took a 6-2, 6-3 victory at first singles, Tyler Rocchio dropped just two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win at second singles, and Shashank Shrithar completed the singles sweep with a 6-2, 6-1 win at third singles. Brady Rosen and Luke Hinton won a close first set and grabbed a 7-5, 6-2 win at first doubles, and Attleboro’s second doubles pair of Clay Tyler and Noem Cook rolled to a 6-1, 6-2.

Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 1 @ Franklin, 4 – Final – Franklin won both doubles matches in three sets and added two straight set wins in singles action to take down Attleboro. Neither Chloe Essam and Brooke Taylor — both juniors — dropped a set and picked up wins at second and third singles, respectively. The team of sophomores Brooke Daniels and Sydney Tolonen prevailed in a tight battle at first doubles (6-0, 4-6, 7-5) while seniors Allison Bagley and Tanvi Shah rallied from a one-set deficit to win 6-7 (4), 7-6 (4), 6-3 at second doubles for the Panthers. Attleboro’s Maddie Fuscaldo emerged victorious, 6-1, 4-6, 6-3, in a close contest at first singles.




Boys Outdoor Track
Attleboro @ North Attleboro, 3:45

Stoughton, 91 @ Canton, 46 – Final – For Canton, Mo Arugollu was a double-winner individually and apart of the Bulldogs’ 4×400 winning relay team. Arugollo took first in both the 400M hurdles (66.8) and the triple jump (36’9), and then teamed up with Dan Krasylnykov, Dan Glemaud, and Ruairi Ritson to win the 4×400 relay. Krasylnykov also won the 400M for Canton, clocking in a season-best time of 53.9. Canton’s 4×100 relay team of JJ Faulk, Casey Lee, Dhruv Patel, and Christian Hanlon took first, and Austin DiBiasio finished second in both the 1 Mile and 2 Mile races. Tyler Baird, who won the 2 Mile in 11:41, and Rhancy Jean Baptiste, who took third in the discus (85’2″) each scored their first varsity points.

Foxboro, 42 @ Mansfield, 92 – Final – Mansfield swept the 2 Mile and the long jump, went 1-2 in the 100M and the 1 Mile, and won both relays to take down visiting Foxboro. John Sylvain (10:59) anchored the 2 Mile sweep with Kieran Hoff (11:05) and Sam Taylor (11:18) taking second and third, respectively, while Evan Thevenot led the way in the long jump (18’11) followed by Allen Gouboth and Kenny Barton. Evan Rawlings added a win in the 400M hurdles (58.0) and set a new PR in a win in the 110M hurdles (15.5), Nate Kablik won the 100M (10.9) followed by Sirius Li (11.5), and Talon Johnson crossed first in the 1 Mile (4:37.2) with Marco Geminiani taking second. Troy Penney took first in the 800 (2:07.1) with Colby Quersher finishing third, Ayden Agbasi had a massive PR in the shot put with a winning throw of 47’4″ with Dan Mintz picking up key points with a third place finish; Mintz and Agbasi also took second and third, respectively, in the discus. Mansfield’s 4×100 relay team (Myles Brown, Matt Breitenstein, Li, Kablik) put together a fast time of 44.3 for the win while the Hornets’ 4×400 team (Kyle Dickinson, Tommy Giudicianni, Johnson, Penney) ran 3:40 for the win.

Franklin, 80 @ King Philip, 56 – Final

Milford @ Taunton, 4:00

Sharon, 52 @ Oliver Ames, 84 – Final

Girls Outdoor Track
Attleboro @ North Attleboro, 3:45

Stoughton, 77 @ Canton, 59 – Final – Katie Oliver, Lianna Camille, Johanna Bouwmeester, and Emma Massih all had wins for the Bulldogs, who fell against visiting Stoughton. Oliver was a double-winner, taking first in both the triple jump (34’9″) and the long jump (16’7″) as well as second in the 200M (27.1). Camille won the 400M (63.7), Bouwmeester crossed first in the 1 Mile (6:21.4), and Massih took first in the discus (88’9) and second in the shot put. Jayda Proffit added a pair of second place finishes in the 100M hurdles (17.9) and the high jump (4’4) as well as third in the triple jump (32′).

Foxboro, 33 @ Mansfield, 103 – Final

Franklin, 98 @ King Philip, 38 – Final

Milford @ Taunton, 4:00

Sharon, 40 @ Oliver Ames, 94 – Final

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 3 vs. Norton, 0 – Final

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/19/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 0 @ Needham, 7 – Final

Franklin, 9 @ Catholic Memorial, 2 – Final – Franklin senior Tyler Bellan provided an early spark offensively and classmate Alfred Mucciarone had another double-digit strikeout performance on the mound as the Panthers picked up an impressive 9-2 win at Catholic Memorial. Bellan belted a two-out three-run home run in the top of the first inning to give Franklin a lead that it never relinquished. Franklin went on to push across five runs in the fourth inning to pull away from the Knights for good. Eisig Chin (run), Henry Digiorgio (two RBI, two runs), Rex Cinelli, and Ethan DePaolo (run) each had a pair of hits in the win while Ben Jarosz knocked in three runs. Mucciarone allowed one run on four hits and no walks in six innings, striking out 11 batters for the win.

King Philip, 4 @ Walpole, 3 – Final – Freshman Leo Dowling drew a bases-loaded walk with two outs to bring Max Robison home for the go-ahead run in the top of the sixth inning and junior Tommy McLeish slammed the door shut for the save in the seventh as the Warriors secured a key win on the road. After falling behind by a run, the Warriors struck for three runs in the top of the fifth inning to take the lead. Robison led off the fifth with a single and eventually came home to score on an error, and Aiden Astorino drove in a run with a one-out single to make it 2-1. Rudy Gately reached on an error, McLeish was intentionally walked to load the bases and freshman Johnny Prater drew a bases-loaded walk to give KP a 3-1 advantage. After the Timberwolves scored twice to tie the game, KP jumped back ahead in the top of the sixth. Robison had a leadoff walk, moved to second on a sacrifice from Matt Kelley, and after walks to Brendan Sencaj and Astorino, Dowling walked to bring in a run. Nate Pennini earned the win for KP, allowing three runs on six hits and no walks, striking out three in five innings of work. TJ Ahern threw a scoreless sixth inning with one strikeout while McLeish struck out one in the seventh for the save.

Mansfield, 3 vs. St. John’s Prep, 2 – Final (9 inn.) – Mansfield tied the game in the bottom of the seventh inning and then walked it off in the bottom of the ninth to cap a thrilling 3-2 comeback win over visiting St. John’s Prep. The Hornets took the lead originally in the second inning on a sacrifice fly from Aidan Jones but Prep plated a pair in the fourth and kept that lead all the way to the final inning. Junior Dylan Saraceno had a leadoff walk and moved to second on a sacrifice from Jones. Connor Curtis roped a double to left to bring the tying run in. Curtis had a one-out single in the ninth, stole second, and came in to score on Matt DeShiro’s double to right to win the game. Jake Maydak had a strong start for Mansfield, allowing a pair of runs on seven hits and one walk, striking out 10 in seven innings. Brian Butler tossed two scoreless innings in relief, allowing just one hit while striking out two.

Milford, 9 @ Oxford, 1 – Final – Milford’s offense erupted for nine runs on its way to a big win over Oxford, the program’s second win in as many days. Damien Carter had a pair of hits and scored a team-high three runs while Evan Cornelius had two hits, one RBI, and a run scored. Cam DelPrete cleared the bases with a three-run double for the Hawks in the top of the seventh inning. Anthony LaPierre earned the win on the mound, allowing just one run on four hits and four walks, recording 12 strikeouts in a complete game effort.

Oliver Ames, 6 vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 5 – Final – Harrison Fitzpatrick celebrated his birthday by helping Oliver Ames celebrate a win over Dighton-Rehoboth in a non-league clash on Wednesday. Fitzpatrick had a hat and scored a couple of runs for the Tigers while Patrick Finnerty had a deep triple — through the tree in center field at Frothingham — and scored a run while Jack Perron had the go-ahead RBI double in the bottom of the sixth inning. Andrew Zagami was terrific in relief for OA, earning the win after tossing 4.2 innings.

Sharon, 2 @ Brookline, 8 – Final – Seth Bonner had a big day offensively but the Eagles fell on the road against Brookline. Bonner had two hits including a double, notching and RBI and scoring a run for the Eagles. Luke Meixel pitched well in relief, allowing one run on four hits and one walk, striking out three in 2.2 innings out of the pen.

Softball
Franklin, 0 @ Abington, 5 – Final

Boys Lacrosse
North Attleboro vs. Dartmouth, 12:00

Girls Lacrosse
North Attleboro @ Dartmouth, 5:30

Player of the Week: Alfred Mucciarone, Franklin Baseball

Alfred Mucciarone
 
By HockomockSports.com Staff

Franklin senior Alfred Mucciarone has been selected as the HockomockSports.com Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, for April 3 through April 9. Mucciarone is the 23rd player chosen as Player of the Week for the 2022-23 school year and first in the spring season.

Mucciarone aced his opening outing of the season, allowing only an unearned run over five innings against Oliver Ames, helping Franklin get off to a winning start. The Div. 1 runners-up went 2-0 last week, outscoring their two opponents 22-1.

Coming off a junior season in which he had a solid 2.33 ERA and was instrumental in Franklin’s run to the state title game, the UMass Lowell-commit was dealing in his first start of the season. Mucciarone faced jut two over the minimum in his five innings, allowing only two hits and the one unearned run, to pick up the win. He dominated the strike zone, throwing 49 of his 68 pitches for strikes, and he finished with 10 strikeouts.

The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision.

Alfred Mucciarone
Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision. Alfred Mucciarone The Player of the Week, presented by Morse Insurance, is selected by the HockomockSports.com staff. Nominations can be submitted throughout the week up until Saturday night at midnight. There may be a poll posted on every Sunday with the nominations. The results of the poll influence the selection but do not strictly dictate the decision.

Baseball: Ten Players to Watch for 2023

Hockomock Baseball Players to Watch
King Philip senior Brendan Sencaj is one of the best offensive players in the league this year. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By HockomockSports.com Staff

Players are listed alphabetically

Eisig Chin, Senior – Franklin

Coming off an appearance in the Division 1 state championship game, Franklin’s lineup is loaded with returning talent and ready to make another run at both another Kelley-Rex division title and the state title. You could pick a handful of different Panthers to make this list like Northeastern commits Ryan Gerety and Henry Digiorgio, or the big bat of Jase Lyons, but Chin — who is committed to play at Stonehill — is coming off a breakout year and gets the nod. A three-year starter for head coach Zach Brown, Chin hit 0.339 last year with 21 hits, 20 RBI, 17 runs scored, and seven walks. His emergence at the dish really strengthened Franklin’s offense and the Panthers will rely on his power in the heart of the lineup this time as he has started the year batting third.

2023 Hockomock Baseball Players to Watch

Jack Digirolamo, Senior – Canton

Canton has aspirations to contend for the Davenport division title this year along with other potential hopefuls Foxboro and Mansfield, and their lineup could be the reason they have a serious chance. Canton has put up double-digit runs in each of their first three games in wins over North, Sharon, and Norwell so the offense is certainly off to a good start. At the heart of that lineup is senior first baseman Jack Digirolamo, who is coming off a monster junior season in which he hit 0.446 with 29 hits and 14 RBI. There are other Bulldogs that could have made this list, like Brandies commit Matt Chafin who was on it last year, because of their success at the dish. Digirolamo and Chafin are joined by Hayden Rose, Matt Hart, and Nick Gillis are returners this season that hit over 0.300 last year. If Digirolamo can replicate his success from last year, expect Canton to be in the mix for the title.







2023 Hockomock Baseball Players to Watch

Patrick Finnerty, Senior – Oliver Ames

After graduating a majority of their lineup, including some of its top producers at the plate and on the mound, there will be some new faces in the mix for Oliver Ames this year. But one veteran piece of the lineup that head coach Joe Abarr will be able to lean on is senior Patrick Finnerty. Committed to playing in the Northeast 10 Conference next year for Bentley, Finnerty is coming off a solid junior campaign in which he batted over .300 and had 10 runs scored and 12 RBI, helping the Tigers reach the postseason (and win a game). He will be back patrolling center field for the Tigers, dealing with the infamous tree in play at Frothingham Park. He will also get some innings on the mound as a reliable arm in relief.

2023 Hockomock Baseball Players to Watch

Rudy Gately, Senior – King Philip

King Philip is coming off a spot in the Div. 2 state title game and the Warriors have a strong squad to try and go a step further this spring. Gately will be crucial for KP after showing his ability to impact the game on the hill and at the plate. He was the staff’s ace last year, going 5-1 with a 2.73 ERA. He stuck out 50 batters in a team-high 56.1 innings. Offensively, the Bowdoin commit batted 0.329 with 25 hits and six doubles. He drew 12 walks, drove in 21, and scored 21 runs. Gately’s competitiveness on the mound gives the team energy and he was counted on to face some of the best teams in the state, including six games against teams that reached the Final Four. The Warriors want to compete with Taunton and Franklin in the league, as well as make another D2 title challenge, and Gately’s ability as a pitcher and batter will be crucial to that.




2023 Hockomock Baseball Players to Watch

Ryan MacDougall, Senior – Taunton

The defending Div. 1 state champs will be one of the favorites again this season and MacDougall’s return to the lineup will be a major reason why. The reigning league MVP and HockomockSports.com Player of the Year was a dominant presence at the plate last spring, batting 0.476 with a league-best 30 hits. He scored 17 runs, drew 11 walks, and knocked in 19 runs in the regular season. He also stepped up in the clutch, batting 0.600 in the playoffs and hit a game-winning solo homer in the sixth inning of the state championship game. The Dayton commit was also strong on the mound, tossing 36 innings and posting a 7-1 record with a 1.94 ERA. This year promises to be one of the most competitive seasons that we’ve seen in the Kelley-Rex division and MacDougall will give Taunton a foundation to try and build another state title-winning campaign.

Derek Maceda, Senior – North Attleboro

The defending Davenport champs will be in the Kelley-Rex this season and a young roster is going to lean on its experienced leaders to carry it through what should be an ultra-competitive spring. Maceda has been vital to North’s success over the past two years and the senior outfielder has become one of the most consistent hitters in the league. Setting the table at the top of the order, Maceda batted 0.402 last year. He had 33 hits, including seven extra-base hits. Maceda had 12 RBI and scored a team-high 31 runs. A dynamic base runner, Maceda puts tons of pressure on the opposition and his aggressiveness helps manufacture runs. After getting to the Div. 2 Final Four in 2022, North will be counting on Maceda’s leadership to keep the Rocketeers in playoff contention again this year.

Alfred Mucciarone, Senior – Franklin

Franklin got to the state title game only to fall to rival Taunton. The Panthers will be seeking some revenge this season and will have a strong roster that can make another deep tournament run. Mucciarone will be the team’s ace this year. The UMass Lowell commit is in his third year on varsity and the righty has proven to be one of the league’s top starters. He went 6-1 with a 2.05 ERA, walking just six batters on the season and striking out 56 over 54.2 innings. An accurate thrower with explosive stuff, Mucciarone puts the pressure on opposition lineups and he showed composure in big games. A leader of the Franklin staff, Mucciarone will need to have his best stuff again this season, which promises to be as competitive as ever and with typically high expectations for the Panthers.




2023 Hockomock Baseball Players to Watch

Sean O’Leary, Senior – Foxboro

Foxboro surprised a lot of people by making a run to the Div. 3 Final Four and nearly pulling off the upset of top seed Austin Prep. O’Leary was a big component in one of the best seasons in program history. He was 6-2 on the mound, throwing 40.1 innings with a 2.25 ERA and holding opponents to a 0.208 batting average. O’Leary also had a pair of saves. One of the best hitters in the league, the UMass Lowell commit hit 0.443 with 31 hits, including 10 doubles. He drove in 25 runs and scored 13. Controlling games on the hill and punishing pitchers at the plate, O’Leary was one of the best two-way players in the Hock. Foxboro will be trying to build off the momentum of last spring and O’Leary will be a major factor for the Warriors with his ability to impact games in multiple ways.

Brendan Sencaj, Senior – King Philip

King Philip has a good handful of bats back from last year’s squad that made a run to the Division 2 state championship before ultimately falling to a tough Milton squad. One of those bats is one of the best in the league is senior third baseman Brendan Sencaj. Last season, he was second on the team in average (0.390), runs (26), hits (30), and had a team-high in doubles (6) and RBI (25). He is among the most dangerous hitters in the league, having nine extra-base hits as a junior. He is also committed to play in the Northeast 10 Conference next year at Bentley University, joining OA’s Patrick Finnerty (above). The Warriors have aspirations to compete for the Kelley-Rex title and make another run in the D2 tournament, and having one of the best hitters in the league in Sencaj will give them a big boost.

Braden Sullivan, Senior – Taunton

Not every team has the luxury of bringing such a loaded lineup after winning a Division 1 state championship the year prior, but that’s the situation that Taunton finds itself entering this season. The Tigers have six of their eight starters from the championship game back in the mix, including reigning league MVP Ryan MacDougall (above) and star shortstop Dawson Bryce (Merrimack), and there are a number of players that could make the list but we’ve gone with UMass commit Braden Sullivan. Sullivan returns to third base to complete a very talented left side of the infield alongside Bryce. He led the Tigers in average last year at 0.482, was third on the team with 27 hits, and had a team-best 21 RBI during the regular season. There’s no doubt Taunton will be right back in the thick of the league title race, and the return of Sullivan will be a big reason why.

2023 Hockomock Baseball Players to Watch