Tag: Braden Sullivan

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.”

Escobalez’s Addition Elevates Taunton To Another Title

Johnny Escobalez
Taunton sophomore Johnny Escobalez celebrates after the Tigers recorded the final out to win the Division 1 State Championship. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)
ByRyanLanigan_2016FollowRyanLanigan_2016
 
 
 WORCESTER, Mass. — A year ago, Johnny Escobalez sat in the stands with his father at LeLacheur Park in Lowell and watched as Taunton claimed a thrilling win over Hockomock rival Franklin.

Just three months ago, Escobalez started the season and spent the first couple of weeks on the Tigers’ junior varsity team.

And now, the sophomore is the winning pitcher of the Division 1 state championship game.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Escobalez tossed a complete game under the bright lights at Polar Park, allowing two runs (one earned) on four hits and four strikeouts, facing 28 batters without issuing a walk. His seventh win of the season handed Taunton a 7-2 verdict over Franklin for the second straight year in the championship game.

“My dad believed in me,” Escobalez said. “He told me [last year] that could be me, that I could be in the dugout next year, and I thought that would be sick. I never would have thought I’d be pitching in this game.

“I’m so glad that coach believed in me. I started the beginning of the season on JV so I wouldn’t have thought this would happen. I’m just glad to get this opportunity.”

Taunton’s pitching staff faced numerous hurdles throughout the season. Senior Shawn Cali was coming off a tremendous junior campaign but injuries kept him off the mound, and junior Jack Cali, who led the team in innings pitched this year, was limited to just four appearances in May. Ryan MacDougall, who led the Tigers in innings last year, returned to his natural position at catcher this year and only appeared on the mound three times.

That meant opportunity and Taunton head coach Blair Bourque dipped into his sub-varsity pool and moved Escobalez up. The rest is history.

“I remember in the weight room talking to him a couple of times and just being like you know we’re going to need you at some point this season, just make sure you’re ready, and opportunity presented itself, Shawn going down, and he capitalized,” Bourque said. “He’s been phenomenal all season. He’s been able to get ahead, he’s crafty, and he’s a competitor above all. He just loves to compete. I know in our intrasquads I don’t let him hit all the time and he’s bummed because he just wants to play. That’s what you need.

“Enough can’t be said about the performance, being a Eso, and being on this stage. It’s incredible. I’m so happy for him. He’s a hard worker. The future is very bright, but this is a very special day for him and I’m glad the guys were able to get ahead early and he was able to pitch with a lead.”

Escobalez went 7-0 this season in eight starts, holding opponents to a measly 0.143 batting average. He tossed a no-hitter back on May 10th against North Attleboro — in just his fourth career appearance — but that will likely move down the list of accomplishments after beating top-ranked Franklin in the final.

“He’s been incredible this year, no words can explain what he’s done for us,” said senior Braden Sullivan (three hits, two RBI), who moved from third base to shortstop this season. “We lost Shawn [Cali] as a pitcher, we lost Jack [Cali] for a little so he got the call up and definitely helped us. He’s been phenomenal, his stuff has been good. We knew coming in, his stuff would be tough to hit and he did his job today.”

Escobalez pitched from ahead the entire game; a two-out RBI from MacDougall scored Brayden Cali (leadoff single) in the top of the first, presenting the sophomore lefty with a 1-0 lead before he threw a pitch.

The lead grew quickly as the Tigers plated five more runs in the second inning so Escobalez had a 6-0 lead the second time he toed the rubber on the mound.

Franklin’s offense has worn pitchers down all season but the Panthers were never able to overwhelm the sophomore. He worked around a leadoff single from Ryan Gerety in the first and induced a couple of grounders in the second to strand Luke Sidwell at second after his one-out single.

“He’s been awesome,” said Taunton senior Dawson Bryce (two doubles, two RBI), who was also a pitching option for the Tigers at the start of the season but only pitched once more after tossing a scoreless inning at Franklin on May 12th. “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.”

A couple of errors allowed Franklin’s first run to score; a throwing error allowed Rex Cinelli to reach, and then another infield error allowed him to score when Eisig Chin made it to first. Escobalez hit the next batter to put two on but a fly ball to Andrew Cali in right quickly ended that threat.

“Nobody knew what his name was before today,” MacDougall said. “He’s a sophomore. Against BC High, he pitched his worst game of the year. He was physically nervous on the mound. 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.”

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

He retired the side in order in the fourth on eight pitches and put the Panthers down in order again in the fifth on nine pitches. Franklin tagged him for a run in the sixth after Henry DiGiorgio had a one-out single and Sidwell delivered with a two-out RBI but that would be all the damage for the night.

There was little drama in the final inning as Escobalez got his fourth strikeout of the night for the first out, a fly ball to Cali in right for the second, and a pop-up to left fielder Dwayne Burgo to end it.

“There’s no feeling like this,” Escobalez said with a big smile. “This is awesome.”

MacDougall Leads Taunton Rally, Tigers Back in Final

Taunton Baseball
Ryan MacDougall drove in four runs, helping Taunton rally from an early 3-0 deficit to beat St. John’s Shrewsbury and advance to the D1 state title game. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


WORCESTER, Mass. – Just five batters into Tuesday afternoon’s Div. 1 semifinal against No. 6 St. John’s Shrewsbury at Holy Cross University’s Fitton Field, Taunton found itself trailing 3-0. A lot of teams would fold in those circumstances, but the Tigers have been in similar situations before (including the previous round against BC High) and weren’t about to panic. 

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Three innings later, Ryan MacDougall brought Taunton level with a single. With two outs in the fourth, the hero of last year’s state title game came up with the biggest hit of the season. MacDougall drilled a 3-2 pitch into the gap in right center, emptying the bases and putting Taunton in front to stay.

The Tigers scored eight straight runs, got a two-run homer from Dawson Bryce to tack on in the sixth, and got 3-2/3 solid innings of relief from Brady Morin to pull out a 10-5 win that sends the defending champs back to the title game for the third time in four seasons. 

“Really resilient,” Taunton coach Blair Bourque said about his team. “We have a lot of veteran guys and they know it’s a long game. We know we’ll have other opportunities. I can’t say enough about the camaraderie, the effort that they give. We’re never out of it, and they just keep plugging away and we were able to battle back.”

MacDougall added, “It’s never good when the leadoff guy hits a bomb but we just had to battle back. Our pitching staff did an amazing job, only giving up five [runs] after they had three in the first, so it was a great job by them.”

St. John’s couldn’t ask for a better start to the semifinal. James Benestad drilled a lead-off homer to left off Taunton starter Jack Cali. A walk and a single followed before Noah Basgaard made it 2-0 with a grounder to short. Brady Collins lined a double into the gap in right and added a third run. 

Cali got a couple grounders to get out of the inning and then threw a perfect second, as he settled into his start. 

Taunton’s bats did their best to respond for their pitcher. Sean Murphy started the second with a single. After a strikeout, AJ Lewis ripped a double down the line in left. Murphy hustled his way around the bases and just beat the tag at the plate. Lewis advanced to third and scored on a Basgaard wild pitch.

The Pioneers nearly answered right back in the third. A walk, a single, and an error loaded the bases with no outs. Cali refocused, getting a grounder to shortstop Braden Sullivan to cut down the first runner, fielded a bouncer back to the mound for the second out, and Shawn Cali made a diving grab in center to get Taunton out of the jam unscathed. 

In the bottom half of the inning, Brayden Cali started things with a double to left. With one out, MacDougall went back through the box, lining a single to center and Cali’s head-first slide beat the throw to tie the game. 

St. John’s continued to create scoring chances. With one out in the fourth, a single and double put two in scoring position. Brady Morin took over on the mound and got a pop up to second and a bouncer to Sullivan at short to escape another tough situation.

“We had some tough spots,” Bourque admitted. “Jack was able to get out of a jam. He didn’t have his best stuff but sometimes you don’t have your best stuff and you still have to perform so I’m proud of him. Brady did a phenomenal job, he was able to come in and throw strikes. They just kept grinding, they’re gritty, and I really like this group.”

Taunton broke the game open in the bottom of the frame. Shawn Cali was hit by a pitch for the second time and then stole second. Teddy Cove came in to relieve Basgaard and the lefty struck out a pair. Brayden Cali and Bryce drew back-to-back walks to load the bases. MacDougall worked a full count before crushing a pitch to the wall in right center.

All three runners came in to score and courtesy runner Jared Spencer scampered home on a wild pitch to put the Tigers up 7-3.

“Phenomenal,” Bourque said of MacDougall. “He’s a clutch player. He’s been hard on himself all year. He’s had some really good games, some tough games but this showed his tenacity and his willingness to battle through adversity. [Baseball] is a game of failure but this shows his character and who he is as a person, he’s a great kid and I’m really proud of him.”

MacDougall, who hit the game-winning homer in last year’s final at Fitton Field, joked. “It must be the beautiful highway in the back. I just see the ball well at this field. My approach with two strikes kind of changes, which I think helps me. I just saw the ball well today and got that big triple to get those three RBI.”

Morin threw a perfect fifth. Taunton went back to work at the plate and added another run. Lewis drew a one-out walk and went all the way to third on an errant pickoff attempt. Shawn Cali hit a fly ball down the right field line. Lewis raced home and the umpire said he beat the tag, despite the protests from the visiting bench, to make it 8-3.

Pearson Dodds hit a one-out double in the sixth, moved to third on a wild pitch, and scored on a ground out to cut the lead to four. The hopes of a comeback were short-lived. Brayden Cali had a one-out single and Bryce followed by sending a pitch towards the highway well past the fence in left.

Although Collins hit another double to score Jimmy Mitchell in the seventh, Morin got a fly ball out to center to finish off the win and book another spot in the D1 final.

“I think we match the competition well,” MacDougall said about Taunton’s ability to find different ways to win games. “That’s a very good team over there with a good pitcher. We managed to get runners on and get hits in big moments. Dawson had that big home run and we were able to get the job done. Win anyway possible.”

Asked about his team getting the chance to defend its title, Bourque said, “I think they just enjoy playing the game. They love coming out to practice and they work extremely hard. I don’t know that anybody plays this game to win state championships. We play for our teammates, we play for ourselves, family, community…I’m just extremely proud of what they’ve accomplished so far.”

f=”http://dev.hockomocksports.com/schedules/baseball/taunton/2023-2/”>Taunton (20-4) will face No. 1 Franklin this weekend at Polar Park in Worcester at a date and time to be determined.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

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.

Tuesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/16/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Taunton, 12 @ Attleboro, 3 – Final – Taunton’s offense roared in the second inning and sophomore Johnny Escobalez had another strong outing on the mound in a win over Attleboro. Escobalez allowed only one unearned run on one hit and one walk, striking out seven in five innings to earn the win. Brady Boucher (two strikeouts) tossed a scoreless inning in relief. Offensively, Sean Murphy opened the scoring with an RBI triple, Braden Sullivan added an RBI double, and Bryce smacked his second three-run home run in the past week to put the visitors ahead 6-0. Bryce and Murphy (three RBI) each had three hits, AJ Lewis and Dwayne Burgo each had two hits, and Ryan MacDougall added a solo home run. Cooper Johnson had two RBI for the Bombardiers and Andrew Gorman had one.

Oliver Ames, 16 @ Canton, 6 – Final (6 Inn.) – Oliver Ames had its biggest offensive output of the season, pounding out 17 hits on the way to a 16-6 win. Seniors Jack Morley (two RBI, four runs) and Patrick Finnerty (two RBI, two runs) led the charge with four hits apiece. Lucas Riley also had a big day with a double and a triple, driving in five runs in the process. Nick Ferrini (run) and Ryan Lemay (two RBI, three runs) each had a double. For Canton, Jack Digirolamo went 3-for-3 with a double, two runs, and an RBI while Matt Hart and Kyle Redquest each had two hits and a run scored.

Stoughton, 1 @ Foxboro, 12 – Final (5 Inn.) – Buoyed by a pair of early five-run innings, Foxboro landed a 12-1 decision over visiting Stoughton. Ryan LeClair (run), Ben Angelini (double, triple, four RBI, two runs), and Louis Carangelo (triple, RBI, three runs) each had two hits in the win. Freshman Aidan Stow and sophomore Ryan O’Leary each drove in a pair for the Warriors. Senior Alex Stern earned the win for Foxboro, allowing one run on three hits and four walks, striking out a pair in four innings.

North Attleboro, 2 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – A three-run third and strong pitching from Austin Campbell helped Franklin fight off an upset bid from the visiting Rocketeers. To start the bottom of the third, Ryan Gerety drew a leadoff walk, stole second, took third on a wild pitch, and came in to score when Luke Sidwell reached on an error. An infield single from Henry Digiorgio put runners on the corners, and both came in to score on Tyler Bellan’s single to center. North made it interesting in the top of the third by scoring two runs with two outs. Gio Martello scored after a walk, a double from Dillon Harding, and a passed ball to get North on the board. Derek Maceda followed with a single to bring Harding in to cut the deficit to one but Dillon Cashin (1.1 IP, 1H, 0BB, 0R, 2K) came in to get the third out of the inning. Austin Campbell earned the win, allowing two runs on three hits and three walks, striking out 10 in 5.2 innings. Jordan Paradis pitched well for the Rocketeers, allowing three runs (two earned) on three hits and three walks, striking out six in four innings while Martello tossed two scoreless innings in relief.

Milford, 5 @ King Philip, 9 – Final – After some early offense from both teams, King Philip was able to outlast Milford in a battle of two strong teams. The Scarlet Hawks jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the top of the first but King Philip plated three runs in the bottom half and four more in the second, and never trailed the rest of the way. Milford pulled within two runs with a three-run third but KP pushed across one run in each the fourth and fifth innings. Matt Kelley went 2-for-3 with three RBI and two runs and Brendan Sencaj also had two hits along with three runs. Drew Herlin drove in a pair and Tommy Martorano had three RBI, two coming on a big double in the second inning. TJ Ahern was stellar in relief, tossing four scoreless innings with just two hits and one walk allowed, striking out three for the win. Louis Consigli went 2-for-4 with an RBI, Damien Carter had a two-run inside the park home run, and Joey McGee and Sean McGee each had one RBI.

Sharon, 0 @ Mansfield, 13 – Final (5 Inn.) – Mansfield scored its fourth straight win, capitalizing on early offense against Sharon. The Hornets scored three times in the first, four runs in the second, twice in the third, and four more in the fourth. Sam Martin (three runs, RBI), Matt DeShiro (three RBI, two runs), and Joe McIntyre (run) each had two hits to pace Mansfield offensively. Brian Butler drove in two runs while Anthony Saraiva, Jake Maydak, Luke Rogan, and Will Lund each had one RBI. Connor Curtis earned the win, tossing 3.1 perfect innings with four strikeouts while Yuv Sakhalkar tossed 1.2 shutout innings with a pair of strikeouts.








Softball
Attleboro, 0 @ Taunton, 11 – Final – Taunton’s Sam Lincoln and Cate Larson combined to allow just one hit while the Tigers offense scored in four out of six innings in an 11-0 win over visiting Attleboro. Lincoln didn’t allow a hit in five innings, issuing just one walk while striking out 10 while Larson had three strikeouts and no walks in two scoreless innings. Offensively, Bella Bourque went 3-for-4 with two doubles, two RBI and two runs scored, Mia Torres went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and a run, Ava Venturelli had two hits (including a double and a home run), three RBI, and one run scored, and Hayley Krockta recorded a pair of hits (one home run), two RBI, and a run scored. Kaysie DeMoura also had a home run for the Tigers.

Foxboro, 3 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final

Franklin, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final (8 Inn.) – North scored in the bottom of the sixth to tie the game and then won it in the eighth on a Maryellen Charette base hit. Franklin opened the scoring in the first on Sarah Boozang’s first homer of the season. In the bottom of the half of the first, Kelly Colleran stole third and came home to tie it on the throw. The Panthers regained the lead, but in the sixth Arianna McDavitt singled, took second on a Molly Willey bunt, and came home on a single by Emma Hanwell. With two outs in the eighth, Willey doubled and came home to score on Charette’s hit up the middle. Colleran picked up the win for North, striking out 16 batters.

King Philip, 12 @ Milford, 0 – Final (5 Inn.) – King Philip plated five runs in each of the first two innings and that was plenty of offense for junior Jordan Bennett, who tossed a five-inning one-hitter for the Warriors. Bennett allowed just one single (a two-out hit in the second) and walked a pair, striking out five for the win. Offensively, Ava Kelley went 3-for-3 with three runs, Libby Walsh homered for the third time in three days, and Liv Petrillo had a double, two RBI, and a run scored.

Sharon, 1 @ Mansfield, 12 – Final – Mansfield pounded out 13 hits and scored in all but one inning to earn the win. The Hornets got on the board in the first. Liv Madeira singled, stole second, took third on a wild pitch, and scored on a bunt single by Molly Kucharski, who tagged up to score on a Jill Koppy fly ball later in the inning. Madeira drove in Reilley Slaney with a two-out single to make it 3-0 in the second. In the fourth, Mansfield broke the game open. Madeira plated a pair of runs on a ground out and Kucharski and Koppy added RBI singles. The next inning, again with two outs, one run scored on an error and Kucharski came through with a two-run single. Sarah Marchand led off the sixth with a walk, stole second, and scored on an error. Kucharski and Slaney finished with three hits apiece, while Avery and Callie Lake and Madeira each had two hits. Amanda Schwarz allowed three hits to pick up the win.




Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 18 vs. North Quincy, 4 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Franklin, 14 @ Concord-Carlisle, 13 – Final (OT) – Franklin rallied from three goals down to force overtime and Katie Peterson found the back of the net to earn a hard-fought win for the Panthers. Peterson scored six times and dished out a pair of assists. Kaitlyn Carney added a pair of goals and a pair of helpers, while Lindsay Atkinson (one assist) and Jamie Tanner each scored twice. Julia Flynn had a big game in the Franklin defense and won three draw controls, including the one in overtime. Franklin’s defense came up big down the stretch, including Riley Cross who recently returned from injury, causing turnovers and allowing the Panthers to overcome the deficit.

King Philip, 11 vs. Hopkinton, 8 – Final – Nicole McDonald scored three times and KP picked up a solid non-league win over Hopkinton. Sammy Cloutier and Emily Heslin each scored twice for the Warriors and Mara Boldy played a strong game defensively to help KP pull out the win.

Taunton, 5 @ Dighton-Rehoboth, 22 – Final – Caroline Vallarelli scored twice for the Tigers, who also got a goal apiece from Maddi Szala, Cali Melo (one assist), and Raquel Azevedo.

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 4 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Behind a pair of wins in both singles and doubles action, the Bombardiers landed a 4-1 win over host Taunton. Both Kyle Neuendorf (6-4, 7-5) and Tyler Rocchio (6-1, 7-6 (1)) earned hard-fought wins at first and second singles, respetively, for Attleboro while Luke Hinton and Brody Rosen (first doubles, 7-5, 6-3), and the tandem of Noam Cook and Clay Tyler (second doubles, 6-1, 6-3) added doubles wins. Taunton’s Heitor Sens continued his stellar season at third singles with a 6-1, 6-4 win.

Foxboro, 4 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final

Franklin, 3 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – Franklin junior Jay Gorgas prevailed in the third set to secure a win at first singles and clinched a 3-2 win for the Panthers. Gorgas won 6-3, 3-6, 6-1 while senior Tyler Fitzpatrick notched a 6-2, 6-1 win at second singles. Franklin also got a win from the team of junior Andrew Amante and sophomore Aaron Ramaswamy (6-3, 6-4) at second doubles. North Attleboro junior Quinn DiFiore posted a 6-2, 6-2 win at third singles, and the team of senior Brody Gaulin and junior Carson Dameron added a 6-2, 6-4 win at first doubles for the Rocketeers.

King Philip, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Milford took a three-set win at first singles but King Philip won the other four matches to secure a win on the road. Arjun Kollu only dropped a pair of games in a 6-1, 6-1 second singles match and Luke Bailor added a 6-2, 6-4 win at third singles for the Warriors. KP swept both doubles matches with Noah Ihley and Brent Schneider landing a 6-4, 6-4 first doubles win and Leo Manning and Logan Riley prevailing 6-7, 6-0, 6-2 at second doubles. Milford’s Tyler Andreotti emerged from first singles with a 6-4, 6-7, 7-6 win.

Sharon, 3 @ Mansfield, 2 – Final – A pair of strong doubles performances plus one singles win anchored the Eagles to a key division win over Mansfield. Sharon’s first doubles team of seniors Hyojae Park and Rithvik Neti picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at first doubles while junior Savir Basil and sophomore Joel Zwicker emerged from doubles with a 7-5, 6-1 win. Junior Matthew Lally added Sharon’s lone singles win with a 6-1, 6-3 victory at second singles. Mansfield sophomore Neema Khosravani prevailed from a tough battle at first singles with a 7-5, 6-4 win, and junior Iniyan Karruppusami scored a 6-2, 6-3 third singles victory.




Girls Tennis
Taunton, 3 @ Attleboro, 2 – Final – Taunton landed two wins in singles action along with one more from doubles play to edge out Attleboro on the road. Junior Ava Alves was impressive in a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles for the Tigers while junior Morgan Smith added a 6-3, 6-1 third singles victory for the visitors. Taunton’s third point came from the junior tandem of Caroline Pietnik and Sam Parrett (6-2, 6-2) at second doubles. Attleboro’s Maddie Fuscaldo notched a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles, and the all-junior tandem of Presley Biller and Kyra Johnson rallied for a 5-7, 6-3, 6-0 win at first doubles.

Stoughton, 2 @ Foxboro, 3 – Final

North Attleboro, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – The Rocketeers used a singles sweep plus one more win in doubles action to secure a win on the road at Franklin. Junior Lauren Hunt (6-1, 6-0), sophomore Megan Atwood (6-4, 6-2), and senior Grace Noreck (6-0, 6-2) all won in straight sets to sweep singles. The all-sophomore tandem of Jayla Stone and Grace Manning rallied for a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (7) win for North’s fourth point. Franklin’s Brooke Daniels and Sydney Tolonen teamed up for a 6-1, 6-3 win at first doubles.

Milford, 0 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – King Philip bounced back from a loss on Monday with a clean sweep on Tuesday, taking all five matches in straight sets. Ahunna James didn’t drop a game in a 6-0, 6-0 first singles, win, Shea Mellman only lost one game in a 6-0, 6-1 second singles victory, and Caroline Freese landed a 6-4, 6-4 win at third singles. KP’s first doubles team of Carlie Burns and Priya Riar notched a 6-2, 6-1 win, and the Warriors’ second doubles team of Lauren Casper and Jaelyn Dang grabbed a 6-1, 6-2 victory.

Mansfield, 0 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Sharon continued its undefeated season with an impressive win over Mansfield, taking all five matches in straight sets. Judy Song (first singles) and Ale Aguilar (third singles) both rolled to 6-0, 6-0 wins while Nayva Shukla landed a 6-1, 6-1 decision at second singles. Both of Sharon’s doubles teams (Sophia Oh and Abby Vilk at first singles, and Ellie Zhao and Zayna Cheima at second doubles) picked up 6-1, 6-1 wins.

Outdoor Track
Franklin @ Milford, 4:15

Boys Volleyball
King Philip vs. Dighton-Rehoboth, 4:45

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/15/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
North Attleboro, 1 @ Dartmouth, 6 – Final – Senior Peter Santoro pitched well in relief for the Rocketeers, tossing three scoreless innings with three hits and no walks, striking out five. Jordan Paradis (RBI) and Gio Martello each had a double and Chris Hanewich scored for North.

Taunton, 10 @ Plymouth North, 3 – Final – Taunton bounced back from a loss on Friday with a big win on the road at Plymouth North. The Tigers plated three runs in the top of the first and never trailed the rest of the way, adding two runs in the third, single runs in the fourth and seventh, and three more in the sixth inning. Braden Sullivan (two runs), Dawson Bryce (two doubles, two RBI, three runs), and Sean Murphy (RBI) each had two hits for Taunton while Ryan MacDougall (double, two RBI), Brayden Cali (two runs), Andrew Cali, and AJ Lewis (run) each had a hit. Brady Morin earned the win in relief, tossing 2.1 shutout innings with three strikeouts while Jack Cali had two scoreless innings in relief with a pair of strikeouts.

Sharon, 6 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Sharon overcame an early two-run deficit by chipping away in the middle innings and pulling away for good with a three-run seventh inning. The host Black Knights jumped out to a 2-0 lead after Jeriel Cuello singled and then scored on a ball put in play by Hunter Malkin in the first inning, and courtesy runner Joey McEachern scored in the second (after a single from James Spector. Sharon responded with a run in the third (Liam Conway triple, wild pitch), one in the fourth (Seth Bonner RBI double), and one more in the fifth (Soham Kulkarni two-out RBI single) to take a 3-2 lead. In the top of the seventh, Cole Arundale tripled and came home on a single from Jake Loomis, who came home on a sac fly from Bonner. Conway’s second triple of the game added another insurance run to stretch the lead to 6-3. Luke Meixel earned the win for the Eagles, allowing two runs (one earned) on two hits and one walk, striking out eight in a complete game.




Softball
Attleboro, 23 @ Holliston, 7 – Final

Canton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 7 – Final – Oliver Ames earned its third straight win, building a big lead early to take down visiting Canton. The Tigers scored the first run in the second, stretched the lead with a four-run third, and scored once more in each the fourth and sixth innings. Maddie Homer (run), Erin Martin (RBI), and Paige Taylor (run) each had two hits for the hosts, Devon Morris drove in two runs and scored two runs, and Crystyliah Covel had one RBI. Katie Melendy earned the win for OA, allowing two runs (both unearned) on five hits and one walk, striking out seven in seven innings.

King Philip, 12 @ Bishop Feehan, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – King Philip collected its second straight win over a top ranked team, this time putting up 12 runs against a top-10 Shamrock squad from Feehan. KP took the lead on Ava Kelley’s RBI single in the first inning, scored three more times in the second, and plated four runs in both the third and fifth innings. Kelley (two runs, RBI), Charlotte Raymond (RBI), Liv Petrillo (two runs), Maddie Paschke (three RBI), and Taylor Regan (RBI, two runs) each had a pair of hits for the Warriors while Libby Walsh had a two-run home run in the fifth. McCoy Walsh tossed a five-inning shutout, allowing three hits and three walks with five strikeouts.

Mansfield, 1 vs. Norton, 13 – Final

North Attleboro, 3 vs. Dartmouth, 0 – Final – Last week, Kelly Colleran had a perfect game over five innings, today she threw one over seven innings. Colleran finished with 16 strike outs, two put outs, and an assist. She also blasted a second inning homer that turned out to be the game-winning run. With two outs, Maryellen Charette would double the lead, driving in Molly Willey. In the fifth, Willey drove in the third run with a fielder’s choice. Emma Hanwell had three hits for the Rocketeers, while Colleran and Arianna McDavitt each had a pair of hits.

Stoughton, 2 @ Norwood, 8 – Final




Boys Lacrosse
Milford, 5 @ Attleboro, 13 – Final

Canton, 12 @ North Attleboro, 10 – Final – Canton erased a three-goal deficit and outscored the host Rocketeers 9-4 in the second to get the win. North staked a 6-3 edge at the break but Canton owned the third and fourth quarters to get the win. Jeff Chaput led the charge with four goals, Michael Thomas and Ethan Keleher each had a hat trick, and AJ Thomas potted a pair for the Bulldogs.

Sharon, 11 @ Foxboro, 4 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. – Sharon used a dominant second quarter to create separation on its way to a key win over division rival Foxboro. The Eagles and Warriors traded goals in the first quarter but the second belonged to Sharon, who outscored the hosts 6-0 in the frame. Foxboro scored the first two goals of the second half but Sharon answered with four straight between the third and fourth quarters to pull away for good. Jordan Burt, Sam Rothbaum, Jordan Weisman, Ryan Brown, and Dylan Cummings each scored twice for the visitors and Edward Bondar found the back of the net once. Matt Powers played well in net for the Eagles. Foxboro’s Conor Noone scored twice while Jon Sacchetti and Tony Sulham each added one.

Franklin, 20 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – Drew Hansen, Eddie O’Brien, and Luke Davis each scored a hat trick to lead Franklin to a win on the road over Oliver Ames. Hansen also had two assists, Davis had one helper, and both Tyler Sacchetti and Jayden Consigli had three points (two goals, one assist). Shaun Teehan scored for OA while Noah Isleib made 17 saves in the cage.

Mansfield, 19 @ Taunton, 0 – Final – Mansfield shut out the Tigers and clinched at least a share of the program’s first Davenport title and first league title since 2012. Tommy Smith led the way offensively, scoring four times and dishing out a pair of assists. Tommy Vallett added a hat trick, Cody Gordon and Andrew Burnham each had a pair of goals and a pair of assists, Drew Sacco scored twice, and Andrew DeGirolamo had a goal and a helper. Liam Barry, Will Riley (assist) Billy Doherty, Taher Mustafa, and Cooper Austin each found the back of the net once. Ryan DeGirolamo made six saves in the Mansfield goal.

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 12 @ Milford, 11 – Final (2OT) – Attleboro rallied for a pair of late goals, including the game-tying goal with under a minute left in regulation, before pulling out the win in the second overtime. Bella Cavalini’s ninth goal of the game from a free position was the game-winner in double overtime while Peyton McAuliffe (16 saves) had a huge stop in the final seconds of the first overtime to keep the Bombardiers in it. Amelia Collins added two goals and two assists and Ryan Mooney added one goal. Leandra Lennon (six ground balls) and Ella Stromfors (five ground balls) played well defensively for the Bombardiers. Emily Croteau lead Milford with six goals and one assists, Alexa Landry and Kaitlin Landy each found the back of the net twice, and TJ Downing scored once. Caitlyn Bangert made 10 saves for the Scarlet Hawks.

North Attleboro, 5 @ Canton, 11 – Final

Foxboro, 17 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Mya Waryas (two assists), Cate Noone (four assists), and Paige Curran (four assists) each had a hat trick for Foxboro in a win on the road. Mia DiNunzio (one goal), Kaelin Connors (goal, two assists), and Kathryn Ferguson (assist) all chipped in offensively in the win.

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Franklin, 22 – Final – The Panthers had 12 players find the back of the net and senior Lindsay Atkinson recorded her 100th career point in a win over Oliver Ames. Ella Mahoney and Maise Streeseman both played well in net.

Stoughton, 2 @ King Philip, 18 – Final – King Philip built a big lead early and never looked back in their first ever matchup with Stoughton. Haley Bright and Rose Campbell each had their first varsity goals in the win while Sammy Cloutier (two assists), Makenzie McDevitt, Nikki McDonald, and Ilah Weiblen each scored twice. Sarah Brown chipped in with three points, scoring once with two helpers. Morgan Groppi scored a pair of goals for the Black Knights.

Taunton, 3 @ Mansfield, 15 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game. On senior night, goalie Caitlyn Zajac made 11 saves, including the 400th of her career, and scored her first varsity goal to help the Hornets pick up the win. Ava Adams scored five goals and dished out an assist, while pulling down seven draw controls. Brooke Butler scored five times and had three assists to lead the attack. Stella Moore had a pair of goals and Lola Varricchione and Carys Colby each scored once. Rose Maher had three helpers and Bella Sacchetti had one. Maddi Szala had two goals and an assist for the Tigers, Raquel Azevedo notched one assist, and Mel Jesus made 11 saves.







Boys Tennis
Canton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final

Milford, 0 @ Medway, 5 – Final

North Attleboro @ Dartmouth – Postponed

Sharon, 3 vs. Martha’s Vineyard, 2 – Final – Sharon extracted revenge against Martha’s Vineyard, treating the visitors to a 3-2 win in a rematch from earlier this season. Senior Matthew Lally earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at second singles and junior Alex Budovalcev sank his opponent with a 4-6, 6-1, 6-3 comeback win at third singles. The team of Kevin Li and Hyojae Park helped the Eagles clinch the win with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at second doubles.

Mansfield, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – Mansfield took three wins from singles and one more from doubles to return home from Franklin with a 4-1 verdict over the Panthers. Sophomore Neema Khosravani notched a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles, junior Nikhil Nain added a 4-6, 6-2, 6-2 win at second singles, and junior Iniyan Karruppusami dropped just one game in a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of junior Jacob Weiner and sophomore Josh Weiner emerged from first doubles with a 4-6, 6-4, 7-6 (5) comeback win. Franklin’s Andrew Amante and Aaron Ramaswamy recorded a 7-6 (4), 6-4 win at second doubles.

Taunton, 4 @ Durfee, 1 – Final – Martin Frankimet overcame a one-set deficit to take a win at second singles, highlighting the Tigers’ victory over Durfee. Frankimet earned a 3-6, 6-3, 6-3 win, Michael Kimmer added a 6-2, 6-2 win at first singles, and Heitor Sens completed the singles sweep with a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles. Taunton’s first doubles team of Kenny Dias and Rowan Kimmer emerged with a hard-fought 6-3, 3-6, 7-5 win for the Tigers.

Girls Tennis
Oliver Ames, 5 @ Canton, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames returned from a trip to Canton with a clean sweep, 5-0, over the Bulldogs. Hannah Farber had an impressive win in a top battle, taking a 6-1, 6-1 win at first singles, Olivia Querzoli prevailed in a super tiebreaker (6-3, 4-6, 10-3), and Stella Zachos secured a 6-2, 6-2 win at third singles. OA’s first doubles team of Emily Beaulieu and Ava Barth prevailed in a tight battle 6-4, 6-7 (2), 10-4, and the Tigers’ second doubles tandem of Marina Mierzwinski and Ella Mierzwinski earned a 6-1, 7-5 win.

King Philip, 0 vs. Bishop Feehan, 5 – Final

North Attleboro, 4 vs. Dartmouth, 1 – Final – A trio of dominant singles wins highlighted North Attleboro’s 4-1 win over visiting Dartmouth. Lauren Hunt rolled 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, Megan Atwood notched a 6-2, 6-3 win at second singles, and Grace Noreck recorded a 6-1, 6-2 victory at third singles. North’s second doubles team of Jayla Stone and Grace Manning prevailed 7-6 (5), 6-3.

Sharon, 4 @ Martha’s Vineyard, 1 – Final – Sharon took wins in both doubles matches and added two more wins in singles action to earn a season sweep of Martha’s Vineyard. Nayya Shukla (6-0, 6-2) and Ale Aguilar (6-2, 6-0) both dropped only two games total at second and third singles victories. The team of Abby Vilk and Jenny Sand impressed in a 6-0, 6-3 first doubles win, and Ellie Zhao and Olivia Landstein rolled at second doubles to the tune of 6-0, 6-0.

Franklin, 5 @ Mansfield, 0 – Final – The Panthers won all five matches in straight sets to stay tied with North Attleboro at the top of the Kelley-Rex. Izzy Trull (6-1, 6-1), Brooke Taylor (6-1, 6-0), and Chloe Essam (7-5, 6-2) won their singles matches for Franklin. The doubles teams of Brooke Daniels and Sydney Tolonen (6-4, 6-1) and Allison Bagley and Ava Davies (6-1, 6-1) made it a clean sweep for the visitors.

Taunton, 4 vs. Durfee, 1 – Final – Taunton swept doubles action and won a pair of singles matches in straight sets to topple the visiting Hilltoppers. Juniors Janelle Garcia and Courtney Martin teamed up for a 6-4, 6-0 first doubles win while the junior tandem of Caroline Pietnik and Sam Parrett notched a 6-0, 6-3 victory at second doubles. Junior Ava Alves prevailed 6-4, 6-1 at second singles for the Tigers while classmate Morgan Smith recorded a 6-2, 6-2 win at third singles.

Boys Volleyball
King Philip vs. Millis, 4:45
Milford vs. Newton South, 6:15

Taunton, 3 vs. Barnstable, 1 – Final – After dropping the first set, Taunton rallied to win three in a row, including a marathon fourth set to clinch the victory (22-25, 25-16, 25-18, 34-32). Bradley Hyland continues to anchor the defense for the Tigers, recording 21 digs and three aces in the win. Daniel Freitas was putting the ball up perfectly, finishing with an impressive 60 assists in win; Freitas set up Matt Freitas (27 kills), Alvin Morisseau (12 kills, three blocks), Josh Duncan (nine kills, one block), Owen Kelley (eight kills, 10 digs), and Anotnios Dimakis (five kills, three blocks).

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.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/10/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 0 @ Milford, 7 – Final – Milford mustered up some early offense and senior Evan Cornelius was in control on the mound to help the Hawks land a key win over Kelley-Rex rival Attleboro. A three-run first inning proved to be all the run support Cornelius needed but Milford added on one run in the third, one in the fourth, and two more insurance runs in the sixth. Cornelius tossed six shutout innings, scattering three hits and four walks along with five strikeouts to earn the win; Mason Baldic threw two scoreless innings in relief, allowing only one hit and one walk while fanning five. Offensively, Damien Carter went 2-for-3 with another triple, recording one RBI and three runs. Nick Koch added two hits from the leadoff pot, Sean McGee drove in three runs, and Keith Lee had one RBI the win. Brody McKenna had a single, a walk, and stole two bases for Attleboro.

Sharon, 1 @ Canton, 13 – Final (5 Inn.) – Canton had three big innings offensively, punctuated with a six-run fifth inning to end the contest. Matt Chafin went 2-for-4 (four RBI, three runs, stolen base) including a three-run home run to put an exclamation mark on the win. Hayden Rose (RBI, run) added two doubles, Jack Digirolamo had a single, two RBI, and two runs, and both Matt Hart and Matt Lesser had two RBI in the win. Kyle Redquest had a solid showing on the mound, allowing just one hit on eight hits and one walk. Harry Librot went 2-for-2 for the Eagles while Liam Conway, Palash Raina, Drew Yaffe, Alex Coughlin, and Seth Bonner each had a hit.

Foxboro, 2 @ Mansfield, 8 – Final – Sparked by a two-out home run from Matt DeShiro in the first inning, Mansfield landed a key win over fellow Davenport title contender and rival Foxboro on Wednesday. The Warriors took the momentum early on Sean O’Leary’s solo home run in the top of the first but DeShiro answered in the bottom half, scoring Sam Martin — who had a two-out walk — to take the lead for good. The Hornets extended their lead with four runs in the second and tacked on two more in the fourth after the Warriors got one back in the top half. DeShiro, Conner Zukowski (triple, two RBI, two runs), and Jake Maydak (two doubles, RBI) each had two RBIs in the win while Brian Butler had a single, two walks, a stolen base, and a run scored. Connor Curtis earned the win, scattering five hits and two walks for two runs, striking out eight in 6.1 innings of work; DeShiro got the last two outs, including one strikeout. O’Leary finished 2-for-3, adding a second RBI with a double in the top of the fourth, scoring Ryan LeClair (triple).

King Philip, 0 @ Franklin, 4 – Final – Franklin junior lefty Austin Campbell dazzled on the mound, tossing a complete game shutout against a talented King Philip squad. Campbell allowed only three hits — all singles — and issued just one walk while striking out eight in seven scoreless innings. The Panthers provided run support by pushing a pair of runs across the plate in both the third and fourth innings. Senior Ryan Carlucci led off the bottom of the third with a double and moved to third on a sacrifice from Ryan Gerety. A single to right from Jase Lyons opened the scoring, and then Lyons — who stole second — came sprinting home on a single from Eisig Chin. Matt Kelley had a leadoff single for KP in the top of the fourth but was caught stealing by Franklin catcher Tyler Bellan. A one-out single from Ethan DePaolo ignited the Panthers in the fourth as Luke Sidwell reached on an error to put two runners on. DePaolo came home to score on a single from Carlucci and Sidwell scored on a sac fly from Gerety to make it 4-0. Rudy Gately pitched well in the loss, allowing four runs (two earned) on eight hits and one walk, striking out four in six innings.

Taunton, 9 @ North Attleboro, 0 – Final – In just his third career start, Taunton sophomore Johnny Escobalez tossed a no-hitter as the Tigers bounced back in a big way by blanking North Attleboro. Escobalez retired the side in order in the first, second, third, fifth, and sixth innings; after a pair of walks to start the seventh, the sophomore got back-to-back strikeouts before getting a grounder to second to end it. He quickly worked around a leadoff error in the fourth, erasing a pair on strikes, finishing with 11 for the day. Offensively, Taunton took the lead on a solo home run from Ryan MacDougall in the second and never looked back, plating four more in the third, one more in the fifth, and three in the seventh. Brayden Cali went 3-for-3 with a double, two RBI, and two runs, and Sean Murphy added two hits, including a double, with two RBI. Braden Sullivan, Dawson Bryce, and Shawn Cali also had an RBI in the win.

Oliver Ames, 12 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final (6 inn.) – Andrew Zagami had a strong performance on the mound and Oliver Ames’ offense roared to life in a big win on the road at Stoughton. Zagami scattered five hits and no walks, striking out five in six shutout innings. Offensively, Lucas Riley had a big day at the plate as he went 3-for-4 with five RBI and three runs scored. Harrison Fitzpatrick (two runs), Matt Lawson (two RBI, run), and Patrick Finnerty (two runs) each added two hits, Ryan Lemay had a double and two runs scored, Drew Hall added a double, Jack Perron had two RBI, and both David Rodgers and Nick Ferrini drove in a run.








Softball
Milford, 0 @ Attleboro, 13 – Final (5 Inn.) – After being no-hit on Tuesday, Attleboro’s offense rebounded quickly. The Bombardiers pounded out 14 hits to bounce back with a win. Paige Quaglia and Lily Routhier both drove in four runs to lead the Attleboro attack at the plate. Freshman Jenna Callahan allowed only three hits (just one to the outfield) to pick up the shutout in the circle. Attleboro took the lead in the first when Sarah Maher reached on a bunt hit, stole second, reached third on a throwing error, and scored on a passed ball. In the second, Emily Eby led off with a single, stole second and scored on a single by Quaglia. The game was broken open in the third. Lauren Eby singled in a run and Quaglia blasted a homer over the fence in right to plate three more and make it 6-0. Milford got out of the inning on a nice lunging grab by shortstop Olivia Baglione. Attleboro added four more in the fourth. Routhier brought in one with a single, Emily Eby drove in a pair with a single, and Callahan helped her own cause with an RBI groundout. Milford center fielder Sarah Wengal threw out a runner at the plate for an inning-ending double play. In the seventh, leading by 10, Routhier ripped a walk-off, bases loaded double to left center, bringing in all three runs.

Canton, 15 @ Sharon, 2 – Final – Chloe Guerschuny (two RBI), Sam Grady (three RBI), and Kailyn Durham (two RBI) led the charge offensively for the Bulldogs with two hits apiece, and Shaelyn Murphy earned the win in the circle with just two hits allowed.

Mansfield, 3 @ Foxboro, 10 – Final – After a scoreless first inning, Foxboro scored in each inning after en route to a 10-3 verdict over visiting Mansfield. Freshman Meghan Kelley went 3-for-4 with a run, sophomore Emma Callahan added two hits, two runs, and an RBI, and junior Fiona Dunn went 2-for-4 with a double, two RBI and a run scored for the Warriors. Sophomore Ava Hill also drove in two runs for Foxboro while freshman Mia Flanagan had a double, an RBI, and two runs. Vittoria Cuscia earned the win in the circle, allowing three runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk, striking out nine. Jill Koppy went 2-for-3 with an RBI and a run scored for the Hornets while Callie Lake, Molly Kucharski, Avery Lake, and Dani Jameson each had one hit.

Franklin, 0 @ King Philip, 12 – Final (5 Inn.) – King Philip senior Liv Ali punctuated a big third inning with a bases-clearing triple and the Warriors rolled to a big win over Franklin, earning a season sweep of the Panthers. Ava Kelley, Maddie Paschke, and senior Ava Lanza (2-for-3, three RBI, run) each drove in a run before Ali ripped a double to center to score three runs in a six-run third inning. Senior Charlotte Raymond had a big day at the dish, launching a first-inning home run to present KP with another early 2-0 lead and added a double as well. Senior Sarah Cullen had a double, an RBI, and a run scored, senior Libby Walsh scored two runs, and senior Charlotte Griffin had a leadoff single in the second, a walk, and scored two runs. McCoy Walsh allowed just one hit and one walk in five shutout innings, striking out nine.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Taunton, 1 – Final – Taunton sophomore Brooke Aldrich led off the bottom of the seventh with a triple to right field and came home to score on a wild pitch two batters later to hand the Tigers a walk-off win after another pitcher’s duel between the two squads. Sam Lincoln dazzled in the circle for the hosts, tossing a no-hitter shutout with only one walk issued, striking out 15. Kelly Colleran was equally impressive for the Rocketeers, holding a dangerous lineup to one run on four hits and no walks, striking out 13. Kyleah Plumb and Bella Bourque had bunt singles in the sixth but Colleran stranded them at second and third with a big strikeout. Kaysie DeMoura also had a single for Taunton.

Stoughton, 7 @ Oliver Ames, 8 – Final – Oliver Ames jumped out to an 8-0 lead in the first three innings but had to hold off a furious comeback bid from the Black Knights, escaping a bases loaded jam in the top of the seventh inning to earn a key division win. Doubles from Maddie Homer, Devon Morris, and Caitlin Miller helped the Tigers push across three runs in the first inning while a two-run double from Paige Taylor and a two-run home run from Homer highlighted a five-run third for OA, resulting in an 8-0 advantage. Stoughton’s offense came alive in the sixth as Julie Powers, Anna Hobbs, Kerry Driscoll, Leila Alaoui, and Camryn Whitman all had RBIs to score six runs and get Stoughton right back into the game. Alyssa Edwards (walk) scored on a single from Whitman in the top of the seventh to cut the deficit to just 8-7, and Caitlin Driscoll reached on a bunt to load the bases with one out. OA pitcher Katie Melendy induced a grounder to Homer at short and she got the force out at home, and then Melendy got a shallow pop up to second for the final out.




Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 4 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 13 – Final

King Philip, 5 @ North Attleboro, 6 – Final – North extracted revenge from the first meeting between the two squads, squeaking out a one-goal victory in a non-league contest. For KP, Noah Minkwitz (assist), Hayden Schmitz (assist), Donovan DeVellis, Tommy Kilroy, and Henry LeClair each scored once, Mason Thompson recorded two assists, and James Boldy made 12 saves in net.

Mansfield, 16 @ Braintree, 4 – Final – Mansfield picked up a big non-league win on Wednesday. Tommy Smith (two assists), Cody Gordon, Nico Smith (one assist), and Andrew Burnham all recorded hat tricks for the Hornets. Tommy Vallett had three assists and Andrew DeGirolamo had one helper. Drew Sacco added two goals and an assist. Nico Smith was 14-of-15 on face-offs to give Mansfield plenty of offensive opportunities and Ryan DeGirolamo made 11 saves.

Milford, 10 vs. Seekonk, 7 – Final – Milford avenged a loss to the Warriors from earlier this season, notching a 10-7 non-league victory on Wednesday afternoon. Jayden Martins had a big day for the Scarlet Hawks as he found the back of the net six times while Jacob Ligor added two assists and freshman Harry Baldic chipped in with a goal.

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 15 @ Bridgewater-Raynham, 14 – Final (OT)

Canton, 5 vs. Natick, 15 – Final – Devan Spinale hit a career milestone but the Bulldogs couldn’t keep pace with visiting Natick in a non-league clash. Spinale had two goals and assist, eclipsing the 100-point mark for her career. Emily McCabe added three goals and Ashley Balunas made eight saves in net for Canton.

Milford, 6 @ Norwood, 13 – Final

Sharon @ Ursuline Academy, 4:00

Taunton, 15 @ Stoughton, 10 – Final – Five different Tigers found the back of the net as Taunton went on the road and landed a win over Stoughton. Maddi Szala led the charge with a team-high six goals as well as two assists and Taryn Campbell notched four goals in the win. Cali Melo had a hat trick along with two helpers, Raquel Azevedo had one goal and one assist, and Caroline Vallarelli (goal) and Isabella Leite (assist) each had one point. Mel Jesus made 14 saves for the Tigers. Morgan Groppi (10 draw controls) and Amanda Reid each had three goals to lead Stoughton, Nicole Reid (two goals) and Casey Groppi (two assists) each had two points, and both Hazel McBurney and Sarah Riker scored once for the Black Knights. Jordan Coleman made five saves in net for the hosts.




Boys Tennis
Milford, 1 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Attleboro’s Kyle Neuendorf bounced back after dropping the first set to emerge victorious at first singles, highlighting the Bombardiers’ 4-1 win over Milford. Neuendorf rallied for a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win while Tyler Rocchio emerged from a tight first set at second singles to land a 7-5, 7-1 win. Attleboro’s first doubles pairing of Luke Hinton and Brady Rosen notched a 6-4, 6-1 win, and Noam Cook and Clay Tyler rolled at second doubles to a 6-0, 6-0 verdict. Milford’s Corey Rattray took a 6-4, 6-4 decision at third singles.

Canton, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – Sharon dropped just two games total from its two doubles matches and added two more straight set victories in singles action to take down visiting Canton. Sava Kassev and Rithvik Neti only lost one game in the second set (6-0, 6-1) at first doubles while Joel Zwicker and Savir Basil dropped just one game in the first set (6-1, 6-0) to sweep doubles action. Junior Matthew Lally added a 6-2, 6-2 win at second singles and Alex Budovalcev earned a 6-2, 6-0 win at third singles. Canton junior Max Kupferman was once again on his game, taking a 6-0, 6-4 win at first singles.

Mansfield, 4 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – A clean sweep in singles action highlighted Mansfield’s road win at Foxboro. Neema Khosravani (6-3, 6-2 at first singles), Nikhil Nain (7-5, 6-4), and Iniyan Karruppusami (6-2, 6-2) all won in straight sets in singles action for the Hornets while Mansfield’s first doubles tandem of Josh Weiner and Jacob Weiner landed a 6-2, 7-5 win. Foxboro’s second doubles pairing of Greg Simone and Nathan Cote prevailed in see-saw battle by wining both sets via tiebreaker (7-6 (4), 7-6 (0)).

Franklin, 3 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – Franklin won first doubles in three sets, clinched a win at second doubles with a second set tiebreaker, and added one win from singles action to edge out host King Philip. Franklin senior Eric Tomaino and junior Ahan Shetty prevailed in the third set after splitting the first two for a win at first doubles (6-2, 6-7 (5), 6-2) while Aaron Ramaswamy and Andrew Amante closed out a competitive second doubles match in straight sets with a 6-3, 7-6 (8) win. Franklin senior Tyler Fitzpatrick added a key singles win, landing a 6-3, 6-1 win at second singles. KP’s Jacksom Hom won 6-4, 6-1 at first singles and Arjun Kollu added a 6-0, 6-2 win at third single.

North Attleboro, 3 @ Taunton, 2 – Final – Brody Carter emerged with a hard-fought win at first singles and North Attleboro swept doubles action to take a 3-2 decision over a much-improved Taunton squad. Carter prevailed 7-5, 6-2 at first singles, the team of Brody Gaulin and Carson Dameron only lost one game in a 6-1, 6-0 win at first doubles, and the team of juniors Arnav Raghuvanshi and Aaryan Anjna overcame a one-set deficit at second doubles to clinch the win (3-6, 6-3, 6-2). Taunton’s Martin Frankimet earned a 6-4, 6-1 win at second singles and Heitor Sens landed a 6-4, 6-4 third singles victory.

Stoughton, 2 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final

Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 4 @ Milford, 1 – Final – Attleboro won in straight sets at first and third singles as well as both doubles matches to return home from Milford with a 4-1 victory. Maddie Fuscaldo notched a 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles and Aarna Sodhani dropped just two games in a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles for the Bombardiers. Attleboro’s first doubles team of Zoe Stanley and Kyra Johnson impressed in a 6-1, 6-0 result while the all-sophomore tandem of Julia Leonardo and Katie Lortos added a 6-1, 7-5 win at second doubles for the visitors. Milford senior Kaylee Whitney recorded a 6-1, 7-5 win at second singles.

Sharon, 4 @ Canton, 1 – Final – Sophomore Camila Cutter had an impressive win at first singles for the Bulldogs but Sharon’s depth was on full display as the Eagles returned from Canton with a 4-1 decision. Cutter came out of a back-and-forth first singles battle with a 6-4, 6-4 win. Sharon junior Navya Shukla (6-1, 6-4) and senior Ale Aguilar (6-1, 6-0) took wins at second and third singles, respectively, for the Eagles. The team of seniors Sophia Oh and Abby Vilk won a tiebreaker in the first set before completing the win in the second (7-6 (0), 6-1), and senior Ellie Zhao and junior Akshata Adkoli added a 7-5, 6-1 win at second doubles for Sharon.

Foxboro, 1 @ Mansfield, 4 – Final – Mansfield won two of three singles matches and both doubles matches to avenge an earlier loss to the Warriors and secure its first victory of the season. Claire Copp won 7-5, 6-1 at second singles and Caroline Guravauge took third singles 6-2, 6-0. The second doubles team of Rachel Goldman and Anushka Srivastava swept second doubles without dropping a game. The first doubles match went three sets. Savannah Corey and Jillian Hanley took the first set 6-3, but Foxboro’s Katelynn Dineen and Emily Stow rallied to win the second 6-1. The Hornets got the point with a 10-4 tiebreaker win in the third. Foxboro’s Hailey Kornbluth continued her dominant season at first singles, winning 6-0, 6-0.

King Philip, 2 @ Franklin, 3 – Final – Franklin swept both doubles matches and one key win in singles action to secure a close 3-2 win over visiting King Philip. Sophomores Brooke Daniels and Sydney Tolonen continued their impressive campaign at first doubles for the Panthers, notching a 6-0, 6-3 win, and Franklin’s second doubles team of senior Allison Bagley and junior Ava Davies prevailed in a tight match 6-4, 6-4. Junior Brooke Taylor was impressive in a 6-0, 6-0 victory at third singles for the hosts. KP’s Ahunna James dropped just one game in a convincing 6-0, 6-1 first singles win and junior Shea Mellman added a 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles.

Oliver Ames, 5 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Oliver Ames overcame one-set deficits at both second and third singles to finish off the sweep of Stoughton. Hannah Farber continued to roll at first singles for the Tigers, who were playing their third match in as many days. Farber notched a 6-0, 6-2 win, Olivia Querzoli bounced back from dropping the first set to win in a super tiebreak (4-6, 7-5, 10-5), and Stella Zachos did the same at third singles after dropping a tiebreaker in the first set (6-7 (3), 7-5, 10-8). OA’s first doubles team of Ava Barth and Emily Beaulieu dropped just two games in a 6-0, 6-2 victory while Marina Mierzwinski and Ella Mierzwinski teamed up to take a 6-0, 6-4 win at second doubles.

Boys Volleyball
King Philip, 1 @ Norwood, 3 – Final
Milford, 0 @ St. John’s Prep, 3 – Final

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/01/23

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Attleboro, 5 vs. Bishop Feehan, 4 – Final – After seeing its two-run lead disappear in the top of the seventh, Attleboro rallied to plate one in the bottom half and walk off with a win over non-league rival Bishop Feehan. The visiting Shamrocks scored once in the first and once in the third to carry a 2-0 lead into the fifth inning but back-to-back RBIs from Andrew Gorman and Casey Victorio brought the Bombardiers level. An inning later, Matt Harvie smacked an RBI double to put Attleboro ahead for the first time and Ran Martin followed with an RBI single to score Jackson Huntington (walk) to make it 4-2. Bishop Feehan came through with two outs in the top of the seventh to tie the game but Attleboro once again had an answer. Huntington led off with a walk and moved to second on a single from Victorio. Pinch runner Owen Lombardo moved to third on a fielder’s choice then sprinted home on a wild pitch for the winning run. Jonny Pagano pitched well with just two runs allowed on seven hits and one walk, striking out eight in six innings. Danny Johnson earned the win in relief pitching the seventh inning.

Taunton, 11 vs. Shrewsbury, 1 – Final (6 Inn.) – In a big non-league test against another team ranked in the top 10 in Division 1, Taunton passed with flying colors. The Tigers wasted little time as they plated a pair of runs in the first and then added three runs in second, two more in the fifth, and ended the game with a four-run sixth inning. Braden Sullivan led the hit parade for the hosts, accounting for three of Taunton’s 14 hits on the day. Sullivan also scored three runs while Brayden Cali (RBI, two run), Ryan MacDougall (three RBI), and Dwayne Burgo (triple, two RBI, run) each had two hits. Taunton sophomore Johnny Escobalez had his second straight strong showing on the mound, allowing just one run (unearned) on three hits and no walks, striking out 10 in six innings.

Milford, 11 @ Stoughton, 1 – Final (5 Inn.) – Milford junior Sean McGee had a huge day at the plate with three hits and four RBI, leading the Scarlet Hawks to a big win on the road. McGee finished 3-for-3 with a run and an RBI double in the sixth that pushed Milford’s lead to double-digits. He was one of six Hawks with an RBI; senior Evan Cornelius and sophomore Nick Koch both had a double and two RBI, and Damien Carter (triple), Tony Fontes, and Brady Butler each had one RBI. Anthony LaPierre got the win for the visitors, allowing one run on three hits and a walk, striking out five in four innings while Mason Baldic tossed a scoreless inning in relief. Stoughton’s Hunter Malkin went 2-for-2 with a double and an RBI for the Black Knights.

Canton, 0 @ Franklin, 7 – Final – Franklin took an early lead with three runs in the first three innings and then pulled away for good with a four-run sixth inning in a win over Canton. The Panthers had just seven hits, getting doubles from Henry Digiorgio (RBI), Tyler Bellan, and Luke Sidwell (run), and singles from Ryan Gerety (two RBI, two runs), Jase Lyons (two runs), Ben Jarosz (RBI), and Rex Cinelli (RBI). Austin Campbell dominated on the mound, allowing just one hit with six walks, striking out 13 in six innings of work. Dillon Cashin struck out a pair in a scoreless inning in relief.








Softball
Bishop Feehan, 3 @ Attleboro, 7 – Final
Sharon vs. Ursuline Academy – Postponed to TBD.

Boys Lacrosse
Sharon, 15 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final

Foxboro, 4 @ Mansfield, 13 – Final – Ryan DeGirolamo continued his strong season in the cage, making 22 saves and the Hornets pulled out an important division win. Aidan Steele led a strong defensive effort by Mansfield, holding Foxboro to just four goals. Tommy Smith sparked the offense for the hosts, with four goals and three assists. Andrew Burnham aded a hat trick and a pair of assists, Andrew DeGirolamo scored twice and assisted another, and Drew Sacco had two goals and two assists. Mansfield also got goals from Grady Sullivan and Cody Gordon, who set up two other scores.

Milford, 0 @ Franklin, 20 – Final

King Philip, 15 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – King Philip and Oliver Ames were locked in a two-goal battle at halftime but the Warriors controlled the second half and pulled away from the win. Donovan DeVellis (two assists) and Noah Minkwitz paced the KP offense with four goals apiece while Hayden Schmitz had a game-high seven points with three goals and four helpers. Mason Thompson added two goals and one assist, Cullen McCarthy (two assists) and Justin Kosh each scored once, and both Tommy Kilroy (two assists) and Alex Viscusi (one assist) each recorded a helper. Ben Reardon led OA with three goals while Ryan Jaco had one goal and an assist. James Boldy had 12 saves and one assist for KP while Noah Isleib made 15 saves for the Tigers.

Taunton, 2 @ North Attleboro, 17 – Final – Taunton senior Colt Kennedy scored both of the goals for the Tigers while freshman goalie Oren Cullins came up with 17 saves.




Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 15 @ Sharon, 5 – Final – Attleboro’s Molly Moore, Amelia Collins, and Isabella Cavallini each scored a hat trick to lead the Bombardiers to a big win on the road at Sharon. Cavallini also had three assists to finish with a team-high six pints, Addison Papagolos added two goals and one helper, Jordan Mooney chipped in with four points (one goal, three assists), and Gabriela Sprovieri had one goal and two assists. Peyton McAuliffe made seven saves in net for the Bombardiers.

Canton, 16 @ Stoughton, 2 – Final – Canton had nine different players find the back in the net in their first matchup with neighboring Stoughton, recording a 16-2 win. Emily McCabe, Devan Spinale, and Kayleigh Koen led the charge with three goals apiece.

Mansfield, 6 @ Foxboro, 18 – Final – Foxboro celebrated senior night with a big win over rival Mansfield, including a monster performance from senior Paige Curran. Curran found the back of the net seven times and had two assists to lead the charge. Val Beigel and Mya Waryas each had three goals and three assists, Mary Collins added two goals, Cate Noone set the offense in motion with one goal and six assists, and both Addie Riley and Grace Riley scored once each. Audrey Campbell made three saves in net for the Warriors.

Franklin, 23 @ Milford, 3 – Final – Carly Haley scored a pair of goals and Emily Croteau added one for the Scarlet Hawks.

Oliver Ames, 1 @ King Philip, 19 – Final – Nicole MacDonald led the way for the Warriors with five goals and Alyssa Legere added four scores and an assist. Makenzie McDevitt had a hat trick and dished out a helper, while Lauren Obara found the back of the net for her first varsity goal. Catie Wilson had the lone goal for the Tigers.

North Attleboro, 17 @ Taunton, 7 – Final – For Taunton, Maddi Szala and Cali Melo each scored a pair of goals while Hailey Tanguay, Raquel Azevedo, and Talia O’Leary each scored once. Caroline Bizinha and Taryn Campbell also had an assist while Mel Jesus made 13 saves for the Tigers.




Boys Tennis
King Philip, 1 vs. Bishop Feehan, 4 – Final – Arjun Kollu was the lone winner for the host Warriors, emerging from a tightly-contested second singles match with a 6-2, 3-6, 6-3 win.

Sharon, 2 vs. Martha’s Vineyard, 3 – Final – Sharon put up a great fight against powerhouse Martha’s Vineyard with four matches going three sets but the Eagles ultimately fell just short, 3-2. Junior Alex Budovalcev rolled to a 6-1, 6-1 win at third singles for the Eagles, and the team of Joel Zwicker and Kevin Li added a 6-2, 4-6, 6-2 win at second doubles. Sharon went to three sets in the other three matches, and fell by just two games in each of them.

Mansfield, 2 vs. Westwood, 3 – Final – Mansfield earned a pair of wins from singles action but it was Westwood that swept doubles and had one singles win to get the match. Neema Khosravani picked up a 6-1, 6-3 win at first singles and Iniyan Karruppusami added a 7-5, 6-3 win at third singles.

Girls Tennis
Milford, 1 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Canton took a pair of wins from both singles and doubles play to defend home court, 4-1, against visiting Milford. Camila Cutter dropped just two games total on her way to a 6-1, 6-1 win at first singles while Olivia Durham prevailed from a hard-fought battle at second singles with a 6-4, 7-5 win. The team of Grace Powers and Kelli Woodworth added a 6-3, 7-5 win at first doubles for the Bulldogs, and Panayiota Michaelidis and Liv McCloskey overcame a one-set deficit to secure a 3-6, 6-2, 6-2 win at second doubles. Milford’s Mallory Brickley rallied from a one-set deficit for a 1-6, 6-1, 6-3 win at third singles.

King Philip, 0 @ Bishop Feehan, 5 – Final

Sharon, 4 vs. Martha’s Vineyard, 1 – Final – Sharon secured one of its best wins of the season, taking down visiting Martha’s Vineyard with a 4-1 verdict. Navya Shukla was impressive in a 6-1, 6-0 victory at second singles and Ale Aguilar added a 7-6, 3-2 (default) win at third singles. The Eagles swept both doubles matches with Olivia Landstein and Sophia Oh taking a 6-2, 6-1 decision at first doubles and the team of Abby Vilk and Jenny Sand dominated in a 6-0, 6-0 sweep at second doubles.

Mansfield, 0 @ Westwood, 5 – Final

Boys Volleyball
King Philip, 3 @ Norton, 1 – Final

Taunton, 3 @ Brockton, 2 – Final – Taunton rallied to win two sets in a row to overcome a 2-1 deficit, taking a 3-2 (25-21, 18-25, 16-25, 25-17, 15-11) win over host Brockton. Bradley Hylander was the heart of the Taunton defense with 24 digs and Ty Ekstrom set the offense in motion with 33 assists, adding five digs and two aces. Matt Freitas was the go-to option at the net with 21 kills, adding eight digs and four aces while Owen Kelley added 11 kills, 13 digs, and two ace, Erick Foster chipped in with 10 kills and three blocks, and Alvin Morisseau and Josh Duncan each finished with five kills apiece.