Tag: Emily Valentino

Panthers Power Past Wellesley In Tournament Opener

Franklin softball Kate Fallon-Comeau Anna Balkus
Franklin head coach Kate Fallon-Comeau waves Anna Balkus home in a game against Wellesley. (Peter Raider/HockomockSports.com)

By Joe Clark, HockomockSports.com Contributor

FRANKLIN, Mass. — In a preliminary round matchup in MIAA Division One South tournament the 11th-seeded Franklin softball team played a near-flawless game, shutting out #22 Wellesley with a convincing 11-0 win.

After allowing a one-out single in the top of the first inning, Panther starter Jackie Cherry (4.1 IP, 1H, 5K) was lights out and didn’t allow another Raider hit while she was in the game.

Meanwhile, Franklin wasted little time to get its offense in gear. In the bottom of the first, Anna Balkus reached on a bunt single and came home two batters later on an RBI triple by Sarah Jackson.

Franklin struck again in the bottom of the third, this time for five runs as it sent nine batters to the plate. Ally Shea led off with a single and Balkus followed with a base hit. Maddy White grounded into a fielder’s choice, but with runners on first and first, Gabby Colace came through with an RBI single and Tara Hartnett did the same in Franklin’s next at-bat.

Cherry helped her own cause with a two-run single to center to put the Panthers up 5-0. Kylie Bouzan reached on an infield single, but the late throw to first was high, which allowed Cherry, who advanced to third on the single, to score.

“Attack…if you see a good pitch, hit it,” said Franklin manager Kate Fallon-Comeau on her team’s strategy at the plate.

In the bottom of the fourth, Franklin once again sent nine batters to the plate and scored another five runs. The script was similar to the prior inning, as both Shea and Balkus reached on singles, and White came through with a single. A throwing error scored Shea, and Jackson got her second RBI of the night as she singled to score Balkus. Colace brought home White with another single, and Cherry picked up her third and fourth RBI with another base hit.

Franklin wasn’t done hitting yet, however, as in the bottom of the fifth, Shea singled for Franklin, her third hit of the game, and also the 100th of her illustrious career at Franklin.

Cherry was replaced in the top of the fifth for Emily Valentino, who retired eight of the nine batters she faced in relief, with the lone hit being a single by MacKenzie O’Neil in the top of the sixth. Cherry and Valentino combined to allow just two hits while striking out eight.

“Both Jackie and Emily had a good day on the mound, Jackie kind of settled in after the first inning, really shut them down and Emily came right in and picked up where Jackie left off so it was nice to see,” Fallon-Comeau said about Franklin’s pitching performance.

With the win, Franklin moves on to face #6 Braintree. That game will be played at 3:30 in Braintree on Saturday.

“We just have to do what we’ve been doing all season long, one at-bat at a time, one inning at a time, and hopefully at the end of seven, we come out on top,” Fallon-Comeau said about Franklin’s approach against the Wamps.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/31/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Franklin, 13 @ Framingham, 3 – Final – Franklin’s Scott Elliott, Jack Nally, and Joe Lizotte each drove in a pair of runs as the Panthers cruised on the road for their 21st win of the season and head coach Zach Brown’s 100th career victory. Elliott had three hits and scored twice, Nally added a run, and Lizotte scored twice in the win. Shane O’Neil scored three times, JB Floris scored twice, and Dan Markowski (two runs) and Trip Pisano each had an RBI. Liam Dailey earned the win for Franklin with three hits allowed and two strikeouts in three innings of work.

Foxboro, 3 vs. Norton, 4 – Final

Taunton, 6 @ King Philip, 0 – Final – Taunton senior Jack Moynihan scattered four hits in a complete game shutout to lead the Tigers to their 15th win of the season. Moynihan struck out four in seven innings of work. Offensively, junior Nic Notarangelo had two hits, two RBI and a run scored while Colby Lariviere, Logan Lawrence, and Jordan Roderick each drove in a run for the Tigers.

Oliver Ames, 13 vs. Brockton, 16 – Final – Oliver Ames scored five runs in the seventh inning but couldn’t complete the comeback against Brockton in an exclusion game. Senior Justyn Glennon smacked a double off the tree in center field to start the Tigers’ final inning rally. Senior CJ Deveau added a bases-clearing triple and classmate Chris Pearsons went 2-for-4 with a home run and two runs scored. Junior Jacob Levine added a pair of doubles while sophomore Jadon Ricci had three hits and drove in four runs.

Softball
Canton, 1 @ Franklin, 11 – Final – Franklin scored four runs in each the second and sixth innings to pull away from the visiting Bulldogs. Maddy White (four RBI) and Tara Hartnett (two RBI) paced the Panther offense while Jackie Cherry and Emily Valentino combined for 10 strikeouts.

North Attleboro, 6 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Boys Volleyball
Central
#2 Milford, 3 vs. #15 Keefe Tech, 0 – Final – Milford opened up its 2019 playoff campaign with a 3-0 sweep (2-58, 25-4, 25-11) of visiting Keefe Tech. Tiago Filadelfo and Zach Browne each had a tram-high seven kills for Milford which had nine players record a kill and 30 total as a unit. Milford advances to the MIAA Central quarterfinals and will host #7 St. John’s Shrewsbury on Tuesday at 6:00.

Franklin Edges Attleboro in Back-and-Forth Battle

Gabby Colace reached base three times and scored a pair of runs, as Franklin pulled out a 7-6, come from behind win against Attleboro on Sunday morning. (Josh Perry/HockomockSports.com)

Josh PerryFollowJoshPerry


FRANKLIN, Mass. – Both teams had already qualified for the postseason and Sunday morning’s matchup felt like preparation for the upcoming state tournament. It was a game in which both teams battled back multiple times and both learned what they will need to work on to make a playoff run.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

In the end, Franklin made enough plays to pull out a 7-6 victory over Attleboro. Senior Emily Valentino came off the bench to pitch 2-1/3 innings of scoreless relief and drove in the game-tying run with a fifth inning single.

“Emily Valentino came in and kind of slammed the doors, so to speak,” said Franklin coach Kate Fallon. “She did a nice job out there.”

She also praised the Bombardiers for being aggressive and putting pressure on the Panthers. Fallon said, “They put a lot of pressure on us today. They came here swinging and trying to take some names. They put up a nice performance against us today and redeemed themselves from the first game (a 14-0 Franklin win).”

Attleboro was playing its third game in the span of 24 hours. The Bombardiers completed a rain delayed game with Taunton on Saturday morning and then drove 90 minutes to play Marblehead. Attleboro beat the Magicians to qualify for the tournament and carried that momentum to Franklin.

“They could’ve laid down coming into this one but they didn’t,” said Attleboro coach Mark Homer about his team’s attitude on Sunday morning. “We’ve had some pretty bad injuries, so we had three freshmen out there today. They’ve been doing a good job up and down the lineup.”

Meghan Gordon led off with a single to right, followed by a swinging bunt from Lindsey Perry that turned into an infield hit. After a groundout moved both runners into scoring position, Lora Woynton brought in a run with a deep sac fly to center and Natalie Mansur singled to left and drove in a second.

The Panthers cut the lead in half in the bottom of the first. A one-out triple by Gabby Colace was followed by a sac fly to left by Ally Shea. Gordon made a nice running grab for the out, sliding past the foul line, but it allowed Colace to come home without a throw.

There were no clean innings on Sunday. Even scoreless frames included at least one base runner. Franklin starter Jackie Cherry pitched out of trouble in the second and third innings to keep the Panthers within one. Colace turned a double play when she snagged a line drive at second and tagged the runner to end the third.

Franklin grabbed its first lead in the bottom of the third. Anna Balkus bunted her way on to lead off and stole second. A passed ball moved her to third and Colace reached when her bunt was unable to be fielded cleanly. An error brought in the first run of the third to tie it and Maddy White lined a single to put Franklin in front. Sarah Jackson added a third run with an RBI-groundout.

Attleboro starter Jenna Gittle managed to limit the damage with a strikeout and a pop up to first, but the Panthers were up 4-2.

The lead was short-lived. The Bombardiers rallied for three runs in the fourth. Autumn O’Connell got it started with a single and, after Cherry retired the next two batters, Perry drew a two-out walk to keep the inning alive for power hitter McKenzie Bergdoll. She crushed a three-run homer over the fence in left-center to put the visitors back on top.

“That’s what McKenzie Bergdoll’s got to do,” said Homer. “That’s her job. She’s one of the better hitters in the league, she’s a power hitter, but it’s also the set up before that getting people on base. We weren’t doing that earlier in the season.”

In the bottom half of the inning, Franklin bounced back again to tie it. Maggie Hobby walked and advanced to third after a pair of passed balls. Balkus hit a sharp grounder to short but the throw to the plate was not in time and the game was evened up at 5-5.

The back-and-forth game continued to ebb and flow with the Bombardiers grabbing the edge in the fifth. Colace threw ahead of the lead runner to get a big second out for the Panthers and it looked like they may escape the jam but Hailey Perry singled to right to bring in Kayla Battisti. Valentino came in with runners at second and third and got a strikeout to get out of the inning.

In the bottom of the fifth, Valentino helped her own cause. With one out, he dropped a single into right that scored White to tie the game again. Battisti kept the game tied when she was able to field a Hobby bunt and flip to Woynton at the plate to cut down the potential go-ahead run. Gittle got a big break when Balkus’ two-out single to left, which scored two runs, was nullified by the home plate ump saying she stepped out of the box as she hit it.

Valentino managed to get out of a jam in the sixth and Franklin scored the eventual game-winner in the bottom half. Battisti made another play at third to get a runner at the plate, but with two outs a grounder was mishandled and the go-ahead run scampered home.

After an error put the lead runner on in the seventh and a sacrifice bunt moved the runner into scoring position, Valentino got a pop up to Hobby behind the plate and then a fly ball to herself in the circle to close out the win.

“We came out on top,” said Fallon. “We pulled it together and we also learned a few things that we need to clean up, to work on heading into the tournament.”

Despite the loss, Homer was also positive about his team’s performance. He explained, “This was a great game for us, in this part of the season, because they battled all week. It would’ve been great to win, it always is, but I like where we’re at right now. For us to go to the distance and battle them right to the end, I’m okay with that because we’ll probably meet one of those six other [Hockomock League] teams in the tournament.”

Franklin (13-5, 12-3) has two more games this week to prepare for the tournament, starting with Canton on Tuesday. Attleboro (9-10, 8-7) will close out the regular season on Tuesday against North Attleboro.

Click here for a photo gallery from this game.

Wednesday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/22/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Franklin, 7 @ Attleboro, 6 – Final – Franklin battled to a one-run win over Attleboro in a tight-knit affair. Jake Fitzgibbons had two hits for the Panthers along with an RBI while Jack Nally (run, two walks), Cooper Ross (two runs, RBI), and JB Floris (run) each had one hit. Alex Haba added a run and Shane O’Neil scored the game-winning run for the Panthers. Liam Dailey got the win, tossing a complete game with eight hits allowed, three walks, and five earned runs. Tim Callahan and Nick McMahon each had two hits and two runs scored, Alvaro Espinal and Camden Fitzpatrick each drove in two runs, and Lorenzo Wilson had an RBI for the Bombardiers.

Foxboro, 0 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – North Attleboro scored one in the first and added another single run in the fourth, while sophomore Dennis Colleran (6IP, 2H, 4BB, 9K) had one of his best performance of the season. With the win the Rocketeers will finish no worse than second place in the Davenport division, which earns the defending D2 State champs a spot in the state tournament this year. Sophomore Jared Penta plated senior Brendan McHugh (single) with a sacrifice fly in the first. In the fifth, Shawn Watters singled and eventually scored on an error. Foxboro threatened with runners on second and third with one out in the sixth but Colleran got a fly ball and a strikeout. Kyle Bolger added two hits for North while Kyle Briere pitched a 1-2-3 seventh for the save. Foxboro’s Michael Devlin was strong in the loss, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits and no walks in four innings.

King Philip, 6 vs. Bishop Feehan, 5 – Final – King Philip struck for four runs in the fifth inning to earn a win at home over visiting Bishop Feehan. Terry Murray pitched five innings and helped his own cause at the plate with two hits and three RBI. David Morganelli added two hits and an RBI for KP.

Mansfield, 0 vs. Bridgewater-Raynham, 2 – Final (8 Inn.)

Softball
Canton, 8 @ Sharon, 10 – Final – Sharon softball closed out its season with a victory against division rival Canton to finish with five wins this year. Sophomore Sneha Kini went 3-for-5 and scored three times for the Eagles and freshman Trinity Payne went 2-for-4 in the game and drove in four with a first inning grand slam. Freshman Savannah Gray and senior Lauren Yaffe each had three hits, while seniors Rebecca Clayman and Alli Small both had a pair of hits and combined for three runs scored. Julia Earley had a hit and two runs scored for Sharon as well.

Foxboro, 4 vs. Medway, 9 – Final

Milford, 0 @ Franklin, 8 – Final – Franklin took an early 2-0 lead and then saw its first four batters come around to score in the fifth on its way to a shutout win over Milford. Ally Shea (walk) and Maddy White (3-for-4, three runs, double) each scored on the first to put the Panthers ahead, and White (error), Sarah Jackson (triple), courtesy runnerKatie Smith (Jackie Cherry single), and Emily Valentino (single) all scored in the fifth. Cherry struck out 13 to earn the win for Franklin, allowing two hits and two walks over six innings.

Boys Lacrosse
Attleboro, 6 @ Stoughton, 5 – Final (OT) – Attleboro senior Cam Littig scored with less than a minute to go to lift the Bombardiers to a win on the road over Stoughton. Sophomore Mike Strachan and freshman Ryan Betts each scored twice while junior Thomas Shipman found the back of the net once for the Bombardiers. Senior Trevor Koppy made 14 saves in net to help Attleboro earn the win.

Sharon, 5 @ King Philip, 13 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Foxboro, 20 @ Canton, 9 – Final – Click here for a Photo Gallery from this game.

King Philip, 5 @ Franklin, 19 – Final – Franklin played a complete game, building a double-digit lead by halftime and never looking back to beat visiting King Philip in a non-league clash. Annie Walsh led the charge with seven goals and two assists, Erin Walsh added four goals and two helpers, and Kelsey MacCallum added three goals and two assists. Hailey Toolin anchored a strong defensive effort in front of Gianna Cameron (seven saves).

Mansfield, 22 @ Watertown, 20 – Final

Milford, 6 vs. Nipmuc, 15 – Final – Sophia Bucal scored three goals for Milford but the hosts fell to visiting Nipmuc. Emily Haley and Elena Bon Tempo each had a goal and an assist, Stella Amour scored once, and Jill Michelson added an assist.

Sharon, 10 @ Ursuline Academy, 20 – Final




Boys Tennis
North Attleboro, 5 @ Attleboro. 0 – Final – Click here for a photo gallery of this match. – North Attleboro juniors Will Redding and Isa Siddiq debuted at second singles, earning a straight set win in the Rocketeer’s sweep of rival Attleboro. Redding and Siddiq won 6-2, 6-0 while the first doubles of Tomas Bentley and Vikram Senthilakumaran picked up a 6-1, 6-4 win at first doubles. Sophomore Jonah Manso (first singles), sophomore Sam Gallagher (second singles) and senior Saketh Uppuluri each won 6-0, 6-0 for North.

Franklin, 2 vs. Hopedale, 3 – Final – Franklin’s Liam Marr, Saketh Saripalli, and Vayshnav Malhotra each won but the Panthers fell under the lights to visiting Hopedale. Marr won 6-2, 6-2 at first singles while Saripalli and Malhotra picked up a 6-3, 6-4 win at first doubles.

Stoughton, 5 vs. Brockton, 0 – Final – Stoughton picked up a pair of wins over the Boxers, playing two eight game pro sets and sweeping visiting Brockton. Waseem Sablon won 8-0, 8-0 at first singles, Erik Anderson earned a 8-2, 8-1 win decision at second singles, freshman Anish Sinha took an 8-2, 8-1 win at third singles, and Hassan Khan and LJ Ferrandiz each won 8-2, 8-3, respectively.

Mansfield, 3 vs. Westwood, 2 – Final – Mansfield won all three singles matches to edge Westwood in a non-league clash. Senior Luke Nickerson won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, senior Luke Devine picked up a 6-3, 6-2 win at second singles, and junior Nilay Pangrekar clinched the win with a 6-3, 6-0 victory at third singles.

King Philip, 3 vs. Bishop Feehan, 2 – Final – King Philip won a pair of singles matches and one more in doubles action to edge non-league rival Bishop Feehan. Nick Putney picked up a 6-0, 6-2 win at second singles while Jack Cannon grabbed a 6-1, 6-0 win at third singles. The team of Nate Ihley and Zak Ryan emerged from first doubles with a 6-1, 6-2 win.

Milford, 3 @ Medway, 2 – Final – Milford senior Riley Lynch prevailed in a three set thriller, pulling out the win to secure the victory for the Scarlet Hawks. Lynch emerged with a 7-5, 6-7 (5-7), 6-4 at second singles while classmate Brendan O’Shaughnessy earned a 6-1, 6-2 win at first singles and senior Cam Doherty picked up a 6-2, 6-4 win at third singles.

Girls Tennis
Attleboro, 3 @ North Attleboro, 2 – Final – The Bombardiers went on the road and took two wins in singles action and prevailed in three sets at second doubles to secure the win over rival North Attleboro. The team of Jordan Benardo and Rena Danho battled back to earn a 5-7, 6-3, 6-3 win at second doubles to clinch the win. Ella Lynch-Bartek added a 2-6, 6-4, 6-0 comeback win at first and Bri Aronne notched a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles for Attleboro. North’s Olivia Wills won 6-0, 6-0 at third singles and the team of Haley Strom and Sam Martino prevailed 5-7, 7-6 (7-5), retired/injury.

Franklin, 1 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames defended home court, sweeping singles action and grabbing one more win in doubles play. Sarah Leger won 6-3, 6-1 at first singles and Maura Kiernan picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles. The team of Eva Belanger and Morgan Vasiliou emerged with a 6-4, 6-4 win at first doubles. Franklin’s Krissy Stoyonova and Vagmi Kantheti won 7-6 (7-5), 6-1 at second doubles.

Stoughton @ Brockton, 3:45

King Philip, 4 @ Bishop Feehan, 1 – Final

Boys Volleyball
King Philip, 0 @ Taunton, 3 – Final – Taunton avenged a loss to the Warriors from earlier in the season to get a 3-0 sweep (25-10, 25-20, 25-23) on Senior Night and qualify for the state tournament for the third straight season. Senior Gage Kingman had a team-high 13 kills for the Tigers, senior Alex Tavares added nine kills, and senior Jason Khang chipped in with seven digs. King Philip’s Eric Altobello had a team-high nine kills, Jimmy Peterson added five kills, Kyle Desrochers added 14 digs, and Cam Corey dished out 21 assists for the Warriors, who finish their inaugural regular season at 14-3.

Friday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/17/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Canton, 1 @ North Attleboro, 7 – Final – North Attleboro senior Todd Robinson hit a home run for the second straight game, this time his first career grand slam that highlighted a six-run inning for the Rocketeers, who swept the season series against Canton. North took an early lead off a sac fly from Nick Raneri, going up 1-0 in the first. In the third, Raneri had an RBI single and Jared Penta scored on a wild pitch to push the lead to 3-0 before Robinson deposited the ball over the fence with the bases full. North Attleboro senior Matt Seavey earned the win, tossing a complete game with three hits allowed, one walk, and nine strikeouts. Seavey retired the side in each the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth innings. Kyle Bolger had two big catches in the fourth inning to rob the Bulldogs of extra-base hits. Rob Sullivan (2-for-2) hit a solo home run in the fifth inning for Canton.

Sharon @ Foxboro – Postponed to Thursday, 5/23 at 3:45.

Franklin, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final – Franklin erased a pair of deficits, the second time in the top of the seventh inning to grab a win on the road at Frothingham Park. OA built a 2-0 lead in the first inning and extended it to 3-0 on a John Gomes sac fly to score CJ Deveau. Franklin rallied for three in the fifth inning to tie the score but the Tigers went back ahead in the bottom half when Jay Spillane (double) scored on an RBI single from Jacob Levine. In the top of the sixth, Jake Fitzgibbons brought Cooper Ross in with a sac fly to tie it, and Brennan Rivera drove in JB Floris for the game-winning hit. Rivera got the save in relief, allowing one hit but then getting a double play ball to end it. Fitzgibbons earned the win in a relief appearance, tossing 2.1 innings, striking out three with one walk and two hits allowed. Alex Haba (two doubles, run, two RBI) and Scott Elliott (double, run) each had two hits for the Panthers. Jake Erlich had two hits while Chris Pearsons had one and an RBI, and also had a strong outing on the mound in his first start. Sean O’Brien shined defensively for OA in centerfield.

King Philip, 0 @ Mansfield, 5 – Final – Mansfield senior Jake Gerraughty was stellar on the mound, just one out away from a no-hitter before the Warriors registered their first hit of the day in the seventh inning. Gerraughty, who hit one batter, held KP hitless for 6.2 innings before Tim Crowley stroked a single to break it up. Gerraughty earned the win with a complete game shutout, striking out four. Mansfield scored two in the bottom of the first, added one in the fourth, and plated two more in the fifth. Dan Saraceno (home run) had two hits, two runs, and two RBI to pace the Hornets while Kyle Moran (home run), John Carney (run), and Michael DeBolt each had a hit and an RBI for Mansfield.

Milford, 3 @ Stoughton, 6 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Softball
North Attleboro, 13 @ Canton, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – Click here for a Recap and Photo Gallery from this game.

Foxboro, 13 @ Sharon, 9 – Final (8 inn.) – Morgan Sylvestre homered in the seventh inning to tie the game and the Warriors got two outs at the plate in the bottom half of the inning to force extras. Foxboro scored four times in the eighth to pull out the victory. Sylvestre went 3-for-5 in the game, driving in three runs, and she turned a 6-3 double play on a line drive to end the game. Rylie Martignetti and Alexandra Willis both had three hits as well for the Warriors. In the bottom of the seventh, Peyton Feldman charged a ball from third and flipped it with her glove to Willis to cut a run down at the plate and second baseman Jill Finn was able to make a catch running towards the outfield and throw out another runner at the plate, keeping the game tied. Freshman Trinity Payne sparked the Eagles on offense, going 3-for-5 with three doubles and four RBI. Jody Goldenberg went 3-for-4 and drove in a pair, Lauren Yaffe went 2-for-3 and Rebecca Clayman went 2-for-4 for Sharon. Emily Botvin went the distance for the Eagles, needing 78 pitches to get through eight innings.

Oliver Ames, 3 @ Franklin, 8 – Final – Franklin raced out to a five-run lead before Oliver Ames plated three runs to get within striking distance. But Panther junior Sarah Jackson smacked a three-run home run in the sixth inning to help Franklin secure the win. Maggie Hobby had a two-run double early to help Franklin build a 5-0 lead. Katie Abreu had a two-run triple for OA, scoring Abbi Holmes (single) and Emma Varella (bunt), and then scoring herself on a single from Katie Mills to make it 5-3. Jackson put the game away with the three-run shot in the sixth. Emily Valentino, who had three hits at the plate, picked up the win in the circle for Franklin, tossing a complete game with four strikeouts.

Mansfield, 2 @ King Philip, 5 – Final – KP rallied twice in the early innings and held on once it grabbed the lead to earn its sixth straight win. Sydney Woods had put the Hornets up 1-0 in the first with a solo homer, but KP tied it in the bottom of the second. The Hornets regained the lead in the third when Megan Letendre singled, Mady Bendanillo (two hits) doubled, and Caty DeMassi (two hits) drove in the go-ahead run with a single. Mansfield had eight hits as a team but left runners on base in the first, third, fourth, and fifth innings. In the seventh, the Hornets had two on but DeMassi’s line drive was right at Meghan Gorman to end the game. Sarah Cahill gave up six hits and struck out three in the loss.

Stoughton, 17 @ Milford, 4 – Final – Stoughton freshman Melody Casna got her first career win in her first start, scattering five hits and striking out one. Nicole Baker allowed one hit and struck out five in two innings of work for the Black Knights. Jordan Lyons (3-for-3, RBI) and Karly Estremera (3-for-4, triple, three RBI) paced the Stoughton offense while and Brianna Ferrandiz and Sarah McGrath (three-run double) both had two hits.

Boys Lacrosse
King Philip, 14 @ Canton, 4 – Final

North Attleboro vs. Old Rochester, 4:00

Oliver Ames, 19 vs. Milton, 7 – Final – History was made under the lights at Muscato Stadium in Oliver Ames’ win over Milton. Junior Shane Kilkelly scored six goals and had one assist to become the Tigers’ all-time leading scorer. Junior Sam Stevens added two goals and four assists to reach the 100-point club as well. Remi Creighton finished with eight points (two goals, six assists) while Colin Bourne, Hunter Costello, and Sandro Mascierelli each scored twice for OA.

Sharon, 6 @ Bishop Feehan, 9 – Final

Stoughton @ Southeastern, 3:30




Girls Lacrosse
Foxboro, 16 @ Medfield, 8 – Final
Milford @ Nipmuc, – Postponed to 5/29.
North Attleboro, 6 @ Old Rochester, 10 – Final
Oliver Ames @ Ursuline Academy, 4:00

King Philip, 10 @ Natick, 11 – Final – Caroline Watson made 14 saves but the Warriors came up just short in a close loss in a potential playoff preview. Caroline Klim scored four goals and assisted on one, while Jess Sullivan and Dana Truini each scored twice and each had an assist. Olivia Tormey and Mackenzie Mazur both scored once for the Warriors.

Taunton vs. Southeastern, 3:30

Boys Tennis
North Attleboro @ Canton, 3:45
Foxboro @ Sharon – Postponed to Thursday, 5/23 at 3:45.
Oliver Ames @ Franklin – Postponed to TBD.
Stoughton @ Milford – Postponed to TBD.
Mansfield @ King Philip – Postponed to Thursday, 5/30 at 3:45.

Girls Tennis
Canton @ North Attleboro, 3:45
Sharon @ Foxboro – Postponed to Thursday, 5/23 at 3:45.
Franklin @ Oliver Ames – Postponed to TBD.
Milford @ Stoughton – Postponed to TBD.
King Philip @ Mansfield – Postponed to Thursday, 5/23 at 3:45.

Boys Volleyball
Milford, 3 @ Taunton, 0 – Final

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 05/06/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Milford, 4 @ Attleboro, 5 – Final – Attleboro used a walk, a pair of stolen bases, and a base hit to bring in the winning run in the bottom of the seventh to walk off with a win over Milford in a back-and-forth battle. The Hawks took a 1-0 lead, Attleboro responded with two runs to go ahead, Milford answered with three runs for a 4-2 lead and the Bombardiers plated two with the bases loaded in the bottom of the sixth to tie it. In the bottom of the seventh, junior Alvaro Espinal walked, stole both second and third, and scored on the game-winning hit from junior Lorenzo Wilson. Attleboro took a 2-1 lead in the fifth when Tim Callahan knocked in Rob Furtado (walk) and Espinal singled in Camden Fitzpatrick (single). Trailing 4-2 in the sixth, Furtado was hit by a pitch and Fitzpatrick had a sac fly to knot the score. Ryan Morry was strong on the mound for Attleboro, tossing six innings with no earned runs allowed and three strikeouts. Eoin Kelleher pitched a scoreless seventh inning to earn the win.

Canton, 3 @ Oliver Ames, 6 – Final – Oliver Ames scored three runs in the bottom of the second to take a lead, tacked on two more in the third and added an insurance run in the sixth to get the win over visiting Canton. Senior Reid Latham pitched 6.1 innings, allowing no earned runs while striking out four. He chipped in offensively as well, going 2-for-2 with a sac bunt. Chris Pearsons added two hits, including a double, scored a run, and earned the save on the mound with two strikeouts. Freshman Jack Richardson had a double and three RBI while Jacob Levine and Jared Spillane (two RBI) each had two hits for OA. Owen Lehane had two hits and two RBI for Canton.

Foxboro, 18 @ King Philip, 2 – Final (6 Inn.) – Foxboro pounded out 16 hits, breaking the game open with a nine-run third inning and never looking back to earn a win on the road. Michael Devlin had team-high three hits while adding three runs and two RBI, and Brian Duncan (two RBI, two runs), Kyle McGinnis (two RBI, two runs), James Kaeser (four RBI, run), Sean Yoest (RBI), and Adam Lanctot (three runs) each recorded two hits for the Warriors. Joe Cavaleri earned the win, allowing two runs (one earned) on five hits, three walks, and one strikeout in six innings of work.

Sharon, 0 @ Franklin, 15 – Final (5 inn.) – Franklin senior Alex Haba drove in four runs and classmate Scott Elliot went 2-for-4, including a three-run home run, to pace the Panthers to a win over Sharon. Jack Nally added two hits, including a double, and scored three runs, Cooper Ross knocked in two runs and scored once, Jake Fitzgibbons had two RBI, and Joe Lizotte went 2-for-3 and scored twice. Junior Brennan Rivera allowed just two hits in four innings of work, striking out three with one walk. Cody Trotin tossed a scoreless inning in relief.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Mansfield seniors Jake Gerraughty and Matt Scibilia combined to throw a one-hitter and the Hornets used early runs to get by North Attleboro. The Hornets scored twice in the bottom in the first and added one more in the third but only had a total of three hits in the game. The Hornets took advantage of four walks and two Rocketeer errors. John Carney (run, RBI), Kyle Moran (RBI), and Scibilia each had a hit for the Hornets while Eric Longley (two walks) and Sam Nugent scored runs. Gerraughty allowed one hit, walked three and struck out three in five innings while Scibilia issued two walks and struck out four in two innings of work.

Stoughton, 2 @ Taunton, 6 – Final – Taunton recorded 11 hits as a team on its way to a 6-2 win over visiting Stoughton. Evan Melo had three hits and knocked in two runs and Jared Roderick added a hit, a walk, an RBI, and a run scored for the Tigers. Jack Moynihan was strong once again on the mound, allowing four hits and one walk with no earned runs allowed, striking out 11 in a complete game effort.

Softball
Oliver Ames, 3 @ Canton, 8 – Final – Canton freshman Sophia Santos tossed a complete game, striking out four with two earned runs allowed to lead the Bulldogs to a win over Oliver Ames. Nikki Desjardins and Liz Bickett each hit a home run in the win. Oliver Ames sophomore went 2-for-4 with a triple, an RBI and a run scored. Katie Abreu had an RBI, Kalei Clark had a hit and a run scored, and freshman Anna Balestino scored a run for the Tigers.

King Philip, 12 @ Foxboro, 0 – Final – King Philip senior Faith Turinese pitched a complete game shutout, allowing four hits, no walks and striking out four as the visiting Warriors pulled away from Foxboro for the win. KP broke open a one-run game with four runs in the sixth, highlighted by a bases-clearing triple off the bat of Liliana Rolfe. Paige Berdos had three hits for KP while Turinese (three RBI), Rolfe, Grace Kelley (three RBI), and Destiny Goyco each had two hits for KP.

Franklin, 17 @ Sharon, 1 – Final (6 inn.) – Franklin sophomore Gabby Colace (2-for-4) knocked in four runs, including a two-run triple in a six-run first inning as the Panthers earned a big win on the road. Junior Tina Pisano had a triple for Franklin and Kristen Smith had a hit and a run scored. Emily Valentino got the win, scattering five hits while striking out eight. Sharon senior Rebecca Clayman went 2-for-2 with a double and scored a run while Julia Earley had the RBI for the Eagles.

Mansfield, 4 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – Mansfield scored three runs in the fifth inning and tacked on one more in the seventh inning that turned out to be the winning run for the Hornets, who had 10 hits. The Rocketeers took a 1-0 lead in the third but the Hornets went ahead in the fifth. Mary Muldoon led off with a double, a single from Kara Bendanillo put runners on the corners and both runners scored on a two-out double from Mady Bendanillo. Caty DeMassi added an RBI double to make it 3-1. In the seventh, Kara Bendanillo singled, moved to second on a fielder’s choice from Megan Letendre, and scored on a tag up play from second on a deep fly ball by Mady Bendanillo. Sarah Cahill scattered five hits and had 15 strikeouts for the win, striking out the side in each the first, second, and fifth innings. Bella Erti struck out nine for the Rocketeers while Emily Nardelli and Katie Daby each had an RBI triple in the game.

Taunton, 9 @ Stoughton, 0 – Final – Taunton plated five runs in the third inning, one in the fifth and added three more in the seventh to earn a win on the road at Stoughton, qualifying for the state tournament for the 36th straight season. Sophomore Kelsey White allowed just two hits (both in the fourth inning), struck out seven and didn’t issue a single walk for her eighth win of the year. Sophomore Hanna Aldrich paced the offense with three hits, three stolen bases, and two runs scored. Kenzie McAloon added two doubles and three RBI, Tayah DaCosta had two hits, including a double, and an RBI, Haylee Hartung knocked in two runs with a single, and Olyvia Mendonca added an RBI double. Payton Ceglarski had an RBI on a suicide squeeze.

Boys Lacrosse
Canton, 9 @ Mansfield, 8 – Final – Mansfield raced out to a 6-2 lead at halftime but Canton rallied to earn a win on the road. David Allen exploded for four goals to give the Bulldogs a big lift while Griffin Roach had three goals and two assists. Junior Tommy Vaughan scored the winning goal with 4:47 left in the game. Nico Holmes had three goals for Mansfield, Michael Reed added two goals, Aidan Sacco scored once and had two helpers, and Brady Kessler and Connor Quirk each found the back of the net once.

Sharon, 9 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Sharon freshman Ben Shocket won 15-of-17 faceoffs and sophomore Adam Rabb turned away 11 of the 15 shots he faced to help the Eagles earn a win on the road. Drew Litner paced the Sharon offense with three goals and three assists, Brandon Buckman scored a hat trick, Mitchell Director chipped in with two assists, and Daniel Lillenfeld, Zack Waxman, and Brady Daylor each scored once.

Foxboro, 8 @ King Philip, 12 – Final – King Philip senior Chris Longobardi won 12 faceoffs and classmate Colin DeVellis accounted for six points to help the host Warriors earn a win in a battle of top Hockomock teams. DeVellis scored five goals and had one helper, Sam Mattson scored twice and had one assist, and Tyler Bartlett, David Lawler, Wes Bishop, Andrew Sajdak, and Robbie Tartaglia each scored once for KP. Andrew McKinney made nine saves in the win. Foxboro’s Shayne Kerrigan scored three goals and had one assist while Brendan Tully scored twice.

Franklin, 17 @ Oliver Ames, 3 – Final – Franklin senior Jacob Alexander went a perfect 23-for-23 at the face-off X, leading the Panthers to a big win on the road. Sophomore Matt Lazzaro scored a hat trick and had four assists, junior Jake Davis scored four goals and added one helper, and Ben Greco recorded five points with two goals and three assists. Frankie Ireland scored twice for Oliver Ames and Remi Creighton netted one tally.

North Attleboro, 12 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 10 @ Sharon, 19 – Final – Senior Emma Eberhardt recorded nine points and sophomore Jenna Goldstein had six points to lead Sharon to a win over visiting Attleboro. Eberhardt had six goals and three assists, Goldstein finished with four goals and two assists, Mia Lappen scored four times and had one helper, and Cass Barbera, Maeve Barbera, Maxine Gordon, Bridget McManus (assist), and Athena Merck (assist) all scored once in the win. Amelia Scappaticci had an assist and Rose Wald made seven saves in net for the Eagles.

Mansfield @ Canton, 3:45

King Philip, 6 @ Foxboro, 19 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Oliver Ames, 6 @ Franklin, 19 – Final – Franklin had 12 players record a point in a convincing win at home against Oliver Ames. Sophomore Sydney Hawkins and freshman Anna Grasso each scored their first career goals for the Panthers in the win. Oliver Ames goalie Maddie Kullen had nine saves in net, Olivia Piazza had two goals and two assists, Ella Hogan scored twice with one assist, and Olivia Carroll and Sam Cathie had a goal and an assist each.

Milford @ Taunton, 4:00

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 2 @ Milford, 3 – Final – Milford swept singles action to earn a 3-2 win over the visiting Bombardiers. Brendan O’Shaughnessy earned a 6-4, 6-3 win at first singles, Riley Lynch prevailed 6-4, 5-7 (4-7), 7-6 (8-5), and Zach Austin earned a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles to lift the Hawks to a win. Attleboro’s Eli Araujo and Luis Sandoval won 6-1, 3-2 (injury default) at first singles while the team of Tyler Evans and Ryan Solari picked up a 6-3, 6-4 win at second doubles.

Oliver Ames, 1 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Oliver Ames junior Yusaf Hameed prevailed in a three set thriller, 4-6, 7-5, 7-5, to earl the lone point for the Tigers.

King Philip, 4 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – King Philip won all three singles matches in straight sets and picked up a fourth point with a win at first doubles in a victory over Foxboro. Nick Putney won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, Marco DiStefano earned a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and Jack Cannon emerged with a 6-4, 6-2 win at third singles. KP’s first doubles team of Nate Ihley and Jake Mager emerged with a 5-7, 6-4, 7-5 win. Foxboro’s Justin Neale and Ben Wasserman earned a 5-7, 6-2, 7-5 win at second doubles.

Franklin, 2 @ Sharon, 3 – Final – Sharon senior Danujan Thirumavalavan won the first and third sets, both by tiebreaker, to emerge with a win and give the Eagles a victory against the Panthers. Thirumavalavan emerged with a 7-6 (7-3), 2-7, 7-6 (7-3) win in a battle with Franklin sophomore Liam Marr. Alberto Olivei added a 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-0 win at second singles and freshman Rueman Bhattacharyya grabbed a 6-0, 6-0 win at third singles. Franklin’s Saketh Saripalli and Vayshnav Malhotra (first doubles) and the team of Lucas Gulick and Shoumik Sompally (second doubles) both won 6-2, 6-2.

Mansfield, 2 @ North Attleboro, 3 – Final – North Attleboro grabbed two wins in singles action and one more in doubles play to beat the visiting Hornets. Junior Alex Pfeffer won 6-0, 6-2 at second singles while sophomore Sam Gallagher picked up a 6-1, 6-2 win at third singles for Big Red. Vikram Senthilakumaran and Tomas Bentley earned the third point for North with a 6-4, 6-4 win at first doubles. Mansfield senior Luke Nickerson won 6-3, 6-2 at first singles while the team of Dheeraj Vallaru and Sam Donellan won 6-4, 6-4 at second doubles.

Taunton, 2 @ Stoughton, 3 – Final – Stoughton defended “home court” by winning two matches in singles play and one more in doubles to beat Taunton. Sophomore Waseem Sablon won 6-3, 6-0 at first singles, senior Erik Anderson picked up a 6-3, 6-1 win at second singles, and the team of Hassan Khan and LJ Ferrandiz emerged with a 7-5, 2-6, 10-6 win at second doubles. Taunton’s Dylan Kullas won 6-3, 6-2 at third singles and Ryan Hebert and Trevor Hart teamed up for a 6-0, 6-4 win at first doubles.

Girls Tennis
Milford, 1 @ Attleboro, 4 – Final – Attleboro won two singles matches and swept doubles action to knock off visiting Milford. Freshman Ella Lynch-Bartek won 6-3, 6-2 at first singles and junior Jill See picked up a 6-3, 6-3 win at third singles. The team of junior Nicole Matheson and sophomore Lauren Anthony earned a 6-4, 6-3 win at first doubles while juniors Rena Danho and Jordan Bernardo picked up a 6-3, 5-7, 6-3 win at second doubles. Milford’s Juliana France won 5-7, 6-2, 6-3 at second singles.

Canton, 4 @ Oliver Ames, 1 – Final – Canton swept all three singles matches and added another win at second doubles to record a road win at Oliver Ames. Rachel Kupferman (first singles) and Natalie Keppler (second singles) both won 6-0, 6-0 while Sarah Hernandez earned a 6-2, 6-2 win at third singles. The Bulldogs’ second doubles team of Kiara Cerruti and Lily Hazam earned a 6-2, 6-2 win. OA’s first doubles team of Eva Belanger and Morgan Vasiliou won 6-1, 6-3 at first doubles.

Foxboro, 3 @ King Philip, 2 – Final – Foxboro picked up a pair of wins in singles play and got a third point with a victory at second doubles to beat King Philip. Pam Nelson won 6-2, 6-4 at first singles, Julia Muise earned a 6-3, 6-1 win at third singles, and the team of Maggie McAuliffe and Neha Jammula earned a 6-1, 7-5 decision at second singles for Foxboro. King Philip’s Katarina Schneider picked up a 6-2, 6-2 win at second singles while Grace Ely and Katie Welch secured a 6-1, 6-3 win at first doubles.

Sharon, 5 @ Franklin, 0 – Final

North Attleboro, 4 @ Mansfield, 1 – Final – North Attleboro won both doubles matches in straight sets and picked up two more wins in singles action to knock off Mansfield. Sam Martino and Hayley Strom won 6-2, 6-3 at first doubles, the team of Brototi Nandi and Liana Nichols earned a 6-3, 6-3 win at second doubles, Mae McLaughlin prevailed 6-3, 5-7, 10-5 at second singles, and Olivia Wills earned a 6-3, 6-2 win at third singles. Mansfield’s Lizzy Elsner emerged with a 6-4, 6-4 at first singles.

Stoughton, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton won all five matches in straight sets, dropping a total of three games in a strong showing. Jillian Pagliuca won 6-0, 6-0 at first singles, McKenzie Lucie picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and Jocelyn Pagliuca won 6-0, 6-1 at third singles. The team of Sam Martin and Brianna Fevrier didn’t drop a set in a 6-0, 6-0 win at first doubles while Ogechi Ariguzo and Kayla Parrett won 6-1, 6-0 at second doubles.

Boys Volleyball
King Philip, 3 @ Norwood, 0 – Final – King Philip continued to get stronger as the season goes on, this time earning a 3-0 (25-11, 25-14, 25-9) sweep on the road at Norwood. Cam Corey paced the offense with 29 assists and added 15 service points and Max Armour had 11 service points, five digs, and two kills. Eric Altobello had a team-high 12 kills, Jimmy Peterson added seven kills, and Shea Duffy and Mike O’Brien each put down six kills.

Taunton, 3 vs. Brockton, 1 – Final – After dropping the first game, Taunton rallied to win three straight to record a 3-1 win (22-25, 25-20, 25-19, 25-23). Gage Kingman had a strong game all around with seven kills, 12 digs, two aces, and going a perfect 14-for-14 on serve receive. Jason Khang was also strong on serve receive (23-of 24), setting the table for a strong attack. Chris LaCourse dished out 36 assists with Tyler Stewart (12 kills, five blocks), Fabio Goncalves (11 kills, three blocks), and Alex Tavares (10 kills, five blocks) pacing the Tiger offense.

Monday’s Schedule & Scoreboard – 04/29/19

Today’s games are listed below.

Baseball
Taunton, 1 @ Attleboro, 0 – Final – For the second straight game, Taunton senior Jack Moynihan tossed a gem and this time the Tigers put a run on the board to get the win. Moynihan scattered six hits in a complete game shutout, striking out seven. Taunton scored the lone run of the game in the top of the sixth inning as Lucas Martins singled and came around to score on a base hit from Josh Lajoie. Attleboro’s Ryan Morry was also strong, allowing five hits and striking out three in a complete game effort for the Bombardiers.

North Attleboro, 7 @ Canton, 4 – Final – Click here for a recap and photo gallery of this game.

Foxboro, 8 @ Sharon, 1 – Final – Foxboro junior Michael Devlin shined in his first start of the season on the mound and reached base four times offensively to pace the Warriors to a win over Sharon. Devlin scattered five hits and two walks in a complete game, allowing one earned run with four strikeouts. Offensively, he had one hit, three walks and scored two runs. Joe Cavaleri and James Kaeser (two hits) each added two RBI for Foxboro.

Oliver Ames, 0 @ Franklin, 2 – Final – Franklin junior Brennan Rivera allowed just one hit and faced the minimum, tossing his second straight shutout to pace the Panthers to a win over visiting Oliver Ames. Rivera fanned 12 batters and had the one hit erased on a double play against the next batter. Scott Elliott (run), Alex Haba (double, run, RBI), and Jake Macchi (RBI) each had a hit for the Panthers. Reid Latham was strong for the Tigers, allowing four hits over six innings while striking out nine. Latham also had the lone hit offensively for OA.

Mansfield, 2 @ King Philip, 3 – Final – King Philip scored once in the second and tacked on two more in the third, holding on the rest of the way to beat Mansfield. The Hornets scored once in the fifth and made it a one-run game with a run in the seventh inning. KP sophomore Jake Silveria earned his first career win, tossing a complete game with just three hits allowed, two walks, and three strikeouts. Silveria also paced the offense with two hits and two RBI. Chris Daniels also had a hit and an RBI for the Warriors. Matt Scibilia and Nick Dumouchel each drove in a run for Mansfield.

Stoughton, 2 @ Milford, 3 – Final – Stoughton tied the game at 2-2 with a run in the top of the sixth but the Hawks answered with a run in the bottom half to take the lead back and earn a win over the visiting Black Knights. Danny Corsini (2-for-3, run), Tyler Almeida (2-for-3), and Carter Scudo (2-for-3, run, RBI) had consecutive singles, the latter scoring the first. Corsini went five innings on the mound, allowing two runs on three hits and four strikeouts. Sophomore Mario Lee earned the win in relief, striking out one with one hit allowed in two scoreless innings. Jacob Kaplan had two hits for Stoughton while Kyle Gagnon and George Currier each scored a run.

Softball
Canton, 2 @ North Attleboro, 12 – Final – Bella Erti struck out 11 and allowed only one earned run for the Rocketeers. She also had a pair of hits at the plate and drove in a pair of runs. Ashley Cangiano led the way offensively with four hits, while Annabelle Hebard (two RBI), Olivia Capobianco, and Emily Nardelli each had three hits. Abby Gallagher and Alex Moulson each had two hits in the win.

Sharon, 0 @ Foxboro, 12 – Final – Alli Small went 2-for-3 for the Eagles and Penny Rabatsky added a triple in the fourth inning.

Franklin, 16 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final (5 inn.) – Franklin’s Emily Valentino allowed three hits, struck out five and issued one walk in a shutout performance, helping the Panthers win on the road. Maddy White paced the offense with three hits, a walk, two runs, and four RBI while Kylie Bouzan went 2-for-2 with an RBI for Franklin. OA sophomore Emma Varella had a pair of doubles while junior Katie Abreu also had a double for the Tigers.

King Philip, 3 @ Mansfield, 10 – Final – The Hornets took the lead in the fourth inning, added two more runs in the fifth, and then broke the game wide open with six runs in the bottom of the sixth to secure a win over defending league champ KP. Kara Bendanillo drove in four runs and the Hornets pounded out nine hits as a team. KP jumped in front with a run in the first and the lead lasted until the fourth inning when Mady Bendanillo homered. Caty DeMassi singled, advanced to second on a sac bunt by Ashlyn Conley, took third on a passed ball, and then scored the go-ahead run on a grounder to second. Mansfield added to its lead with two runs in the fifth. Mary Muldoon led off the inning with a walk and moved to second on a sac bunt by Sydney Woods. Kara Bendanillo drove her in with a single and, after making her way to third, aggressively came home to score when a pitch got away. In the sixth, the Hornets’ offense put the game away. Conley, Ella Verheggen, and Casey Mousette hit three straight singles. Muldoon drove in a run with a walk, Woods reached on an error, and Kara Bendanillo cleared the bases with a double. DeMassi made it 10 runs with a two-run single. Sarah Cahill earned the win in the circle, striking out five. Mansfield coach Lori Letendre said, “Mansfield played with a lot of energy today and I’m so proud of the total team effort.”

Milford, 3 @ Stoughton, 6 – Final – Stoughton senior Karly Estremera had a double, a triple, and scored three runs to help the Black Knights beat Milford. Estremera and Jordan Lyons (two RBI, two runs) each had three hits total, Lexi Baptista added a pair of singles and an RBI, and Brianna Ferrandiz, Nicole Baker, and Sydney Menz each had a hit for Stoughton. Baker struck out 13 to earn the win. For Milford, April Swain (run) and Lucy Creedon (run, triple, RBI) each had two hits.

Boys Lacrosse
North Attleboro @ Attleboro, 3:45

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Foxboro, 9 – Final – Foxboro held Oliver Ames scoreless in the first quarter and built a 6-2 lead at halftime that it never relinquished. The Warriors held the Tigers to just one goal in each the third and fourth quarters as freshman goalie Matt Tully made nine saves to help earn the win. Senior Pete Conley paced the Foxboro offense with five goals and one assist while junior Aidan Stapleton scored once and had two helpers. Senior Colin Bourne scored twice for Oliver Ames while junior Frankie Ireland netted one goal and had one assist. Junior Nick Gillis made 14 saves in net for OA.

Stoughton, 1 @ Franklin, 17 – Final

Mansfield, 9 @ King Philip, 17 – Final – King Philip senior Chris Longobardi won 22 face offs and senior Colin DeVellis recorded 10 points to help the Warriors knock off visiting Mansfield. DeVellis had seven goals and three assists, Robbie Tartaglia and Kevin Riggs each scored a hat trick, Andrew Sajdak had two goals and an assist, Sam Mattson recorded two helpers, and David Lawler and Matt Meehan each scored once. Junior Andrew McKinney made six saves in net. For Mansfield, Aidan Sacco (assist) and Connor Quirk each had a hat trick while Brady Kessler and Jake Quirk each found the back of the net once.

Milford, 5 @ Sharon, 12 – Final

Girls Lacrosse
Attleboro, 10 @ North Attleboro, 19 – Final – For Attleboro, Rylee Fontes netted a team-high three goals, Sydney DiLiddo and Kyra Lyons each added two goals, and Ashley Piazza, Bella Salviati, and Campbell Compton scored once each.

Taunton, 10 @ Canton, 9 – Final – Canton held Taunton to just one goal in the second half but couldn’t complete the comeback. Caroline Tourgee paced Canton with four goals and an assist, Kaitlyn Goyetch netted two goals, and Leah McClellan, Allie McCabe, and Ally Reddish each scored once.

Foxboro, 16 @ Oliver Ames, 4 – Final

King Philip, 19 @ Mansfield, 9 – Final – Caroline Klim led the way for the Warriors on the road with eight goals and also added nine draw controls. Jess Sullivan added five goals and an assist and Caroline Watson held down the defensive end with 14 saves for KP. The Warriors also got a hat trick from Olivia Tormey, a pair of goals from Mackenzie Mazur, one goal from Ali Wilson and three assists from Victoria Tormey. Dana Truini also grabbed six draw controls for the visitors.

Sharon, 19 @ Milford, 5 – Final – Sharon coach Shara Ginthwain called it a “great team effort” and praised the Eagles for racking up 10 assists on 19 goals. Emma Eberhardt continued her strong playmaking season with five goals and four assists, while Jenna Goldstein added five goals of her own and an assist. Bridget McManus had a hat trick and an assist, Mia Lappen had two goals and two assists, Cass Barbera scored twice, and Maeve Barbera had a single goal. Athena Merck recorded her first varsity goal and Hailey Roseman added a pair of helpers.

Boys Tennis
Attleboro, 0 @ Taunton, 5 – Final – Taunton’s Barrett Hodgson and Tyler Goddard battled back from a one-set deficit to win the next two and complete the sweep against Attleboro. Hodgson and Goddard earned a 5-7, 6-4, 6-1 win at second doubles while the team of Trevor Hart and Alex Pugh picked up a 6-1, 6-1 win at first doubles. Brett Beaulieu won 6-3, 6-4 at first singles, Charlie Fiske notched a 6-3, 6-2 win at second singles, and Dylan Kullas won 6-2, 7-6 at third singles.

Canton, 0 @ North Attleboro, 5 – Final – The Rocketeers won all five matches in straight sets to pick up a victory over Canton. Sophomore Jonah Manson won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, junior Alex Pfeffer picked up a 6-0, 6-0 win at second singles, and sophomore Sam Gallagher secured a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of seniors Vikram Senthilakumaran and Tomas Bentley earned a 6-1, 6-1 win at first doubles and junior Justin Strom and senior Saketh Uppuluri prevailed 7-5, 6-3 at second doubles.

Sharon, 4 @ Foxboro, 1 – Final – Sharon swept singles action and took one more match in doubles action to hand Foxboro its first loss of the season. Senior Danujan Thirumavalavan won 6-0, 6-1 at first singles, freshman Rueman Bhattacharyya earned a 6-1, 6-2 win at second singles, and freshman Max Chen prevailed 7-6 (7-1), 6-1 at third singles. Junior Alberto Olivei and Max Brody paired together for a 6-3, 6-1 win at first doubles for Sharon while Foxboro’s Noah Hicks and Justin Neale took a 6-1, 6-3 decision at second doubles.

Franklin, 5 @ Oliver Ames, 0 – Final – Franklin lost a total of four games in four matches in a road win at Oliver Ames. Liam Marr and Rohan Herur each won 6-0, 6-0 at first and second singles, respectively. Vayshnav Malhotra picked up a 6-3, 6-0 win at third singles and the team of Saket Gandham and Shoumik Sompally won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles.

Milford, 0 @ Stoughton, 5 – Final – Four of the five matches went to either a third set or a super tiebreaker and the Black Knights won them all, plus a straight set win at first singles, to beat Milford. Sophomore Waseem Sablon picked up a 6-0, 6-2 win at first singles, senior Erik Anderson rallied for a 4-6, 7-5, 6-0 win at second singles and freshman Anish Sinha secured a 7-5, 0-6, 6-3 win at third singles. Juniors Brendon Buckley and Jacob Khang battled to win 1-6, 6-2, 6-1 at first doubles while seniors Hassan Khan and LJ Ferrandiz prevailed 7-6 (7-0), 0-6, 10-6 at second doubles.

King Philip, 2 @ Mansfield, 3 – Final – Mansfield junior Nilay Pangrekar overcame a one-set deficit at third singles, recording a 3-6, 6-3, 6-2 win to help the Hornets edge King Philip in a battle of two of the top teams in the league. Senior Luke Nickerson picked up a 6-4, 6-1 win at first singles while Sam Donellan and Dheeraj Valluru recorded a 6-0, 6-4 win at second doubles for the Hornets. King Philip’s Marco DiStefano won 6-0, 6-2 at second singles while the team of Jack Cannon and Nate Ihley picked up a 6-0, 6-2 win at first doubles.

Girls Tennis
Taunton, 4 @ Attleboro, 1 – Final – The Tigers swept all three singles matches and grabbed one more win in doubles play for a victory on the road. Jillian Pagliuca won 6-0, 6-2 at first singles, McKenzie Lucie picked up a 6-3, 6-1 win at second singles and Jocelyn Pagliuca prevailed 6-1, 6-0 at third singles. The team of Sam Martin and Brianna Fevrier recorded a 6-2, 6-1 win at first doubles. Attleboro’s Rena Danho and Jordan Bernardo emerged with a 6-7 (4-7), 6-4, 7-5 (7-3) win at second doubles.

North Attleboro, 0 @ Canton, 5 – Final – Canton emerged with a 5-0 in a match that was played much closer than the final score makes it appear. Rachel Kupferman (6-0, 6-1) and Natalie Keppler (6-0, 6-0) both had strong showings at first and second singles, respectively. Sarah Hernandez battled to a 6-4, 5-7, 10-8 win at third singles for Canton. Stelina Michaelidis and Rose Hazam won 6-2, 6-3 at first doubles while the team of Kiara Cerruti and Lily Hazam picked up a 7-6 (7-5), 6-2 win at second doubles.

Foxboro, 1 @ Sharon, 4 – Final – In a battle of Davenport powerhouses, Sharon earned a 4-1 win over previously unbeaten Foxboro. Senior Nupur Shukla picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win at first singles while freshman Valeria Barajas won 6-1, 6-1 at third singles for the Eagles. The team of senior Sophia Fein and sophomore Charlize Martinez won 6-1, 6-1 at first doubles while junior Lauren Glass and senior Sachi Basin teamed up for a 6-0, 6-0 win at second doubles. Foxboro senior Julia Muise recorded a 6-2, 6-2 win at third singles.

Oliver Ames, 4 @ Franklin, 1 – Final – The Tigers won all three singles matches and added one more win in doubles play to notch a victory on the road. Sarah Leger won 6-2, 6-0 at first singles, Maura Kiernan picked up a 6-0, 6-1 win at second singles, and Sarah Barron rallied for a 3-6, 6-2 10-7 win at third singles. OA’s first doubles team of Eva Belanger and Morgan Vasiliou won 7-6 (7-3), 6-3. Franklin’s Ashvika Boopathy and Vagmi Kantheti won 6-2, 4-6, 5-7 at second doubles.

Stoughton, 0 @ Milford, 5 – Final – The Scarlet Hawks defended home court by sweeping singles action in straight sets and getting two more wins in doubles play. Ashlyn Oliveri won 6-0, 6-2 at first singles, Juliana France picked up a 6-1, 6-0 win at second singles, and Olivia Marshall earned a 6-0, 6-0 decision at third singles. The team of Caroline Middlecoat and Francielly Rodrigues won 6-0, 6-1 at first doubles while Cristielly Prado and Ketny Sousa rallied for a 4-6, 6-1, 10-8 win at second doubles.

Mansfield, 1 @ King Philip, 4 – Final – King Philip won all three singles matches and added a fourth point with a win at second doubles to defeat Mansfield. Erin Regnier won 6-1, 6-2 at first singles, Katarina Schneider picked up a 6-3, 6-0 win at second singles, and Mia Valencia earned a 6-0, 6-1 win at third singles. The team of Isabelle MacMeans and Meghan Powers notched a 6-1, 6-0 win at second doubles for KP. Mansfield’s Hannah Podolske and Samantha Sternburg won 6-3, 6-4 at first doubles.

Boys Volleyball
Taunton, 1 @ Barnstable, 3 – Final

2019 Hockomock League Softball Preview

2019 Hockomock League Softball Preview
Taunton won the D1 state title last spring and comes back as one of the favorites for a league title as another competitive Hockomock softball season kicks off. (Ryan Lanigan/HockomockSports.com)

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2019 Hockomock Softball Preview

Attleboro

2018 Record: 9-12
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South Preliminary Round
Coach: Mark Homer

After back-to-back playoff appearances, the expectations are high around the Attleboro program this spring. The Bombardiers return eight of nine starters from last year’s team and the lineup should be loaded with good hitters, as well as multiple players who can step into the circle and produce a good start. With the depth on the roster this season, Attleboro will be eyeing another postseason berth.

Senior McKenzie Bergdoll is one of the top power hitters in the league and will be back for another spring in the heart of the Attleboro lineup. She will be joined by classmates Jordyn Lako and Kayla Battisti as starters. Junior Makenzie Killough will be back at shortstop and also batting cleanup and providing protection for Bergdoll in the order. Sophomore Lora Woyton returns behind the plate, sophomore Autumn O’Connell will be in center and batting second and junior Ashley Macia will be out in left. Sophomore Brenna Morse will be taking over in rightfield. In the circle, Attleboro has plenty of depth with juniors Emily and Jenna Gittle and Bergdoll all able to step in. The Bombardiers will try to take advantage of their overall team speed and head coach Mark Homer said there are a few freshmen who may see playing time right away.

“The bar was set high from last season,” said Homer. “So the girls are onboard to perform well again this season with high hopes of competing in every game they play. They have set some goals to achieve one a\t a time. I am cautiously optimistic with our chances of winning more games this season than we have in the past. Knowing that there are no easy games on our schedule so we have to come to play every night.”

Canton

2018 Record: 8-13
2018 Finish: Reached D2 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Dave Bohane

Canton had quite the turnaround in 2018 under second-year head coach Jennifer Robillard, winning eight games, seven more than in 2017, and making a return to the state tournament. Robillard, last season’s HockomockSports.com Coach of the Year, has moved on to a position at Bentley and football coach Dave Bohane has taken over a team that has seen an influx of young talent and has momentum on its side heading into the spring.

Junior pitcher Caroline Hughes is one of the reasons for optimism in the program, as she is looking to build off a strong sophomore season in which she pitched almost every inning. Hughes was also one of the team’s top hitters and she will be at the heart of the lineup along with sophomore outfielder Liz Bickett, who batted .409 last season. Bickett is just one of several sophomores who the Bulldogs will be counting on, including infielders Olivia Lanci and Sarah Kelly, catchers Steph Trendell and Amanda Vrabel. Junior catcher Jackie Howard and seniors Haley Donovan and Ally Chin will provide leadership for this young group to try and get the Bulldogs right back into the state tournament mix.

“I am very excited to be coaching this team,” said Bohane, who has previously served the program as an assistant coach. “They are extremely hard working and devoted to the program. I think they will set the standard for our future players who come through the program. It’s a very tough league, but we will take it one game at a time and try to improve each game”.

Foxboro

2018 Record: 11-12
2018 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South Quarterfinal
Coach: Mark Maguire

Foxboro made a run in the Div. 2 tournament last season, winning a pair of games before being knocked out in the quarterfinals, and the Warriors will hope to build on that exciting finish to 2018 by making a run at the Davenport crown this spring. Even with the loss of catcher Hannah Davis, who was instrumental in the team’s playoff run, Foxboro has a strong returning core and some talented young players stepping in to give head coach Mark Maguire confidence ahead of the new season.

Senior Emma Rohan will be back in the circle for her fourth year as the Foxboro starter and she has the experience of pitching in a number of big games and against the top teams in the league. Senior Cam Willis will play first this season, but can also step in and pitch if needed along with junior Amelia Stowell. The pitchers will have a rookie to throw to, as freshman Allie Willis will be stepping in behind the plate. Sophomore Morgan Sylvestre returns at shortstop after a strong first season on varsity and will be one of the leaders of the infield. Senior Chelsea Gibbons is at third base and freshman Peyton Feldman takes over at second. Sophomore Nicole Theriault will be in centerfield but can play a number of positions, senior Riley Martignetti gives the team pop from the right side of the plate, and senior Jill Finn can play all three outfield positions.

“Preseason is going great as the girls are working very hard to be ready for the season,” said Maguire. “We have a group of girls who work hard. I think team defense should be good with our senior leadership, and the younger players who aggressively look to make plays in the field. I have high expectations for this team, as we look to compete for a Davenport title and gain a state tournament berth.”

Franklin

2018 Record: 9-11
2018 Finish: Missed Playoffs
Coach: Kate Fallon

Franklin has consistently been right behind perennial league leaders Taunton and King Philip in the Kelley-Rex division standings but has narrowly missed out on the playoffs by a single win in each of the past two seasons. This year, the Panthers have eight seniors coming back with the goal of getting the team back into the postseason and use a typically tough schedule to prep for a tournament run.

Pitching will be a strength for the Panthers this year with seniors Jackie Cherry and Emily Valentino giving the team depth and different options in the circle. Throwing strikes will be the key for both and limiting opposition base runners. Behind the plate, Franklin has plenty of experience as well with seniors Ally Shea and Maggie Hobby both capable of stepping in and handling the pitchers as well as providing power at the plate. Senior Tara Hartnett will be back at shortstop and provides strong defense up the middle. Junior Anna Balkus will be in centerfield and will set the table for the offense as the lead-off hitter. Junior Maddy White will be at third base and joins Shea and senior Kylie-Jade Bouzan as the team’s primary run producers.

“We are excited to see the Panther players on the field again,” said Franklin coach Kate Fallon-Comeau. “Overall our tough league and non-league schedule will keep us focused for tournament and we will rely on our solid pitching and defense.”

King Philip

2018 Record: 21-4
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South Final
Coach: Norm Beauchemin

Every season King Philip loses important players and every season the Warriors seem to be right back in the mix for the league title. This spring should be no different. KP will have several important players to replace in the lineup, but it expects to challenge for a 12th title in the past 13 seasons and also make another tournament run, following last year’s South final loss to Kelley-Rex rival Taunton.

Meghan Gorman is the player to watch for the Warriors this season, as the senior shortstop is one of the top defensive players in the state and also the spark plug at the top of the lineup. Senior Faith Turinese will move from the outfield into the circle and will split time with classmate Heather Nix as the top pitchers for the Warriors. Turinese also batted over .400 last year and will be an important bat in the middle of the order. Junior Destiny Goyco will step in behind the plate, after overcoming an injury from basketball season, and fellow junior Liliana Rolfe will take over at third. Grace Kelley will be at second base and Anna Bradley will be at first. The outfield will be filled with speed, including Kara McWhinnie in left, sophomore Paige Berdos in center, and either Ryan Stagg or junior Reaegan Simeone in right.

“One to nine, everyone hits the ball,” said KP coach Norm Beauchemin. “I’m looking forward to another solid season. The league overall is going to be very competitive, so it should be fun.”

Mansfield

2018 Record: 7-13
2018 Finish: Missed Playoffs
Coach: Lori Letendre

Mansfield is looking to bounce back from a tough 2018 season in which the Hornets struggled in the Hockomock (going 4-12 in league play) and missed the playoffs. This year, Mansfield hopes for a quick turnaround and return to the state tournament with an experienced roster that brings back 11 players, seven starters, and seven seniors from last season.

The battery of senior pitcher Sarah Cahill and senior catcher Caty DeMassi is back and should give the Hornets a good foundation on which to build on this season. Seniors Megan Letendre and Kara Bendanillo will hold down the left side of the infield and provide pop in the middle of the lineup, while Mady Bendanillo returns in centerfield to give Mansfield a dynamic defensive player and another strong bat. There is an influx of youth as well with two sophomores and a freshman jumping into varsity and having the chance to contribute right away.

“Our goal is to make it back to the tournament this year and with strong leadership from our captains and our seniors, I think we will have a good shot at it!” said Mansfield coach Lori Letendre.

Milford

2018 Record: 18-3
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Steve DiVitto

The biggest question for Milford is how do the Hawks move on from a group of 10 seniors that won a combined 79 games, four league titles, and the 2017 state championship? Milford has been the team to beat in the Davenport division for six years and a relatively inexperienced group will have to face a season in which the target for every team in the league is squarely on their backs.

Junior Megan Hart is one of the primary options to replace Kelley Reichert in the circle to start the season, with freshman Olivia Morelli showing potential to step in and contribute innings right away. Senior Lucy Creedon can step in at first or in the outfield. Junior April Swain will jump into the outfield along with classmate Taylor Waldrup, while junior Amanda Wenckus can play either position on the left side of the infield and sophomore Carly Ferreira can play either corner infield spot. Sophomore Elise Fauerbach can play behind the plate or in the outfield, while her classmate Natalie Casilli will take an outfield spot. There are a lot of spots to fill this year, but head coach Steve DiVitto is talking about that as an opportunity for a new group of players to step into.

“We understand that lack of experience is something that we will need to combat with, however the bar will continue to be set high!” DiVitto said. “Each year a new page is turned over, and as always the focus is: what’s your legacy going to be? Keeping our awesome team chemistry will be an important part of this season. We’re excited for the challenges of playing in the best league in the state!”

North Attleboro

2018 Record: 16-5
2018 Finish: Reached D1 South First Round
Coach: Bill Wallace

Two seasons ago, North Attleboro was a young team that made a surprise trip to the South semifinal, but this year the Rocketeers will have much higher expectations. North is now the experienced team in the Davenport division and has aspirations of unseating Milford and winning a first league title since 1990 and adding to the league’s recent history of strong tournament performances with another deep run.

Junior pitcher Bella Erti will be one of the league’s top pitchers again this season, after a 15-5 sophomore season in which she struck out 137 batters. She also hit .357. Junior Ashley Cangiano is also back for her third year as a starter and is one of the top catchers in the league. Abby Gallagher returns to the North outfield after hitting .500 last season as a sophomore and senior Olivia Capobianco will be back in centerfield and the middle of the North lineup. Freshman Mandi Hanewich and sophomores Emma Bailey and Belle Clarkin will compete for the third outfield spot after impressive preseasons. Senior Katie Daby is at first, while sophomore Emily Nardelli moves from shortstop to second base. Junior Alex Moulson takes over at short and her classmate Annabelle Hebard will be at third. Emily Bedard and Makenzie Nardelli add to North’s infield depth and Alivia Byrne will give Erti a rest in the circle and is another big bat in the lineup.

“We will need to be more multi-dimensional, as late in the year we couldn’t sustain our offensive start to the season,” said North coach Bill Wallace. “This group really wants to make their mark on the league and they know how much work that is going to take.”

Oliver Ames

2018 Record: 3-17
2018 Finish: Missed Playoffs
Coach: Lindsey Allison

Last season was a struggle for the Tigers, with only three wins and head coach Lindsey Allison is hoping that a group of younger players can add to the returning core and make a push to get Oliver Ames back into the state tournament. Allison is confident that the offense will get into the swing of things for the Tigers after scoring only 66 runs last season, second-lowest in the league.

Senior Kayla Georgeu will be back in the circle for OA and in the heart of the lineup. The Tigers will count on sophomore Emma Varella to provide some innings at pitcher, as well as playing in the infield. Senior first baseman Katie Mills is a big bat for the Tigers and junior Katie Abreu can step in at either shortstop or centerfield depending on the game to provide vocal leadership. Sophomore Grace Simone will be behind the plate this season.

“Every spot is open for the taking and there are many young players who are hungry to be on the field,” said Allison. “This group of players seem like a team – not just a group of individuals. They compete with one another for positions, but also support each other. They hold each other accountable and communicate. I am excited to see what hard work can accomplish this season.”

Sharon

2018 Record: 0-20
2018 Finish: Missed Playoffs
Coach: Heather Poliferno

It was definitely a rough debut season for Sharon coach Heather Poliferno, but it was also a chance for a number of young players to get experience at the varsity level. This spring, there is renewed enthusiasm with a crop of underclassmen joining the experienced players to give Poliferno and the Eagles confidence for a much better spring.

Freshman Trinity Payne is the player to watch for the Eagles this season as she takes over as the starting pitcher and has already drawn the attention of coaches in the Davenport division. She will be used at a couple of different positions and gives the Eagles versatility in the lineup. Senior Alli Small will be back at shortstop this season, while classmate Jody Goldenberg is back at first, and senior Rebecca Clayman will be the leader of the outfield group. As the program is growing, Sharon is hoping for much different results this season.

“We are very excited for this season!” said Poliferno. “We have many returning players leading our varsity team, as well as the addition of a very talented freshman class. Though we have only had a handful of practices, one of our clear strengths is our desire to be the best on the field.”

Stoughton

2018 Record: 7-13
2018 Finish: Missed Playoffs
Coach: Deb Parker

Stoughton struggled to find a groove in 2018 and ended up missing the playoffs under first-year head coach Deb Parker, who had made the switch from Sharon before last season. This year, the Black Knights bring back starters in key positions and once again have the potential to make a run at a state tournament berth and even challenge for the Davenport title.

Seniors Nikki Coppola (second base) and Jordan Lyons (shortstop) give Stoughton a strong combination up the middle and senior Karly Estremera brings plenty of experience at third base. Sophomore pitcher Nicole Baker will take over full-time in the circle this season and Parker is impressed by the work that she put in during the off-season to get ready. Baker will be throwing to an experienced catcher, as senior Brianna Ferrandiz is back behind the plate for the Black Knights. Junior Lexi Baptista will lead the outfield crew in center and could also be one of Stoughton’s top hitters this season. Freshmen Melody Casna and Sydney Menz will give the Black Knights versatility by playing multiple positions.

“This team has come together so quickly, it is a real tribute to the leadership of our captains,” said Parker. “This team knows what they are playing for this year and we have high expectations going into the season. Softball in the Hockomock League is incredibly competitive but if we continue to work hard, we should have a great season.”

Taunton

2018 Record: 26-2
2018 Finish: Won D1 State Championship
Coach: Dave Lewry

How do you follow up a state championship? For Taunton, it just may be to make a run at a repeat. The Tigers lost the second, third, and fourth hitters in the lineup (including league MVP and HockomockSports.com Player of the Year Kya Enos), who combined for 88 RBI, but there is a ton of talent coming back from last season, all of whom contributed at one point or another during Taunton’s run to the title.

It starts in the circle where sophomore Kelsey White will be the starter again this season after going 16-2 as a freshman and pitching every inning during the playoff run (not to mention batting .418). Her sister Alexa will also see time at pitcher, along with freshman Olyvia Mendonca, but will also play most of the season in centerfield. The infield will be a strength for the Tigers, with all four players back. Senior Jaime Brown (batted .469) is back for her fifth year at third base and is one of the top hitters in the league, sophomore Hanna Aldrich (.385 average with four homers and 30 RBI) is in her third year at shortstop and was this site’s Underclassman of the Year in 2018, sophomore McKenzie McAloon returns at second base for her third season, and junior Paige Silvia is back at first. Silvia and junior Riley Murphy are also in the running to replace Enos behind the plate, while junior Abbie McDonough takes over in left and eighth-grader Ava Venturelli could start the season in right.

“While we lost three outstanding players to graduation, I am excited about the potential of this year’s team,” said Taunton coach Dave Lewry. “We have a good nucleus of returning players looking to defend our D1 state championship.”

2018 Hockomock League Field Hockey All Stars

Below are the official 2018 Hockomock League Field Hockey All Stars, selected by the coaches in the league.

Hockomock League MVP

Allison Meehan, King Philip

Hockomock League All Stars

Sydney DiLiddo, Attleboro
Anna Beck, Attleboro
Maggie Malloy, Canton
Kaitlyn Goyetch, Canton
Maria Femia, Canton
Meg Curran, Foxboro
Sophia DiCenso, Foxboro
Lily Daly, Foxboro
Julia Carangelo, Foxboro
Jaime Notarangelo, Foxboro
Cassi Ronan, Franklin
Emily Valentino, Franklin
Maeve Ledwith, Franklin
Allison Meehan, King Philip
Kate Lindmark, King Philip
Samantha Robison, King Philip
Maggie Danehy, Mansfield
Alicia Hottleman, Mansfield
Paige Reisman, Milford
Abby Calistra, North Attleboro
Emily Han, Oliver Ames
Hannah Stryke, Oliver Ames
Allison Small, Sharon
Allie Howe, Stoughton
Emma Sheehan, Taunton
Alana Tavares, Taunton

Honorable Mentions:
Alexis Compton, Attleboro
Katie Trerice, Canton
Molly Murphy, Foxboro
Christina Luccini, Franklin
Meg MacDonald, King Philip
Kelly Doherty, Mansfield
Olyvia Whyte, Milford
Julia Feid, North Attleboro
Maggie Woods, Oliver Ames
Rebecca Clayman, Sharon
Jeanna Girolamo, Stoughton
Lauren Torres, Taunton

Field Hockey: 2018 Hockomock League Preview

Hockomock League Field Hockey Preview

By HockomockSports.com Staff

2018 Hockomock League Field Hockey Preview

Attleboro

2017 Record: 5-13-0
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Lindsay Antunes

Attleboro is looking to bounce back from a five-win season in 2017 and make a push up the league standings by mixing experienced players with a talented group of underclassmen that could make instant contributions for the Bombardiers.

The midfield will be a strength for the Bombardiers this season with returning starters like senior Kyra Lyons and junior Anna Back. Up front, leading scorer Grace Mayer graduated but senior Alex Compton was second on the team in points and will be counted on to fire in the goals. Attleboro will be hoping for more consistency from the defensive group this season to cut down on the 76 goals it allowed last year and senior goalie Shealyn Harrison will help keep things organized.

Attleboro coach Lindsay Antunes said, “We are looking forward to this season, as we have a lot of strong returning players throughout each line. We are fortunate to be pairing these returners with a very skilled and unsuspecting younger class, who I am certain will be instrumental in making a positive difference on our team.”

Canton

2017 Record: 16-4-1
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South Semifinal
Coach: Chrissy O’Connor

Davenport division champion Canton went to overtime against top seed Somerset Berkeley in last year’s Div. 1 South semifinal and was a goal away from setting up an all-Hock final. The Bulldogs bring back a lot of talent from last year’s squad and will be hoping to make a run at back-to-back titles.

Senior forward Maggie Malloy will once again be the focal point up top after leading the Bulldogs with 27 goals and eight assists last fall. Malloy will be joined up top by sophomore Maria Femia. Junior Kaitlyn Goyetch, the reigning HockomockSports.com Underclassman of the Year, is back in the midfield and she will get helped out by sophomore Meghan Labelle. Senior Katie Trerice will be the leader of the defense and sophomore Rose Malloy will jump in and contribute as well. Sophomore Riley O’Connor will take over in goal this fall.

Canton coach Chrissy O’Connor said, “We are looking forward to seeing the hard work and effort our players put in this pre-season pay off on the field.”

Foxboro

2017 Record: 15-4-2
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 2 South Semifinal.
Coach: Melissa Bordieri

With 14 seniors on the roster this season, Foxboro has set its sights on regaining the Davenport division crown that it lost by just two points to Canton last year. Two years removed from winning the Div. 2 South title, the Warriors seem poised to make another deep tournament run with a team loaded with talent, depth, and experience.

Senior forward Lily Daly, the team’s leading scorer each of the past three seasons, will once again team up with classmate Sophia DiCenso to form one of the league’s most dynamic attacking units. Senior Molly Murphy and junior Jamie Notarangelo will add to an already formidable offense. Senior Meghan Curran will lead the midfield unit along with classmate Carly Stern and the defense will be guided by seniors Caroline McGeary and Kristin Whalen, while senior goalie Julia Carangelo.

After come narrowly short of the league title last season and reaching the sectional semifinal, expectations are typically sky high for one of the league’s perennial powers.

Franklin

2017 Record: 10-8-2
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round
Coach: Michelle Hess

Michelle Hess returns to the Franklin bench this season after eight years away from the program and she inherits a team that has the talent to compete for a league title and expectations of being able to make a deep run in the state tournament as well.

Senior midfielder Cassi Ronan is the primary playmaker for the Panthers and was the team’s leading scorer last fall with 16 goals and eight assists. One of the league’s top players, Ronan will be the primary focus of the opposition, but senior Regan Paterson can take some of that pressure off and will chip in with goals from the forward position. Senior Emily Valentino and junior Maeve Ledwith will provide organization for the defensive unit and senior Christina Luccini will be back in goal to backstop the defense.

“We are looking to improve on last years record and would love to go further in the tournament,” said Hess.

King Philip

2017 Record: 19-3-1
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 1 State Semifinal
Coach: Kimberly Meehan and Erin MacDonald

King Philip had a dominating run through the 2017 season, winning the Kelley-Rex title while losing just two games in the Hock all season, and then claiming the Div. 1 South title for the first time. This year, KP has a new coaching staff, with Kimberly Meehan and Erin MacDonald taking over the reigns, and high expectations with an experienced and talented roster.

The Warriors return six seniors, who will be counted on to keep the team focused in its quest for a second straight title. Alli Meehan will be the primary attacking threat again this season. The Northeastern University-commit scored 40 points last regular season, despite missing a couple of games. Senior Claire Lawlor will be on the left wing to support the attack, and senior Nicole Conner will jump into the attack from her midfield position as well. Three-year starter Dana Truini will run the midfield for the Warriors, providing support on both ends of the field. Defensively, senior Emma Izydorczak, a St. Anselm-commit, will be the leader of the back line to keep things organized. Fellow senior Kate Lindmark will also help out for a defense that last year allowed only 13 goals in 23 games.

Expectations remain high for the program this season and the new coaches “anticipate a very successful season led by their powerful seniors.”

Mansfield

2017 Record: 7-7-5
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South Preliminary Round
Coach: Theresa Nyhen

Mansfield reached the state tournament again last year and was the only team in the league to beat Kelley-Rex champion King Philip (twice, in fact), but the Hornets have their sights set on returning to the top of the league standings as they did in 2014 and 2015. With a balanced roster that has depth all over the field, the Hornets have a chance to unseat KP in the division.

The Hornets have 10 seniors and experience all over the field. The forward line will include seniors Lauren Clang, Tori Farrington, Alicia Hottleman, Brooke Downy and Hayleigh Crawford. The midfield unit will be led by seniors Maggie Danehy and Kelly Doherty, who showed her versatility last season in several positions. Senior goalie Kayla Hunter is also back to help keep the defense solid. Newcomers like sophomore forward Abby Varricchione and sophomore midfielder Stori Rounds will jump in and contribute as well.

“We have some speed, some strong and some finesse,” said Mansfield coach Theresa Nyhen. “Mansfield field hockey is a team of heart and hustle. As a team, we still have lots of work to do but are looking forward to the fun competition in the Hockomock League.”

Milford

2017 Record: 3-15-0
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Katie Blackburn

New head coach Katie Blackburn will try to improve on Milford’s three wins from last season with a group that has a lot of experience, especially on the back line, and speedy forward line that will try to fire in the goals.

The defense is filled with upperclassmen with seniors Eliza Valente and Emily Haley anchoring the back line along with junior Paige Reisman. Juniors Bella Gonzalez and Kathryn Swineford will be key players in the midfield and sophomore Madison Carneiro is a player to watch in the Milford front line, which Blackburn said would include a number of players that have a variety of skill sets.

Blackburn added, “Each player is unique and it has been exciting to see them all learning how to play together. We have a lot of speed as well as ball handling skills that will help us move the ball up the field and into the attacking circle.”

North Attleboro

2017 Record: 9-7-4
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round
Coach: Karen Folan

North Attleboro got back into the state tournament last fall, only to run into perennial power Walpole in the second round, and the Rocketeers have a deep roster to make another run this year and potentially challenge Canton and Foxboro at the top of the Davenport. The new turf at Beaupre Field should also help North utilize the team’s speed.

The Rocketeers have a ton of experience coming back this season, including seniors Abby Calistra, Julia Feid, Shaylee Maxcy, and Lizzie Frost, who will form a solid defensive corps in front of junior goalie Emma Strachan, who head coach Karen Folan said has improved her quickness in the off-season. Speedy midfielders Michelle Pothier and fellow junior Lindsay Robinson will join senior Jess Strachan, while senior Tara Nair and junior Faith Graveline will be up top.

Folan said, “We are looking forward to another year in the competitive Hockomock League. Our offense will start with our defense this season. We hope to use our cohesive ball movement to transition the ball quickly up the field and into the offensive circle to generate lots of shots on net.”

Oliver Ames

2017 Record: 9-7-3
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South Preliminary Round.
Coach: Sharon Lawrence

Oliver Ames is coming off a strong regular season performance, tying for third place in the Kelley-Rex division with 18 points, but they had to go on the road to Taunton in the playoffs and lost an overtime heartbreaker. First-year coach Sharon Lawrence takes over this season and has a roster with 11 juniors and seniors to try and make another run at a postseason bid.

Senior Meghan Rockey is one of the players that the Tigers will turn to this year and she will try to control the middle of the field. Fellow senior Kayla Lozzi can step in at forward or midfield and scored 10 points (four goals and six assists) for OA last season, while senior Samantha Clapp adds a defensive presence whether in midfield or defense. Lawrence is also excited for the contributions from the younger players, including sophomore forward Hannah Stryke, who is the Tigers top returning scorer with seven goals and four assists as a freshman.

“As a first-year coach, my focus has been on learning and assessing our talent and athleticism to position our players as a team for optimal success,” Lawrence said. “We have returning starters as well as new young talent on both offense and defense, and look to be competitive this season.”

Sharon

2017 Record: 0-18-1
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Ashley Courville

First-year head coach Ashley Courville is looking to build the program from the ground up, and she is counting on a large roster and a core of returning players to get Sharon moving in the right direction this season. With only one sophomore on the roster, experience shouldn’t be an issue for the Eagles as they turn things around.

The defense will be led seniors Varsha Poreddy and Rebecca Clayman. Junior Blaize Hanna will also be part of that group this fall. The midfield has seniors Georgia Cheney and Lauren Yaffe to help out in the attack and also chip in on the defensive side of things. Sophomore Lauren Prenaveau is another player to watch in the Eagles midfield. Up top, senior forward Elizabeth Romantz will be counted on to add to Sharon’s goal tally.

Courville said, “We have a large team this year with a handful of returning players giving the team consistency and determination. Our defense has added strength and depth, while our offense has added speed.”

Stoughton

2017 Record: 7-12-1
2017 Finish: Missed playoffs
Coach: Dan Mark

Stoughton graduated 13 players from last year’s team and then lost leading scorer Julia Russell to a knee injury, but there is hope for the Black Knights to make a run at a state tournament spot as the inexperienced players gain valuable minutes at the varsity level.

Defense will be a strength for Stoughton this fall, with returning seniors Katie Widrow and Jeanna Girolamo adding stability and keeping things organized at the back. Sophomore Kayla Lobby will start in goal for the Black Knights. In the midfield, senior Jordan Lyons is a strong two-way player and she will be looking to get the ball forward to the sticks of seniors Allie Howe and Alanna McCormick, who will both be trying to make up for the production that was expected from Russell.

Stoughton coach Dan Mark is hopeful that his team can meet its potential. He said, “We will be inexperienced in many areas, but do have several players who played regularly last year.”

Taunton

2017 Record: 11-8-1
2017 Finish: Reached Div. 1 South First Round
Coach: Liz Hathaway

Taunton had one of its best seasons in program history last year, winning 11 games and advancing in the playoffs for the first time by beating Oliver Ames in an overtime thriller. The Tigers will look to build on that success and compete with the top teams in the ultra-competitive Kelley-Rex division.

The Taunton midfield will be a strength this season, as it is filled with experienced players. Seniors Jillian Pagliuca, Lauren Torres, and Mabel Smith are all capable of making plays on both ends of the field and all read the game well to keep the Tigers moving in the right direction. Senior forward Ciera Bartel will be joined up front by last year’s playoff hero Alana Tavares. The sophomore forward scored the game-winner against OA and has the speed to cause defense lots of problems. The Tigers defense will be led by junior Kathryn Robinson and sophomore Jocelyn Pagliuca and if anyone gets through then senior goalie Emma Sheehan will be there to stop them.

Taunton coach Liz Hathaway said, “This team has come together and have a great on field bond that allows them to successfully execute plays and breakaways.”